21st Century Technology in Today's Classroom - Essay Example

Some of these reasons are pragmatic – e-learning helps ease congestion of crowded classrooms, while providing a means for those who might not have access to higher education, such as the disabled or people who live far from a university, the opportunity to gain a proper education. Other reasons are socially based, in that e-learning fosters a collaborative atmosphere where social skills are used and enhanced. E-learning offers advantages for instructors who want to use the tool as a way to reinforce concepts that are taught in the traditional lecture hall.

While these are certainly advantages to e-learning, there are also potential pitfalls. The technology that this research proposal will center upon will be E-Learning. E-learning is, in a nutshell, a way for students to gain knowledge and competence by interacting with adults and peers in an on-line community (Kim & Bonk, 2002, p. 3). E-learning uses the process of collaborative learning, which “has the potential to foster interaction and social support lacking in traditional learning environments “(Kim & Bonk, 2002, p. 3). On-line learning also aids in reflective interaction, which is not encouraged in traditional classroom settings and also helps foster social interaction, which, in turn, helps build students critical thinking and perspective taking abilities (Kim & Bonk, 2002, p. 3). E-learning is important, as it distributes learning material and processes over the Internet, which can help ease the decongestion of overcrowded lecture halls, provide a way for students and teachers who live far from a university an avenue for teaching and learning, as well as enable specific groups of students, such as the disabled, a chance to gain an education (Ardito et al., 2006, p. 270).

The principles of e-learning, and how students adapt to e-learning have a basis in educational theory in general. The learner-centered psychological principles state that there