Putting the student at the centre of learning

Throughout my degree program I have experimented with new technologies like podcasts, wikis, virtual worlds and elearning modules created using professional authoring tools. The problem with this is that it is all too easy to think about the technology first (be technology-led) and consider the needs of the learner (being student-centred) as an afterthought. One good way to recentre and refocus on what the teacher and learner require is to revisit Bloom's famous taxonomy:

Traditionally, these levels are considered to range in complexity starting with Remembering and then moving through Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluation and ending with Creating. Thankfully, some learning technologists like Ron Carranza have kindly connected this taxonomy to some typical elearning technologies to clearly show which tools are best suited to which levels of the taxonomy:

Tempting though all these new technologies are, on reflection, we must remember that they are also not without their challenges, both for the learners and for the teachers using them. Firstly, we have to remember that even though are learners are “digital natives” that doesn’t mean that they have previously knowledge of these tools or naturally know how to use them. For teachers, setting up a digital resource may require more preparation than just preparing a worksheet or making a lesson plan. The finished results may also require more effort to correct. An automated test in a learning management system is great if you use multiple-choice questions but if you use open answers you have to prepare the system that “50”, “fifty” and “Fifty” may all be acceptable answers to the same questions. The rapid developments in artificial intelligence will probably resolve this issue in the future but until then we still need teachers who can consider all the possibilities and put in the effort to make these systems work. Firstly, though, we have to think about whether they actually offer an added value and aren’t just a flashy distraction. That is when we will really have learner-centred elearning and deliver our students the best possible examples of technology-enhanced education.

Sources:

Neelakandan, N. (2019). Applying the Basics of Bloom's Taxonomy to eLearning. https://elearningindustry.com/applying-blooms-taxonomy-basics-elearning

Sneed, O. (2016). Integrating Technology with Bloom's Taxonomy. https://teachonline.asu.edu/2016/05/integrating-technology-blooms-taxonomy/