Emerging Technologies for Student-Centered Learning

Teachers and teaching are no longer at the center of our enterprise; learning and learners are now the centerpiece of higher education. Pedagogy has been bumped from the stage to be replaced by andragogy and heutagogy. New and emerging learning technologies are enabling these dramatic changes, enhancing nearly every class we offer.  Student-centered learning will be our focus as we explore heutagogical practices and emerging technologies that support online and mobile learning. 

The concept of heutagogy expands our current thinking of pedagogy (teaching and learning through engagement) and andragogy (adult learning through cultivation of personal connection) to look at self-determined learning. As educators, we can create the curiosity to find and explore connections between many sources that can lead learners to new knowledge and enhanced learning. Connecting information from a variety of fields and individuals is necessary to add depth and breadth to the self-determined learner's knowledge base. 

Emerging technologies support heutagogy by making learning more pervasive and ubiquitous, giving learners more opportunities to determine what, where, when and with whom learning takes place. A steady stream of exciting new hardware, cloud-based tools, wearable devices, and apps continue to emerge.  An overview of the latest technology trends and research for online and blended learning environments will be presented.

Attendees will (a) participate in activities that will exemplify the characteristics of heutagogical approaches to learning, (b) be given hands-on opportunity to explore various technologies, including apps and wearable devices, and (c) discuss how the technologies being showcased can benefit the self-determined learner and accomplish specific desired learning outcomes.  

This workshop is designed to allow participants to meet the following learning outcomes:

• Explore the definitions, continuum, and characteristics of pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy.
• Understand the most recent trends and enjoy the exploration of new learning technologies
• Create strategies to utilize heutagogy in new ways to strengthen and extend learning through the use of online tools and mobile devices.

Current technologies to be included (likely to change as new ones emerge during the year) include:

• Web-based tools: Focusing on tools that enhance collaboration, accessibility, and research for education
• Mobile Apps: New apps that emerge in 2016 that show potential for enhancing online and mobile learning will be included and reviewed.
• Hardware: Microsoft HoloLens (if available by the time of the conference) and other virtual and augmented reality technologies, Leap Motion (newest release), latest iOS and Android devices & gear, wearable technologies including the SmartWatch technology, 360 video recorders and more
• creation of lightboard studio

Expectations of deliverables for this session:

• A website will be designed with information for the participants to take back to their campuses to share with faculty and decision-makers for review and evaluation prior to the purchase of technologies at their own institutions.
• Participants should bring their own mobile device (or devices) to use during the workshop.
• This workshop would appeal to K-12 teachers, as well as those in higher education.

Note for workshop attendees:

We recommend preparing for the workshop by reviewing the links below.  Please think about how you might make use of some of the new technologies in your inititatives on your campuses.

• Augmented Reality in Education:  Current Technologies and the Potential for Education   http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812023907
• Jill Watson, TA or AI?   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk9xuB2delk
• MIT Media Lab Introduces Blockchain Technology for Credentials  https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-06-07-mit-media-lab-introduces-blockchain-technology-for-credentials

Please remember to bring your mobile tablet device or laptop as we will be using a website and multiple websites and other web content to interact during this workshop.