Technology and Student-Centred Learning

Student-centred learning does not need information and communications technology to happen; the key factor in implementation of this model is the presence of an innovative, dedicated teacher. And the available technologies are changing constantly: Designing educational experiences around technology is a foolish chase. You cannot possibly keep up with the technology. The paradox of technology enhanced education is that technology changes very rapidly and human beings change very slowly. It would seem to make sense for proponents of e-learning to begin with the students. At least that is a relatively slow-moving target. (Jack Wilson, CEO of UMassOnline, in a 2002 article, e-Learning: Is it over? http://www.umassonline.net/news/23.html) Having said that, what technology is out there now that can support SCL? There are several broad areas of application in SCL in which current ICT can play a key supportive role: Metacognition Students in an SCL environment are expected to take responsibility for their learning. This includes setting learning goals; planning learning pathways; monitoring learning progress; and reflecting on learning. Technologies that can support metacognition include: Mind mapping tools (for planning) e.g., SimpleMind, Mindjet Blogging (for reflection)

Information access and management One of the major drives behind SCL is the change in access to information over the past 20 years. Now, students can access any information from a hand-held internet-capable device. This includes contentbased information, such as the names of the provinces of Canada, and skills-based information, such as how to change a tire. Both kinds of information are readily available online, through sites such as Wikipedia and YouTube. This leads to different issues in the classroom. A grade 8 student told me last week, I chose one topic, and there wasnt enough information, so I changed topics, and now theres too much information. It would have been rare in a pre-internet classroom for students to have the problem of too much information, but this is a reality now, leading to the creation of the meme, information overload. ICT can help students in a student-centred environment not only find information, but manage it: filter and sort, store and retrieve, order and link. Specific kinds of tools include: Search engines and meta-search engines

Information gathering tools e.g., Zite Bookmarking tools e.g., Diigo Mind mapping tools e.g., SimpleMind, Mindjet Cloud-based storage Note-taking tools e.g., Evernote

Communication One critical factor in student-centred learning is the relationship between the teacher-guide and the learner. Central to this relationship is effective, ongoing, fluent communication. The learner needs to be able to get advice quickly and easily; the teacher needs to be able to offer guidance at any point along the learning pathway. In a K-12 environment, most students will have daily face to face contact with their teacher, and the majority of communication will happen in this context. However, there will be times when this is not possible (for example, the teacher is helping another student), or where face to face interaction can be supplemented by online communication. ICT offers a wide range of options in this area, including: Microblogging, such as Twitter and Tumblr. Email (possibly through class/teacher web pages) Texting Social media sites (e.g., Facebook)

ICT can also be used to connect students to real-life learning contexts. For example, a student could email the author of a novel she has just read to discuss possible meanings in the text, and to gain a deeper understanding of the authors motivation; a student could explore the environmental impact of nuclear energy by following the Twitter feeds of leading figures on both sides of the debate. Collaboration Students will often work collaboratively in a student-centred learning environment. In a K-12 setting, much of this will be face to face, but may extend beyond school hours; it is here that ICT offers solutions not otherwise available, including: Online collaborative work and storage tools e.g., Google Docs, Prezi Learning Management Systems/Learning Environments, such as Adobe Connect, which feature synchronous audio, video and text connections supportive of collaboration Video conferencing e.g., Skype

Flexibility The use of mobile devices in conjunction with cloud-based services allows students to work wherever and whenever they want to. This can be used to support different learning styles; to support out-ofhours collaboration; and to create greater flexibility in scheduling learning for example, students may be able to take courses online that are not offered face to face in their location, or which are not available due to scheduling conflicts.

Maximizing learning strengths SCL begins by considering the interests, backgrounds and learning strengths of the students, and providing learning and assessment opportunities that reflect those factors. Teachers can use technology to help determine students learning strengths, and to monitor learning throughout the learning process. In the near future, this may include using data analysis possibly with the aid of artificial intelligence to help understand exactly how students are thinking. ICT can support this by providing a range of means of learning that reflect students learning strengths: reading webpages, emailing an expert, watching videos, discussion (text, video, audio), and any combination of these. ICT also offers many ways for students to demonstrate learning: making and posting a video, giving a talk with projected material in support, recording an audio file, posting a blog, creating a webpage, and so on. These learning artefacts can be collected in a digital portfolio, which the student can further use to reflect on their learning.
Moeller, B. & Reitzes, T. (2011) Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). Integrating technology with student-centered learning, July 2011. Quincy, MA. Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Accessed May 31, 2012 from http://www.nmefoundation.org/getmedia/befa9751-d8ad-47e9-949d-bd649f7c0044/Integrating-Technology-with-StudentCentered-Learning?ext=.pdf