Running head: A METACOGNITIVE VIEW ON TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

A Metacognitive View of How Technology Influences and Affects

the Learning and Educational Process

Dona Thanushi N. S. Hettipathirana

Liberty University
Running head: A METACOGNITIVE VIEW ON TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

A Metacognitive View of How Technology Influences and Affects the Learning and Educational Process

A Christian Worldview on Education, People, Media and Technology

Prayer, I believe, is one of the most powerful of Christian tenets, a cornerstone of Christian

lifestyle and the most fundamental of communications that a Christian does on daily basis with the

Creator. The holy Bible, I believe, is the most divine of all vehicles of information delivery, bearing living

testimony to the holiest of all conversations between humanity and the Creator since Genesis. The holy

Scriptures in the Bible, reveal the most divine of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, through the

word of God for all eternity.

Jesus Christ, often addressed by the disciples as the “teacher” and “master”, whom I consider to

be the greatest of all teachers, frequently used simple dialogue, imagery and parabolic language as tools

to communicate his teachings, and educate the disciples and followers on the Kingdom of God. The only

media and technology of communication used by Jesus was the word of mouth. He was a master at

speaking directly to the people and making real-time connections with the people. The letters of St. Paul

to Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians etc. is evidence that the earliest of Christians used the

most rudimentary of communication media and technology available at the time - a letter, hand

delivered by a messenger – to share the teachings of God with the first-generation Christians. The Great

Commission, as authorized by Jesus Christ instructs the disciples to communicate the Good News to all

nations of the Earth. Following this command, the churches of the Digital Age, use a multitude of media

and technological means to expand their missionary outreach, spreading the Good News of God’s

amazing love, mercy and grace, to millions of people in diverse demographics and communities around

the globe. It is paramount for Christians to engage in educating the human race on the Good News,

sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ, nourishing the mind, the soul and the spirit, utilizing the marvels of

the human intellect, imagination and creativity, the modern media and technology, to optimize the

learning outcomes and broaden the outreach, in concert with the Christian values.
Running head: A METACOGNITIVE VIEW ON TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Technology in Education

Communication, or simply the sharing of knowledge and information is key in education. The

teaching- learning process, in my view, involves knowledge (or information) gathering, sharing

processing and retaining, regardless of the media or technology used in information delivery. The

ultimate goal of education, in my view, should be to equip the learner with the necessary knowledge

and skills required for surviving the contemporary society, while pursuing individual aspirations. All

aspects of human life in the Cyber era, is heavily influenced by media and information and

communication technology, and the field of education is no exception. It is imperative that the twenty

first century education is designed to reflect the needs of the contemporary society, that is the

possession of knowledge, skill and competency on the use of media and communication and computer

technology for the advancement of both the individual and the society, in concert with the Christian

world view.

The Internet along with the everchanging developments in the field of technology have opened

the doors of education to millions of diverse learners from around the globe. The purpose of technology

in education, in my view, should be to optimize the learning outcome and academic outreach through

enhancing the teaching-learning process, enriching the educational environment and empowering both

the learner and the educator. All areas of the teaching-learning process – planning, preparation,

research, methodology and assessment, evaluation and feedback – could be enhanced with the use of

educational technology. Enrichment of the educational environment could be done through utilizing

technology to facilitate increased access to resources, information and knowledge; to expand

communication and outreach; and to addressing the issues of learner diversity, access barriers and

universal inclusion in education. Technology could be utilized for learner empowerment trough

facilitating learner control over knowledge gathering, knowledge sharing, knowledge acquisition,

learning pace, time management, access barriers, diversity and inclusion. All these enhancements to the
Running head: A METACOGNITIVE VIEW ON TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

teaching-learning process, the educational environment and the empowerment of the learner, in turn

empowers the educator with the ability, confidence and infrastructure to facilitate and guide the

learners to be successful in their academic and professional aspirations.

Theory of Teaching Technology

Teaching in the Digital Age, I believe, should utilize cutting edge technology, to enrich the

teaching-learning process as well as the educational environment through enhancing the access to

resources, information and knowledge, ensuring meaningful and germane learning outcomes,

optimizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the instructional process. Educational technology, in my

view, should be utilized to provide effective, economical and productive frameworks to deliver a solid,

standardized, state of the art inclusive education to diverse learner populations from around the globe,

creating opportunities for academic and professional excellence, meeting the everchanging needs and

demands of the global community in concert with the Christian worldview.