The Art of People Business – Technology in How We Learn

Technology has revolutionized the way in which we gain knowledge, skills, and credentials. Today, these things are all practically attainable at one’s fingertips. I’m guessing you know where I’m going from here. Once the Internet made its way into individuals’ homes, there’s been no stopping its influence in how people are able to consume information. Consequently, there’s been no limit to the number of ways in which people are able to learn.

Where there’s a computer, there’s a way. For instance, let’s look at the following online options for educating oneself:

1. online courses offered by grade schools, universities/colleges, and vocational schools
2. online courses offered by companies for their employees or the general public, providing instruction in a wide variety of areas of study or skills training
3. online courses offered by independent practitioners and subject matter experts in their professional fields of study
4. online courses offered by anyone who has a desire to put up a course on the World Wide Web
5. YouTube videos of the do-it-yourself (DIY), step-by-step, and tutorial varieties

Wow! There appears to be a whole lot of online opportunities going on.

It’s easy to see that technology has changed the importance of how we view the traditional education path, where brick-and-mortar learning facilities used to dominate in all areas of study. But, the value of a traditional education, where you learn reading/writing/arithmetic, earn a degree/certification/license, and even receive on-the-job training is looked at differently today than it was back in my up-and-coming days (some decades ago). The way in which we learn is not always a face-to-face meeting with others. It seems as if the face-to-screen option is growing by leaps and bounds. And, years and years of schooling and training can, sometimes, be replaced by weeks and months of instruction.

As a matter of fact, I was talking to my sister on the phone the other day and she mentioned how my nephew will have access to a tablet for his school instruction since grade-school children are all having to learn from home these days. My son will also be receiving some online instruction throughout the remainder of his school year.

Who would have thought that little children could easily work a desktop contraption that they could pull their chairs up to or have miniature computers that they could hold on their laps to do their school work from home? For such a time as this, I’m incredibly grateful and thankful that technology is allowing those of us with small children to still stay plugged into educational offerings that keep our little ones academically engaged.

Personally-speaking, my biggest challenge is figuring out the age-appropriate concepts to teach my child and the most effective way in which to teach those concepts, while making sure he stays educationally-challenged. After all, I’m a middle-aged wife and mom who is far removed from the elementary curriculum and well past remembering all the little details of what I was taught and how I was taught back in the day. Nor, am I up to speed on all the new tricks and tips and hacks and hints for teaching the basics.

If you ask me right now, I still don’t fully understand this new way of teaching math that my son has faced in his last two years of elementary school compared to how I learned the very same math concepts when I was his age. It totally feels like things were so much simpler back then and I think they were. So again, I’m grateful for the educators who came up with the online programs and electronic gadgets that have allowed our children to continue their educations without missing a beat.

I also think of what it was like back in the day, before technology touched the way we consume information. Think of those “olden” days school houses or individuals’ homes, or even just a few decades ago, where parents had to manually handwrite lesson plans, agendas, attendance, worksheets, learning tools, and learning games needed for daily instruction. Just think if you had to handwrite everything or buy a physical copy of everything your child needed to read, write on, and problem-solve to. Wouldn’t your home be one heaping mess or organized mass of papers?

Nowadays, children have the options of learning their abc’s and 123’s by way of online educational programs and games from private companies or through their school’s intranet site. They can receive subject’s training in any topic (even learn music and art concepts). Courses range from inexpensive to very expensive homeschooling curriculum for private use at home or for public school students who choose to use the school system’s curriculum without having to step foot on the school’s grounds.

Desktops, laptops, tablets, and the Internet, in general, have given children a wide range of possibilities in how they choose to learn. And this phenomenon is working out for more than just the child population. Let’s move over to the adults for a moment or two.

I still think many people highly regard the importance of obtaining some form of higher education, especially if their ideal career path calls for it. But, I also know a lot of people who’ve been very successful in attaining high levels of achievement in their industries without going the traditional path to be educated in their areas of expertise. And, they’ve been able to gain their successes due to access to technology.

Now, I’m obviously not going to give the impression that a college education is irrelevant in today’s society, especially when me, my husband, and my daughter all have our college degrees. My oldest son is currently in college working toward obtaining his engineering degree. And, I have a nine-year-old who will undoubtedly be encouraged to go to college when he becomes of age, as well.

I’ll say this much, though. A college degree is valuable to the person who considers it to be of value. I’ve appreciated the opportunities to learn in the college setting that was presented to me. And personally, a more structured approach to the way I learn was needed for my personal and professional growth. But, not everyone is wired that way.

Some people learn better on their own terms, at their own pace, from their preferred teaching methods, and in a space and place that is more conducive to their ability to acquire knowledge efficiently and effectively. And I’m all for it. I’m all for the learning process however it unfolds. What works for you may not work for the next person. And that’s okay. I just think learning is great in and of itself. Learning is something human beings have done since conception in the womb and will continue to experience until life’s end.

We’re all going to be in a continuous learning cycle/learning curve throughout these lives we live. So, secondary education (academia) is definitely a place where learning is celebrated and where people will meet face-to-face (and increasingly online) with opportunities to widen their knowledge bases. But let’s just remember that there are different ways in which people can obtain an education. College is one of those options, but college isn’t for everyone.

There are many avenues people have taken, outside of the rigors of college, to gain the skills they need to accomplish their goals. For example, there are people who are self-taught. They learned their skills by watching others do the same thing they want to do or reading about the steps in order to do that thing; and then trying it out. Often times, doing so at a cheaper cost.

Some peoples’ preferable learning styles require them to glean knowledge through both written instruction and visual demonstration. You’ve probably heard it said that you can learn just about anything from the Internet. And, this is so true. There’s a wealth of information on the Internet in any subject matter you can possibly think of. And, the power of video is unreal. Many people have been educated by YouTube. The great thing about YouTube is that there may have been people who enjoyed going the traditional route who don’t mind sharing their wealth of knowledge online to benefit others.

There’s been someone who’s been there, done that, and then documented the steps he or she took in order to accomplish that “thing”. And I guarantee that you’ll more than likely find some YouTube video, blog, website, training course, webinar, etc. that you can learn from. (But, just be careful to receive your online intake from credible sources that have some substantive backing to them.) Honestly, I think it’s close to being virtually impossible to find something out there that hasn’t been placed on the Internet yet. So, welcome to the University of the World Wide Web.

In conclusion, it’s important to note that people who prefer to go the non-traditional route may look for the following benefits to being educated: learning at their own pace in their own time frame, incurring less overall school expenses, gaining the knowledge they’re interested in (no fluff/fillers/extras involved), and concentrating specifically on acquiring the necessary skill sets that will propel them forward in their career goals.

On the other hand, some areas of education where it will be required to go the traditional, prescribed route will be those areas of study where licenses, registrations, and certifications are involved. Usually professions, earning such credentials, have a period of learning that involves absorbing written and oral instruction and then opportunities to apply that instruction in a real-world setting.

I’m especially thinking of the many areas of the medical profession. In these instances, individuals will need to go through all of the necessary steps, step-by-step, in order to gain the knowledge and expertise to competently perform their duties. Needless to say, I think many of us appreciate the fact that there is a structured curriculum for some of these professions to go through, especially for people in the medical field who we need now more than ever.

And while I continue to realize that technology has its good and its bad points, I have to acknowledge the overwhelming fact that technology’s been a blessing in the area of education. While many of us are working at home and our children are schooling at home, it’s so completely necessary to have ways to stay connected and to allow the learning process to continue. As far as I’m concerned, technology is providing a way and answering the call.