9 - Contemporary technologies’ influence on learning as a social practice

Abstract

Over the centuries, media communications technology innovation and development have had profound impacts on the societies that have embraced them. In the last 20 years the Internet has provided us with the latest example of how such developments can change the fundamental ways in which people communicate, learn and undertake the process of knowledge construction. Traditional learning experiences that involve accessing information from formal institutions are now being challenged by the new ‘social’ media and Internet-based information sources that are more informal in nature and autonomous. These new forms of communication media and information have transformed knowledge construction and learning, with many tempted into including any unsanctioned content that is produced for the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). A significant area of interest for those involved in information literacy is the influence of these new informal sources of information and how they challenge traditional and more formal approaches to learning. As a cultural shift, this new form of social learning is reminiscent of the growth and popularity of coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries. Through understanding how the coffeehouse altered and challenged learning, knowledge construction and society, we will hopefully understand how contemporary technologies may influence contemporary learning, knowledge construction and the current societies that embrace them. One significant outcome from this exploration is the new relationship our society now has with data, information and where it comes from. Ultimately, the challenge for educators will be to redesign contemporary pedagogies to acknowledge and incorporate the new social web and contemporary forms of knowledge construction into appropriate learning experiences. Without such an examination of contemporary technology we may be unable to maintain and manage the future quality of data, information and knowledge that is the foundation of our knowledge-based economy and modern society.