Learning with e's: Educational theory and practice in the digital age

by Steve Wheeler

In an age where young people seem to have a natural affinity with smartphones, computer games and social media, teachers and lecturers face a big challenge - or a golden opportunity. How can new technology promote learning, engage students and motivate them to sustain a lifelong career in learning? For educators everywhere, our challenge is to take devices that have the potential for great distraction and boldly appropriate them as tools that can inspire and engage. On the back of Steve's hugely popular blog, also named 'Learning with 'e's', he shows how the world of learning is changing, and how new technology - and you and I - can make a difference. The proliferation of digital technologies and cultures is having a profound impact on learning, prompting questions which need answers. How will technology change our conceptions of learning? How will new ways of learning impact upon our uses of technology? How will teachers and lecturers' roles change; what will they need to know; and what will we see learners doing in the future? Grounded in his research and in pedagogical theory, Steve explores the practical ways in which technology is influencing how we learn, and looks toward emerging trends to examine what the future of learning may look like. Subjects covered learning with technology, theories for the digital age, digital literacies, pedagogical theories and practices, new and emerging technologies, new learning architectures, changing education, global educators, a 21st century curriculum. For teachers, lecturers, learning and development professionals and anybody who wants to be inspired by the new ways learning is being revolutionised through the use of new and emerging technologies.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 16, 2015

Reviews

[Terry Freedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book, Steve Wheeler, is a man who is erudite, intelligent and incisive, and I know this to be the case because why else would he have asked me to read a pre-publication version of this book and supply a quote for the back cover?
It's always a bit nerve-wracking to be put in that position, because if the book in question turns out to be a load of rubbish, how does one politely decline?

Fortunately, that issue didn't arise in this case because, like the blog of the same name, this book provides plenty of food for thought. Not surprising, of course, given that the book draws on previously-published blog posts.

I found the book interesting because, unlike myself, Wheeler comes from a Higher Education background, and spends much of his time teaching graduate teacher trainees. So he offers a different perspective from teacher-written books.

Also, he is one of those academics who can make academic research sound interesting as well as relevant.

Topics covered include "measuring learning in the digital age", a curriculum for the 21st century and digital identies (which I found particularly interesting).

Definitely a book to buy if you want to be both enlightened and challenged.