"Technology and Us"
School of Technology
Centennial Symposium
An Extended Celebration

Spring Semester 2003

The Role of Technology and Learning:
Meeting the Challenges of Society
Today and in the Future

Michael R. Hoadley, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs for Technology
Eastern Illinois University

It has been said that if you were standing in a traditional classroom for instruction on any university campus or K-12 school, you would see no differences between what occurred in the late 1800s and what now exists in the 21st Century. Some people even believe that teachers still just write on a chalkboard, the desks are situated in neatly lined rows, and students quietly and politely raise their hands asking for permission to speak. Fortunately, that is far from the truth.

Today the field of education is experiencing a period of great transformation and liberation due to the use of new and emerging technologies. A classroom is no longer limited by physical space because the Internet provides an avenue for connecting with people all over the world. The arrival of the microcomputer to the desktop has provided a powerful means for analyzing data, processing information, and sharing results in ways never imagined before. Electronic field trips, email, access to databases, chat sessions, discussion boards, multimedia presentations, videoconferencing, and connectivity to libraries also make learning possible in new and exciting ways.

Of course, technology by itself is merely a way of delivery and part of the methodology or strategy employed by a teacher to enhance the learning process. Another key element to using technology effectively has been the development of a new definition of roles for the teacher and the student. Terms like facilitator, collaboration, communicator, and teamwork become increasingly important in a learning environment where access becomes a powerful equalizer in this age of information technology.

This chapter will explore the evolution of education and how technology has played a key role in changing the learning process. The discussion will focus on the needs of different students for learning in a variety of environments: face-to-face, computer-mediated, online, technology-enhanced, and distance-delivered. The roles of educators will also be explored and discussed, especially in relationship to a change in philosophy about how learning can be enhanced through a learner-centered approach utilizing technology. As part of the change process, the necessity for building communities in cyberspace to meet the social and educational needs of society will also be addressed.