Two innovations that have changed learning forever

Earlier today in an interview for Sponge UK, I was asked the question: During your career in educational technology, what single innovation do you consider the most important? On the face of it, this could be quite a difficult question to answer, simply because I have been involved in the study of educational technology since 1976, almost 40 years. As you would expect, during that time I have seen many innovations and rapid changes.

The extent of change that has occurred in this period has been quite astounding. I witnessed the development of video cassette tapes, CD-ROMs, personal computers in the 70s and 80s but this was just the start. In the 90s we saw the rapid emergence of the Internet and video conferencing, followed closely by the introduction of mobile phones and the rise of the Social Web. Social networks, blogging, podcasting, the growth of online repositories such as Wikipedia and YouTube, and the rapid convergence of older technologies all began to shape and reshape the educational technology landscape and brought us to where we are right now. Interactive technology, touch surfaces and networked resources are now taken for granted in the classroom, in the home, on the move.

To answer the interview question, I decided I had to cheat. I said that there are in fact two innovations that I believe have made the most impact on learning - social media and mobile phones. The powerful combination or convergence of these two technologies has given learners everywhere a capability to discover, create, repurpose, share and amplify content. These two technologies, once combined, have opened up endless global networks of like-minded professionals, communities of practice and connections to virtually limitless resources. The opportunities learners now enjoy are unprecedented. No previous generation has had access to as much knowledge as we have today. No previous generation of learners has been able to create and disseminate so much of their own content. And no previous generation of learners has been able to connect into the global community as quickly and easily as this present one. Another interview I gave for a French TV company is embedded below, where I elaborate on this idea, and also several other perspectives such as the future of learning, open education and new technologies.