Unpacking the affordances of technology for e-learning

Abstract

Can technology influence learning and teaching? To be able to address this question meaningfully let us consider the extent to which different aircrafts and their conditions influence the comfort level of their passengers. Those who have had the opportunity to travel as a first-class or business-class passenger and in a range of aircrafts will know that the ambience of an aircraft’s cabin most certainly influences one’s comfort level and satisfaction with the journey. In much the same way, technology has the potential to influence learning, and different technologies offer different possibilities for rendering the learning experience in ways that can influence learning significantly differently. Arguably, it is not the attributes of technologies alone that can possibly influence learning, but how these unique attributes and the possibilities and opportunities they afford are used to render different types of learning content and learning experiences. Effective, efficient and engaging learning is a product of the synergy achieved from a combination of factors, and which include the possibilities offered by technologies, the optimal use of these attributes and the readiness of the learner.