When I first started teaching, my classroom had a time capsule of technology: chalk and chalkboard, dry erase markers and whiteboard, overhead projector and liquid-crystal display (LCD) projector, tabletop podium and computer podium. A pencil sharpener was mounted to the back wall for easy access; none of my students had pencils. Students wrote papers in the American Psychological Association (APA) style.
When I first started teaching online, the advice I received was relevant to the times: “Be present” [1]. Again, my online classroom had a time capsule of technology: text messaging and email, Microsoft Office and learning management systems (LMSs), teleconferencing and web conferencing. A telephone sat on my desk for easy access; none of my students used the phone. Students still wrote papers in the APA style.
Now, at the advent of 2020, this book arrives with timely advice about the future of education. It’s hefty--478 pages and 23 chapters organized into two parts: concepts and research. In this future, pedagogy, technology, and learning environments are SMART (p. 16):
- S: “smart (in the sense of intellectual smartness), social”;
- M: “meta-cognitively developed and motivated”;
- A: “anywhere, anytime,” with learning flowing across time and space;
- R: “rapidly changing”; and
- T: “technology enhanced.”
As in any sandwich, I found the best chapters to be the meat in the middle: chapter 9, “Toward a Smart Pedagogy: Devising a Methodology for Innovation”; chapter 10, “Learning Platforms: How to Make the Right Choice”; and chapter 11, “Exploring Collective Cognitive Responsibility Through the Emergence and Flow of Forms of Engagement in a Knowledge Building Community.” Small complaint: the chapters are not numbered.
The editor and contributing authors are to be commended for painting a rich picture of the potential of technology to enhance education and how to get there. It is said that the movie industry in Hollywood didn’t take off until the artists got the cameras away from the technicians. This book is for educators who aspire to be artists with technology enhanced learning.
