So today was the first contact session of the PCAP module on LT. There were a few things which jumped out at me today which will undoubtedly lead to more thought and discussion as the programme continues.
The first was that even though there was a wide variety of teaching experience and subjects present, most of us had similar experiences of LT and its use in the field (as it were, cutbacks haven't got that far yet...!), not all of them overwhelmingly positive :)
Another point was what we define as learning technology; from some suggestions that it would be anything which we use in our teaching (pens, papers, newspapers etc) to some perceiving it as being something which is, by definition, 'innovative'. I think the most sensible suggestion was that it is anything which we use in teaching to do something we as humans cannot; many of these technologies will inevitably be computer based, but not exclusively.
While there are certainly more advances happening now on the internet based learning and teaching front, are we facing an unprecedented change in learning and teaching? Or are we in a generational cycle of thinking we have things so much more difficult and advanced than those who have been before? I'm sure that the introduction of technologies we would now consider routine (PowerPoint, smartphone apps, even projectors, video and TV) would have ruffled feathers and lead to discussions at high level at the time. Lots to think on...
JB
This is a blog set up as part of the PCAP programme for Higher Education. How can Learning Technologies enhance the Higher Education experience for the Dentists of the future?!
Very thoughtful J, thanks for that summary. I think it helps to think in terms of iterations of 'innovative' technology and the reactions to it. I am sure that the problems we encounter are the same (adaptability, change, hype etc), so we can perhaps begin to draw parallels and understand better.
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