Teaching Adults Using Technology

Teaching Adults Using Technology

The Internet has expanded the quantity of and access to relevant information , data , and electronic discourse about virtually any educational content and there is reason to expect this trend to continue . Thus education at the beginning of the twenty first century must address the development of skills to synthesize , explain and be critical of information . Program directors are looking to technology to motivate and sustain adult learning and accommodate learning differences . Technology , including the Internet and spreadsheet database , modeling and simulation software , has made it easier for

br instructors to envision new ways to study traditional subjects Technology can be used in such a way that it supports instruction where adult learners can use technology to meet information and learning needs , as they arise in the course of daily lie and work . These tools support activities in which adult learners collect or analyze real world data , make observations , investigate relationships and ask what if questions (Warschauer 12 . The primary focus for this work is not technology itself , but quality teaching and learning in which information technology is used as a tool . This work is intended to provide a helpful introduction to the effective use of technology in teaching of adults

Classroom instructors are hoping technology helps them provide a relevant and appropriate context for adult learning . Instructors are aware that most adults experience a lifetime of learning . In some ways this experience is a tremendous advantage , and in other ways it may be a burden . Adults have little time to waste on learning that does not result in clearly apparent benefits . Technology for adult learning can assists with instruction that is appropriate to the age and life situations of adult learners . Finally , learners and their teachers want technology that can support learning process that are transformative enabling and empowering them to become more critically aware , and to pursue individual and collective interests . They also look to technology to help facilitate personal change . Technology , especially communication technologies , can be used to create spaces for questioning existing policies , practices , and attitudes . Technology supports the flow of ideas and provides new avenues for reflection and review that are critical to improving teaching and learning

Technology is having a fundamental effect on the nature of text , and consequently is affecting how English is taught . There a number of ways in which technology can make a positive contribution to teaching and learning of adults . Technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to the teaching of English by (Courtney 23 enhancing and developing adults ' reading and writing supporting and enhancing the study of literary texts enabling adults to engage with texts in ways which would not always be possible through a -based activity enabling adults to focus on the content of their writing emphasizing the link between the writer and the audience promoting the integration of reading , writing , speaking and listening enabling literacy skills to be extended beyond the reading and writing of chronological and linear text providing a flexible and...