Kim Clist's Theory Review

Environment and Context Learning looks at several factors that influence the way a person learns. Environment can be the physical space, the tools available, the cultural factors, or existing power structures. Context takes into account the learner’s experiences and situations, the context of their life personally and/or professionally. This is different from traditional academic learning that tends to focus purely on knowledge acquisition, only bothering itself with environment when barriers appear and is typically without regard for context. More than 20 years ago, then President Bill Clinton said, “Most important of all, information has become global and has become king of the global economy. In earlier history, wealth was measured in land, gold, in oil, in machines. Today, the principal measure of our wealth is information: its quality, its quantity, and the speed with which we acquire it and adapt to it” (Schiller, H.J., 1996).  

Technological Environment for Learning recognizes the impact technology has on learning. Sawchuck is quoted as saying, “Strictly speaking, the term technology should include any mediating tool of human activity, ranging from a pencil, to a computer, to a language, to any rational organization of material resources. However, in the industrialized world, ask someone to talk about technology and his or her response largely begins and ends with a discussion of computers” (Jiao, X., & Miao, L., 2010). Digital technology is no longer expanding its presence into every area of life; it is driving those areas, changing them.  

Digital technology can be used to break down barriers. Most obviously, access. There are many forms of access limitations that technology can bridge. For example, written text can be converted to sound for the visually impaired and vice versa for the hearing impaired.

Those confined by locations and/or time can make the miles and hours inconsequential. Learners can connect with people via video conferencing tools like Skype, Google Hangouts, and Zoom to be face to face without leaving their home or office. Online classroom platforms like D2L and Blackboard create asynchronous learning opportunities, where one can access a lecture at 2am. And INFORMATION. It used to be that in order to find information, a learner would have to visit a library. Over time, journals and periodicals were digitized, but still only accessible in a library. Eventually, databases accessible to students taking university courses became available for peer reviewed publications. Now, everyone has access to all the information. Youtube videos provide demonstrations for everything from dissecting a frog to changing the oil on your car, Google Scholar provides an open database to finding research materials. Via technology, vast amounts of information is available anywhere, anytime.  

Finally, the barriers of different learning rates can be overcome. “Student learning rate is faster with CAI (computer aided instruction) than with conventional instruction. Patience is a virtue that the computer offers. During instruction, students' responses are not timed, hence, students can move at their own pace” (Jiao, X., & Miao, L., 2010). Learners no longer have to hold up the class or wait for others as they progress through mastering a concept. This alleviates stress on learners as well as they no longer experience frustration or embarrassment due to the speed of their learning. An example of where this customized learning could be profoundly beneficial is in educating individuals in prisons. There are federal mandates with regard to incarcerated individuals that require them to have access to certain forms of education. This can be incredibly problematic considering the limited funding and staff in such institutions. “One benefit technology enhanced instruction can bring to correctional education is an increase in individualized instruction. Research shows that individual students in incarcerated situations achieve significantly greater gains in academic achievement than in the group instruction format” (Chappell, 2013).

Digital technology has barriers to consider as well. First and foremost is getting the darn thing to work. MacKeracher states that, “Technology that works as it is supposed to work becomes invisible; technology that doesn’t work or that no one knows how to work becomes an insurmountable and highly visible barrier to both facilitating and learning” (MacKeracher, D., 2007). In other words, using technology requires a proficiency with the technology. An educator who spends learning time on attempting to get their tech to work properly is wasting everyone’s time and creating an atmosphere of frustration. Before the formal learning begins, educators must prepare their curriculum. Likewise, they must be equally prepared to utilize the technology they wish to employ in their curriculum. Train, practice, and then practice some more.

Another effect of digital technology is the potential for a breakdown in sense of community. Some learning styles require a sense of community in order to be effective. Christina Olgren is quoted saying, “The role of technology is not to be a delivery system but rather to… create a learning design that cues and supports the full repertoire of learning strategies” (MacKeracher, D., 2007). Educators must offer different ways for students to access the learning. Written articles and lecture shared on-line should be in a printable format for those paper & pen learners. Small groups working via distance should be given equal weight to collaborative work done over the telephone. Video introductions and space for conversations not focused on the curriculum must be offered for students to engage and foster community.

The technological environment of the learner is no longer something educators and education developers can afford to ignore. Not only is technology being used but there are so many different forms that need to be accommodated for and adapted to. For example, formatting on-line education for mobile devices is a complex endeavor. Mobile devices with varying capacities and screen sizes create unique barriers for those who develop digital platforms for learning. The table below demonstrates the varying distribution of different technology tools based on age in 2012. With the massive influx of tablets which operate more like a mobile phone but have a screen size more like a laptop, digital learning programmers have an even more complex design problem.

Table Source: Jelfs & Richardson, 2013.

I currently work as a facilitator and educator in an adult leadership training program. I have seen the impact of recognizing and using context and environment to help learners deepen their understandings. As our organization grows and adapts, we must find ways to remain relevant the 21^st century. Being aware of and utilizing the technological environment learners now exist in is an important key to moving forward. We must become better at creating curriculum that takes into consideration the digital context of the learner. Being able to use the theories and research from this paper, applying it to future curriculum is the only way my organization will be able to continue, to have the privilege of collaboratively building learning experiences to increase their capacities as leaders.

Reflecting on what I learned from this research, I am most struck by the fact that I have far more questions. I find myself wondering if some of the barriers educators still need to consider when utilizing technology in a learning environment, particularly those barriers that come from accommodating different learning styles, will become less prevalent over time. As technology continues to drive the way we do things, is it possible that the way our brains are wired, that makes someone prefer pencil and paper, will be rewired? How much of the way we learn, at a neurological level, is being completely altered by technology?

My writing process usually begins with me finding 2-3 resources on a broad topic. Within those resources, I usually find the aspects of the broad topic that I want to explore. I set my paper up by walking through each step of the syllabus and placing headings and a brief description of what should be included for each section. By mapping out all the pieces ahead of time, I made sure I did not forget any required elements.

Main Theoretical Ideas	Application
Technological Environment as a way to overcome access barriers	Utilize technology to overcome barriers to learning for people with disabilities. Text to speech and speech to text software provides access to those with visual and hearing disabilities. Utilize technology to overcome barriers of location/distance. Video conferencing as a way to join a class in real time makes miles vanish. Utilize technology to overcome barriers of time. With asynchronous learning modules, where classroom interaction happens independently within a certain window of time, a learner can access learning and do coursework when it fits into their schedule. Search engines and databases are technological tools that provide immediate access to endless information, from Youtube to Google Scholar.
The barriers of Technological environment which need to be considered/overcome	Getting the technology to work: An educator must learn, practice, and become an expert of sorts of the technology they wish to incorporate. Connecting with various learning styles: Learning resources should be formatted so they will print. Video introductions and video conferencing helps to create a sense of community. Increasingly, programmers need to create learning platforms that will adapt based on the device that is accessing it.

REFERENCE:

Chappell, C. (2013). Use of technology in correctional education. Journal of Correctional Education, 64(2), 22-39.

Jelfs, A., & Richardson, J. T. (2013). The use of digital technologies across the adult life span in distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(2), 338-351. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01308.x

Jiao, X., & Miao, L. (2010). Application of information technology in adult education. Paper presented at the 2010 International Conference on Optics, Photonics and Energy Engineering (OPEE), 2010, 2 449-452. doi:10.1109/OPEE.2010.5508020

MacKeracher, D. (2007). Making sense of adult learning (2nd). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Schiller, H.J. (1996). Information Inequality: The Deepening Social Crisis in America, pp. 105, Routledge.

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