Abstract:

Available ICT curricula are constantly criticized for not offering skills and abilities required by the third Millenium business and information era. The digital economy will assume these new challenges and will require new abilities. Changing learning spaces and activities to a learner-based curriculum flips the teacher’s role. Assuming this change requires profound conviction. Resistance to change is usually due to improper information and lack of references.

Our hypothesis is: teachers involved in learner-centered activities can assume this new task if they understand and learn to use proficiently the following concepts:
A) Technology is a product of the recursive social learning process. Social Learning is responsible for the evolution of technology and unpredictable behavior.
B) A systematic approach is necessary to understand: ICT assisted learning systems’ complexity, their components, and their level of development. Components are classified into two categories: a) Stable (Constants), b) Unstable (Variables).

Understanding these concepts has a positive effect on learning activities; they help teachers in aspects such as: detecting new technology trends, finding adequate uses, focusing their activities, assessing their tutored learners, avoiding frustration, and reducing fear. How to transmit these benefits to teachers was a real challenge. A coaching workshop was proposed; tutors thought that modifying teachers’ beliefs required face to face activities as human contact inspires confidence. The workshop’s proposed activities were:
1) The impact of learning activities, understanding learning as a recursive social activity and, society - technology interactions through learning processes.
2) ICT systems, constants and variables, learning technologies are complex integrated systems built with many components (hardware, software, interfaces, processes), component level of maturity is identified, analysed and evaluated.
3) Time as a critical asset; building the right time perspective is critical for learning: learning activity duration affects learning motivation.
4) Information management, organizing information is critical; it should be stored and properly shared through wikis and databases.
5) Knowledge quality, identifying creative production and relevant contributions, controlling plagiarism and cheating.
6) Assessment and grading, learning success and students' motivation depends on good assessment, fair evaluation and praising the relevant work.
7) The research project: the aim of this activity is developing a Constants and Variables analysis tool of ICT used in learning.

These personal tools have many applications in their daily activities such as:
a) Designing high quality learning challenges for learners.
b) Defining realistic objectives.
c) Avoiding unnecessary time loss.
d) High quality assessment and tutoring.
e) Design and planning high quality ICT use in learning environments.

The positive outcome was highlighting the teacher’s critical role in learning; technology is therefore not a threat. Learner-based activities reinforce teachers’ leadership in learning; the future is full of opportunities that should be assumed with optimism.

Keywords:

Digital learning technology, recursive learning, systemic approach, coaching strategies.