Three Converging Trends in Learning Environments

Remember this picture and you'll remember all three topics.

There are three learning environments and technologies that I expect to converge in the next ten years: tablets, virtual worlds and learning hubs.

Even though "mobile technology" has been part of mediated communication ever since papyrus (Farman, 2012; see Kindle edition), these tools and learning environments will give rise to a next step in the evolution of edtech and learning environments: augmented learning environment.

Tablets are the mobile devices that bridge the gap between computers and mobile phones; virtual worlds are 3D online communities accessed by an avatar; and learning hubs are physical communities of practice that combine formal and informal learning, offline and online, schools and working life.

Grab'n'go: tactile tablets

Tablets have already now proved they are an important class of their own. They have created a completely new culture of collecting, presenting and sharing information. Touch screen is a change of paradigm: user can feel they interact with the data when their fingers fly, swipe and pinch. From a grounded cognition perspective, the use of a multi-touch-screen versus mouse-input should yield better learning. (Black, Segal, Vitale, & Fadjo, 2012) Also the mobile interface is more focused and less cluttered than a typical computer interface. These affect the ways creating and presenting information. For example: instead of an essay written in Word and emailed to my professor, I blogged a set of entries and replaced four pages of concept definitions with a Popplet map with links to various online resources; instead of reading a sweeping machine manual the building maintenance students scan a QR code and watch the instructional video other students have made.

Tablets are handy for collaborating in authentic learning environments. In the institute I work for, learners grab their iPads and take notes on Evernote, learn languages on SonicPics, and make learning material and show their competence on iMovie. Nearpod lets the facilitators have control or give it to learners, just as they please.

There are some cons related to the school use of tablets. Some cloud services are still a bit clumsy (Wikispaces, certain features of GoogleDocuments), 1-to-1 is hard to reach in classrooms, and many ICT departments have been harnessed to take care of desktop pc's and they are not agile enough to manage mobile tools.

More on mLearning in my presentation: Vocational Learning On the Go

Engagement in immersive worlds

Virtual worlds like Second Life have turned out to be a great extension to real environments: identities and social networks have possibilities we do not encounter in "1st life"; it is easy to get hooked in and immersed into the reality so similar and yet so different from the physical one; and simulating things and real professional procedures in real environments is cost-effective and effortlessly repeatable. (Heiphetz & Woodill, 2010) I have seen all these positive outcomes materialize, and yet my experiences in facilitating VW learning has shown that there are certain challenging issues: deep technical learning curve and system requirements on the computer may turn the learner down early on, and in many cases the virtual communities of practice tend to die gradually out.

Not only fantasy: Yearning for distance learning is a short video describing the learning environment of Sotunki upper secondary school & Sotunki Distance Learning Centre that we created in the Second Life a couple of years ago.

Learning by doing and by experience in a virtual world is a short presentation I gave in Madrid last December about learning literature and about collaborative learning in the Sotunki VW.

Encounterings in a learning hub

InnoOmnia, part of vocational institute Omnia, is a good example of a learning hub. It is a new, out-of-the-box solution to vocational education and training. Students, staff and entrepreneurs representing over ten different fields of business mix and mingle. The brand new facility is built for collaborating and encountering people, both familiar and extraordinary. Cloud-based web platforms and mobile technology are natural extensions to everyday life in InnoOmnia. The focus is on lifelong learning, building career, innovation and ICT skills.

The Learning Solutions team which I belong to, designs, carries out and evaluates new kinds of projects on learning and technology. (Lius, 2012) The support of the community, the benefits of having entrepreneurs under the same roof, and technological possibilities along a building that represents new thinking in school architecture form a wonderful and authentic framework - or a hub.

As a new and creative department, there are some things to be ironed out: information flow is not always adequate, best practices are not documented and a smoother way of dealing with a traditional ICT department is to be found.

Click here to reach the shared Popplet map.

The future of learning environments

I see the future of learning tools and environments converging: the immersivity and simulations-capacity of virtual worlds, the ease of use and mobility of tablets and the importance of networking face-to-face will be united.

Nowadays we speak about augmented reality. Google is pushing its "Glasses" to the market right now, and a couple more years afterwards we wonder why there ever was a frame between our learning environment and the digital data. So, augmented reality may be the weak signal – or a clear trend already – of a megatrend that leads way to the learning environments we find a commonplace in 2020 or 2030.

Of course, as such not even a versatile and rich learning environment can substitute, if pedagogy or communication is lacking. Some ideas about how to pave the way can be found from my presentation Changing the Way We Learn.

Bibliography

Black, J. B., Segal, A., Vitale, J., & Fadjo, C. L. (2012). Embodied Cognition and Learning Environment Design. In D. Jonassen & S. M. Land (Eds.), Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments (2nd ed., pp. 198–223). New York / London: Routledge.

Farman, J. (2012). Mobile Interface Theory: Embodied Space and Locative Media (Kindle ed.). London and New York: Routledge. Retrieved from Amazon.

Heiphetz, A., & Woodill, G. (2010). Training and Collaboration with Virtual Worlds: How to Create Cost-Saving, Efficient, and Engaging Programs. McGraw-Hill.

Lius, E. (2012). Four Components of 21st Century Learning. October 2012. University of Helsinki. PDF here.

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This was originally an assignment for the MOOC 'Designing a New Learning Environment' in Stanford University Venture Labs.