Learning with e's

Book excerpt: In an age where young people seem to have a natural affinity with smartphones, computer games and social media, teachers and lecturers face a big challenge - or a golden opportunity. How can new technology promote learning, engage students and motivate them to sustain a lifelong career in learning? For educators everywhere, our challenge is to take devices that have the potential for great distraction and boldly appropriate them as tools that can inspire and engage. On the back of Steve's hugely popular blog, also named 'Learning with 'e's', he shows how the world of learning is changing, and how new technology - and you and I - can make a difference. The proliferation of digital technologies and cultures is having a profound impact on learning, prompting questions which need answers. How will technology change our conceptions of learning? How will new ways of learning impact upon our uses of technology? How will teachers and lecturers' roles change; what will they need to know; and what will we see learners doing in the future? Grounded in his research and in pedagogical theory, Steve explores the practical ways in which technology is influencing how we learn, and looks toward emerging trends to examine what the future of learning may look like. Subjects covered include: learning with technology, theories for the digital age, digital literacies, pedagogical theories and practices, new and emerging technologies, new learning architectures, changing education, global educators, a 21st century curriculum. For teachers, lecturers, learning and development professionals and anybody who wants to be inspired by the new ways learning is being revolutionised through the use of new and emerging technologies.