The Impact of Tech in Adult Learning

 The world of Adult Learning is a rapidly growing field, with more and more adults having access to high quality education from the comfort of their own homes.  Many adult learners are returning to higher education virtually, sometimes decades after their last collegiate experience.  While this is a fantastic opportunity for both learners and instructors alike, there are new challenges they may face due to new technologies.  Last week we discussed challenges that learners may face, and this week we will dive into challenges that instructors can face. The first ITO (instructor take-on) I will discuss is realizing and recognizing your students' technology mediated learning characteristics.  Adult learners come from a wide range of technological backgrounds, and some will be more familiar with learning technology than others.  As an instructor, you need to be cognizant of this and ensure that your program is either built for all learners, or you have a strong ...

 What are the most important technology focused learner take-ons in adult learning? It's a simple question really.  Thinking about the learner responsibilities needed to ensure a successful technology adoption in adult learning sounds like a basic task.  However, when you look deeper than the surface, you can see how many possible options there really are.  Technology is a rapidly growing field, and with more and more tech methods being applied to online learning each day, the online learning experience is always changing.   Personally, I believe that not just in adult learning, but life in general, a strong sense of self-efficacy is needed. Self efficacy can be defined as "an individual's belief that they are able to succeed given any task that they encounter." (Wilde & Hsu, 2019).  When looking at the adoption of technology in adult learning, learners need to be ready to take on the responsibility of learning new technology, like some of us are w...

  Is blogging the same as discussion board activity for a SDLer (self-directed learner)? When considering whether or not a discussion board activity is the same as a blog for a self-directed learner, in some ways you can make an argument for each side.  Because technically as bloggers in this course we are expected to comment on others blogs and give feedback, in some ways it is essentially the same assignment as our typical discussion boards.  However, blogging opens up a whole new space for creativity and individuality in my opinion.  Working in CANVAS or any other online learning platform, you do not have the space or capability to create layouts, themes, or sometimes incorporate visual elements into your discussion posts.  On a blog, the possibilities are endless.  If you want your blog to look or feel a certain way, you can do that.  You can make your blog stand out from others with your personal creativity.   Online blogging has really ...