The digital revolution has brought about the replacement of many of our traditional ways of working and learning. This is happening both outside and inside the classroom. It is obvious that a brand new learning model must be developed. How can this be achieved? It’s not just about creating a digital infrastructure that supports learning but it will also have to tackle the most fundamental questions of what education and learning are for in the near future.
This article discusses how to make learning a part of the modern age, drawing upon the contributions of researchers and teachers from around the world. The article is targeted towards learners (including parents and students) educators and curriculum designers as well as technology experts researchers in learning sciences, as well as policy makers.
There are many opinions on what digital-age learning should be like. However, there is a general consensus that we must support the co-evolution of learning and technology for communication. This should include exploring new possibilities for completely different conceptualizations of education and to develop innovative techniques that can be supported by modern communication technology.
The fact that the majority of current uses of information technologies in learning are still a “gift-wrapping” form (Fischer 1998) is one of the major challenges. These technologies are added to existing frameworks, like instructionism and fixed curriculum. They also serve as a supplement to uncontextualized, or decontextualized, learning. A lot of comparative studies rely on an environment that is a face-to-face baseline. This limits the scope of study to tasks and functions that can only be performed digitally.
