Which Type of Learning Coach Are You?
byDan Belenky
5 min to readMore and more learning is happening digitally. From schools moving online during the pandemic to watching YouTube tutorials on home repairs, people of all ages are likely to use technology in their learning process. You may be wondering “is it better to learn with technology or not?” Like any complex question, the answer would have to be “it depends!”
With online school becoming more prevalent, you may be questioning when and how technology can help, and how to maximize those opportunities. Successful learning is the result of many different kinds of activities, each of which can be supported in specific ways. Let’s look at four kinds of activities and dive into how digital learning can help with each.
The use of technology tools in online education is very common. Say you want to work on learning and memory. You could use index cards to make flashcards, and then quiz yourself to learn a bunch of vocabulary words (this is a really effective strategy!). But with digital learning, you could use learning apps like digital flashcards, which have a few advantages:
When you want to create your own flashcards, you can use an app like Pearson Prep, which uses this idea of spacing when deciding what you should study. You can also check out this list of tech tools recommended by a learning scientist for use in classrooms or group study sessions!
Let’s think about skill development next. One thing that is key in building up your skills is getting feedback on how you are doing. It is one thing to solve 100 math problems as fast as you can, but if you don’t know if you got any of them right, it is not very helpful as a learning experience!
Technology in education can be helpful in these cases because many learning tools can offer immediate, tailored feedback. If your student is looking to develop or learn new skills, look for tools that:
Many effective learning apps focus on math. In addition, some learning websites use gamification to help make skill development more engaging.
What about activities that require deeper sense-making, like understanding longer texts? Research has found that people of all ages tend to comprehend less when they read on-screen, as opposed to reading on paper. One reason may be that it is harder for people to “self-regulate” when reading digitally. This means that people don’t keep track of how well they are understanding what they are reading and are more likely to overestimate how deeply they are thinking about the text when reading on a screen.
Another reason could be that the physical components of reading (like seeing where text is on the page, or how far into a book it is) can help develop a better memory of what you read. So, one suggestion would be to consider reading physical copies rather than their electronic versions. K–12 online schools like Connections Academy often use both print and eBooks in their curriculum.
But when print copies are not possible or preferable, there are still ways to encourage better reading behaviors. For example:
Other aspects of sense-making, like building up your own arguments or discussing topics with others, can be optimized with digital learning. Digital note-taking tools that gather ideas from many sources, such as Evernote or Google Keep, can be a big help in the writing process. Discussion boards, similar to the ones used by Connections Academy students in Pearson Online Classroom, or other ways of collaboratively discussing topics, can lead to deeper engagement with the topic. The key is for the technology in education to help the student do the thinking, and not be a way for students to get points simply for interacting with the tool.
Here is a quick checklist of things to consider that will help you make the most of digital learning:
It’s clear why the best online schools typically use a mixture of both print and digital learning tools to educate K–12 students. Some students prefer printed books, some like e-textbooks, and some even use apps to complement their curriculum.
Whatever your student prefers, Connections Academy can help. Learn the difference between online school and school from home, and see if it’s the right fit for your family.