The Future of Interactive Media in Education

"The future is now for interactive media in learning. The technology and tools that were demonstrated more than ten years ago are now robust and accessible. The current challenge is to remember that digital technologies can be as central to learning as they are to entertainment and culture. And to "just do it" "

- Dr. Kristina Hooper Woolsey
Stanford ED106 Instructor

Summary of the topic

Technology constantly evolves and it affects various aspects of our lives such as business environment, community collaboration, and ways of communication.

However, using technologies in education has been steady even after the emergence of internet. Therefore, we should consider how technology can be applied to learning in the future, and how children can utilize the best of it to enhance their learning inside and outside school.

A number of scholars have claimed that putting technology alone in classrooms will not benefit children to learn fundamental characteristics of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connections to real-world contexts (Roschelle et al, 2000).

In order to help students prepare themselves to be competitive workforce in the complex 21st-century world, innovative learning programs should be added to their school curriculum for developing higher-order skills of critical thinking (Roschelle et al, 2000), which is going to be an essential element for the future citizens. For instance, students need to work collaboratively on their project-based activities using technology. Also, simulation and visualization tools should be equipped to enable students to recognize patterns, reason qualitatively about physical processes, translate among frames of reference, and envision dynamic models (Dede, 2000).

Although technology has a huge potential to enrich and motivate students to further their understandings, the use of technology as an effective learning tool is more likely to happen when broad sectors of our society make efforts to reform the current education system. Learning tool developers are required to work closely with teachers, policy makers should provide more teacher trainings and infrastructure in school, and school also should try to attract resources outside of school to their curriculum.


Video

Classrooms of the Future



Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities



What if Scenarios




Readings

     Lingnau, A., Kuhn, M., Harrer, A.,Hofmann, D., Fendrich, M., Hoppe, H.U., (2003). Enriching Traditional Classroom Scenarios by Seamless Integration of Interactive Media. International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies.

The authors introduce two innovative technology tools, Cool Modes (Collaborative Open Learning, Modelling and Designing System) and Free Styler, to a German secondary school for collaborative modeling and mind mapping. The feedback from students was positive in that they were able to freely share their ideas with other students and their teacher while they were working on their own. These tools are suitable for facilitating a rich repertoire of learning styles in schools in that the new technologies increase engagement, motivation, and collaboration.

     Roschelle, J., Pea, R., Hoadley, C., Gordin, D. Means, B. (2000). Changing How and What Children Learn in School with Computer-Based Technologies. The Future of Children, 10(2), 76-101.

The authors claim that computer-based technologies can support students to develop higher-order skills of critical thinking, analysis, and they presented several promising applications of technology for improving how and what children learn in school. They conclude that the use of technology as an effective learning tool is more likely to take place when embedded in a broader education reform movement that includes improvements in teacher training, curriculum, student assessment, and a school’s capacity for change.

     Anders Gronstedt (2007). Second Life Produces Real Training Results. Learning Circuits, (http://www.learningcircuits.org/2007/0807gronstedt.html).

The author states that 3-D web world using second life concept is slowly becoming part of the training industry. He introduces many examples of Virtual leaning and training already spring out in education and business fields. He mentions that the trend toward web 3D seems irreversible although there is a debate if Second Life is going to be the standard for 3-D worlds.