LOS ASPECTOS RELEVANTES DE LA SITUACIÓN ACTUAL DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE

A gap is evident in that the literature has addressed what technologies are used for and how they are used, but has not addressed the elements of practices. These elements are the observable indicators of teachers and learners’ actions.

The advancement of teachers’ practices implies a movement from one point to another. This section of the literature review views advancement through lenses of continuums of learning to e-Learning, teaching to e-Teaching and practice to e- Learning practice. It does this by examining the literature on learning, e-Learning models, methods and techniques towards an understanding of the relationship between known theories, models and methods and their adaptations to the ‘e’ environment. This review further contributes to the second research question of how teachers advance their e-Learning practices.

Before launching into e-Learning practice, it is necessary to operationalise the terms ‘e-Teaching’ ‘e-Learning’, and ‘e-Learning practice’. The researchers’ intention is to conceptualise upfront how these three terms are used in this study in relation to it’s’ use in international literature. The value of this section lies in its link to the second research question, that is: How do teachers advance their practices for e-Learning?

The traditional understanding of teaching is someone transferring knowledge and skills to others. E-Teaching is a term gaining popularity in referring to someone who uses technologies for teaching and learning. E-Teaching may simply be considered to be teaching with an ‘e’ element. In the context of this study, e-Teaching is taken to be using technology, digital products, systems and services to teach.

2.2.5.2 E-Learning

Teaching and learning are often used interchangeably when referring to e-Learning and indeed educational processes in general. Fox’s (1983:151) notion that “teaching and learning are elusive concepts … very difficult to put down” affords us another opportunity to examine the relationship between these two separate constructs.

Teaching and learning are both discrete parts of a unified arrangement in education and cannot normally exist in isolation of each other. However, learning can in some instances exist without teaching taking place. One might learn incidentally or on one’s own. This learning could be as a result of vicarious instances or personal experiences (Bandura, 1996:5513). As with learning, the notion of incidental and self- learning can also be applied to e-Learning. In fact, technology enables self-learning more than previously possible.

The distinction between e-Teaching and e-Learning drawn by the researcher in this study is supported by Ellaway (2011:297) who argues that “what is called e-Learning is defined by teachers rather than learners”, and that a better way of referring to it could be “‘e-Teaching’ to reflect both what the teacher does and what they [sic] direct their learners to do” (Ellaway & Masters, 2011:297). A further suggestion is that the term “‘e-Learning’ should be used (if at all) to cover what learners do, much of which is unseen and beyond institutional scrutiny” (Mohammad, 2012:229). In the context of this study, e-Learning is taken to be learning with and through the use of digital technologies.

2.2.5.3 E-Learning practice

Practice refers to habitual ways of doing things as part of a routine way of life. Educational practice comprises a blend of methods, pedagogies, and frameworks in

transactional activities among the learner, teacher and content. Two models are presented hereunder that show commonalities of practice. (See Figure 2.2a and 2.2b.)

Figure 2.2a: Juries’ (2014) world of e-Learning

Juries’ (2014) world of e-Learning is similar to Burkett’s (2012:22-23) process of teaching and learning. The additional aspect in Burkett’s model is the enclosure of the triangle in a circle representing the context (see Figure 2.2b). Context in Burkett’s model in turn is evident from Illeris’ (2003) theory as the environmental element within which all learning takes place. The notable feature of these and similar models of the educative process are the familiar elements: a learner, a knowledgeable other, and something to learn (content).

Burkett (2012:22) reiterates that “these elements are in relationship with each other [and] “also exist in a context, represented by the circle”. The teacher element in both models, in turn, bears synergy with Vygotsky’s ‘knowledgeable other’ in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZOPED). Both conceptions of the processes emanate from different foci in education but they are essentially identical. The key is the transactional activities among the elements. The activities or actions are what contribute actuality to practice. E-Learning practice in the context of this study is taken to be the actual activities and actions that incorporate use and integration of technology, systems, services and pedagogies.

2.2.6 Learning

The purpose of this section is to understand the processes that bind teaching and learning and how the introduction of technologies impacts on this union. Exploring learning in detail is crucial as it applies to both teachers and learners. Teachers’ learning will help us understand their adoption, and learners’ learning will assist us in understanding how the methodologies, models and methods used by teachers advance e-Learning practices.

Learning is a transactional activity between a learner and the environment, (Illeris, 2003:396) among learners, content, and in some instances, teachers or more knowledgeable others. The process of acquiring or building knowledge can happen individually or socially. It can include new knowledge or build on a person’s previous knowledge and experiences. These understandings are applicable to e-Learning as well, with added variations of the context that include tools, language and pedagogies, and methods of interaction.

In this study, teaching and learning are located in a context where digital technologies are often seen as an intrusion in the institutionalised notion of schooling with its traditional teaching and learning practices. Hennessy et al. (2005:159) state that, “in practice, established curricula and teaching methods remain in place under a thin coating of technological glitter, and available technology is often underused and poorly integrated into classroom practice”.

The nature of educational practices in South Africa and in many parts of the world remains essentially the same as in previous years. Means and Roschelle (2010:1) state that “formal education systems ... reinforce continuity in educational approaches”. Teaching and learning take place in physical classrooms where a teacher instructs groups of learners. The content is set, graded by levels of complexity and age levels, boxed into subject groupings, and set within a time span. This is confirmed by Lim et al. (2013:61), who note that “the practices in many schools around the world have remained very much constant ... As such teaching and learning is found to be aligned to traditional practices”.