Passive Vs. Purposeful: Making Tech Work for Learning

ASSIGNMENT DUE TOMORROW!

Swipes away reminder.

Checks socials.

Ten minutes turn to thirty; an hour slips into several.

This scene plays out in homes across the land, including mine. The lure of memes and messages from mates, all much more enticing than switching your brain to active learning mode.

The student under my roof is in secondary education and not yet entirely independent, so (for now) the distractions are more in my control than his. While this means no social media and screen time limits, there's still the TV, the Xbox, and the Switch, all providing those bursts of dopamine and instant gratification that our brains crave.

How, then, can learners switch from short-term fixes to focusing on the more complex and challenging tasks involved with studying?

One solution could be in how we use technology to help engage with learning.

Doom-scrolling to deep learning

How often have you re-read or re-written your notes, only to realise that nothing sunk in? These passive approaches to learning don't engage the brain in the active processes necessary for deep learning. It's similar to so-called 'doom-scrolling' – you're taking in content without fully processing or making sense of it. Similarly, passive learning involves absorbing information without actively working to understand or apply it, like reviewing your study materials with your mind on autopilot.

Rather than simply absorbing content passively, technology can give learners the opportunity to actively engage with their studies. By making a conscious effort to understand and retain knowledge, they develop stronger skills and a more meaningful connection.

A common example is using flashcards to help students master material in small doses, using active learning techniques like spaced repetition. Flashcards are also fun, mimicking game mechanics and boosting motivation with frequent wins – the perfect blend of learning and play.

Understanding the difference

Text-to-speech is another strategy that utilises the power of tech to help engage with learning. This technology is being taken to a whole new level with the development of AI tools, creating podcasts from written content to make audio resources that are fun, engaging and informative. When used intentionally in these ways, technology can be a powerful ally in learning, helping students stay focused and organised and turning tech from a distraction into a resource that supports accessibility and productivity.

There is a risk that this goes full circle. The creation of podcasts evolves into the creation of video content, which then gets sliced up into bite-sized chunks and posted on social media platforms, where subscribers passively scroll through without actively learning.

Perhaps the key is to provide learners with more support in understanding how to get the most from the technology available to them and to understand the differences between active and passive learning. With plans for mandatory EdTech training for new teachers, we can be hopeful that more educators will be prepared to integrate tech into their teaching toolkit. But unless learners are helped to understand the underlying learning principles, we may be leaving them with lots of tools that can be used to help or hinder their learning and no good way of distinguishing between the two.