Technolgy in a Student-Centric Paradigm

Technology in the education system is essential for students born into the knowledge economy paradigm that the market place is developing, at a rapid pace, globally. Technology plays a large part in a very large percentage of global day-to-day life and so today's learners develop user knowledge from a very young age and benefit from it replacing conventional schooling methods. Technology, and the multi-source media it provides for learners, encourages a student-centric learning environment.

As stated in the 'Edutopia' sales pitch, technology provides the means for students 'to learn to communicate, collaborate and resolve conflicts together'. In conventional schooling a large part of the time spent was just the teacher actually getting the information to students (eg chalk and talk methods),and so little time was available to actually enable the students integration and extension of the knowledge provided. Technology provides means for students to access information from multiple sources through their own efforts and with this more efficient time usage learning managers are able to focus better on facilitating the students use of the knowledge meaningfully.

The relate-create-donate components in Kearsley & Schneiderman's 'Engagement Theory' highlight the necessity of technology in the classroom for student-centric education system. As noted in many pedagogical research articles, collaboration and communication skills are an essential basis for working practices in the 'real world' and students are better able to acquire and integrate knowledge when this is factored into the learning process. Emailing, blogs, wiki and phone texting provide avenues for this collaboration and communication to be carried out more efficiently and not limited by hours spent in classroom. When students share their work with, and work is reviewed by, their peers it has been shown that students will work harder as peer approval is more important to many learners than marking by a teacher. They are better able to relate to each other through shared life experience and expectations and so better able to facilitate their own and others advance in the Five Dimensions of Learning with the sharing of knowledge through digital networking.

Technology in the class room also provides the means for learners to express creativity in diverse areas and so comprehensive assessment of learners' progress in curriculum benchmarks is better monitored on the wider grounds provided. It enables learners multiple means to adapt their learning styles, synthesise information acquired and express their comprehension and analysis of tasks undertaken, in complete contrast to the limitations applied when pen and paper were virtually only instruments available.

Dale's Cone and the 'input-process-output' system is much easier accomplished when technology allows active learning to replace the large part verbal symbols played in the education process in conventional schooling. Active learning, combined with opportunity to apply learning experiences to authentic environments through technology, will see education systems better suited to the learners they are provided for and far less teacher-centric in their application.