Andragogy and emerging technologies

This article expressed an idea that has become a common theme this semester: the emerging class of social learning tools implies a shift in the role of the instructor. No longer is the instructor the 'dispenser of wisdom' who leads students along the learning journey based on his or her superior knowledge of the subject matter. Instead, the instructor is leading students along this journey based on his or her ability to facilitate learning among students. The students are now discovering the knowledge or even constructing the knowledge with a little help from the instructor. No where is this paradigm more true than in the case of adult learning. Adults tend to be much more self-directed than younger students. Adults have an opinion on what is important for them to learn and they act upon that opinion. They want 'just in time' learning rather than 'just in case' learning. And the emerging social learning tools support that paradigm nicely allowing adults to collaborate with each other in a learning environment under the facilitation of an instructor. Of course, for this paradigm to succeed, both the instructor and the student need to accept their new roles. With the power to direct their own learning comes the responsibility to do so!