Australian Centre for Educational Studies

Abstract

The potential of e-learning is viewed in the light of the challenges that need to be overcome to realise that potential. Examination of the ways in which information and communications technologies are used in today’s classrooms and schools indicates that their use is generally restricted to traditional teaching approaches. Many of the obstacles to the integration of elearning technologies are actually part of the organisational structures of present-day teaching. It is argued that our investment in e-learning needs to be associated with the use of teaching strategies that exploit the currently underused capacities of technology options in such a way as to enable student engagement, motivation and higher-order thinking. The concept of ‘disruptive innovation ’ is explored. A ‘disruptive ’ technology, in this specialist sense, is defined as one that eventually takes over an existing dominant technology, even though it is radically different. Some e-learning technologies, such as the Web, appear to fit the category. It is argued that use such ‘disruptive ’ ICTs, when associated with a constructivist pedagogy, could make such a major difference in most teaching and learning contexts that constructivist approaches would amount to a ‘disruptive ’ pedagogy in their takeover of traditional pedagogies.