The Way Learning Environments are Evolving What’s in stock for us in the future? By Prof. Jonathan Acuña-Solano, M. Ed. School of English Faculty of Social Sciences Universidad Latina de Costa Rica Saturday, March 26, 2016 Post 241
Psychologist Sherry Turkle, in a TED Talk back in 2012, pointed out an interesting reflection on how cell phones have changed our lives. Turkle posits the following after inverviewing hundreds of people of all age groups, “What I’ve found is that out little devices, those little devices in our pockets, are so psychologically powerful that they don’t only change what we do, they change who we are” (2012). If her contemplation of cell phones were taken to all possible innovations that are coming our way in the field of education, would they learning enhancers or disruptors? Web-based technologies for learning accessed by means of smartphones and tablets can be paradoxically good and evil. “As with all technology, mobile phones can have their pros and cons, depending on how they are used. At their best, they can be useful tools for staying in touch, finding out new information and co-ordinating social activities. At worst, they can negatively affect concentration, communication and sleep, or increase fear of missing out, procrastination and stress” (Busch, 2016). And if this idea plainly stated by Busch is extrapolated to other commonly used devices in the hands of college students, such as tablets and laptops, we are bound to encounter lots