Read/Write Web

Is the nature of education changing to a more constructivist form of education as a result of all these emerging technologies?  Or, is this just a trend?  Please use the reading from the Handbook of Emerging Techologies for Learning as a guide to this response.
The information technology era that we find ourselves enveloped in is taking our world by storm. We are on the cutting edge of technology tools that are making a huge change in our educational system. The technologies that are rapidly being developed are often put to use outside of the realm of education in places like Twitter, texting, email, Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Wikis, Flickr, Google, Podcasts and Hulu. Young and old, students are using these technologies in their everyday lives. Constructivism theory argues that humans are gaining knowledge and meaning through their experiences. Education could be more effective if these technologies can be harnessed and used to influence our students by building on them.

Two dilemmas appear. The amount of information and methods of communication that we have available is astounding and increasing rapidly. Finding the right stuff is difficult. Information overload is inescapable! Integrating these technologies into our everyday educational delivery is another challenge. We wonder how to make use of many of these marvels and worry that that they might be misused at the same time.

Trendy, maybe, but is this just another educational trend that will pass by the wayside for something else? Because of the ease of use, these technologies hardly need education to make them useful. I predict that these methods are becoming second nature to our students. Their use in education will depend on innovative instructors who must find ways to implement them effectively.