Having an interest in disruptive innovation and sociological practice-theoretical aspects I like to find illustrative examples of how new technologies might change the way we learn and potentially create new routines of learning and teaching. Even though much has been written about ICT competence (or the lack of it) amongst teachers and students - I believe that evaluating change within practices and routines might be a fruitful approach in order to comprehend what creates value towards various user groups. So, instead of assessing ICT competence (or technology readiness indexes) as a subjective measurement I am more interested in how existing doings/actions/routines change when new technologies are introduced.
The integration of meaning, know-how and technology might be a challenging task when considering new technologies in an educational setting typically characterized by long-held traditions. What we do know is that many students are enthusiastic about new technologies and services (think about smart phones, iPad, Facebook etc.) but many of these digital features are not integrated as part of their routines at school in a manner which might facilitate more efficient and interactive learning. So, the challenge is to be able to exploit benefits that might potentially derive from new technologies (i.e. interactivity), utilize student motivation towards new gadgets and encourage teachers to integrate these new tools as part of their teaching programme. Ofcourse, we must wait for those innovative solutions which could actually introduce interactivity, such as interactive textbooks (more than e-books), self-test exercises with digital feedback, social interactivity amongst students etc.) which the new generation of students are waiting for....
The video below (in Norwegian) illustrates how new technology may bring forward interactivity that only digital can do. It shows how visualization and simulation may enhance the way we learn about complex concepts and theories in new ways.
