Page 37 - International Perspectives on Effective Teaching and Learning in Digital Education

The Panorama of Digital Education in the XXI Century

Perspectives from Students
The majority of students have a positive attitude towards learning through
digital means. They value its convenience and adaptability, particularly those
who see their education with other commitments such as a job or family.
They also point out the flexibility that this brings to their lifes, they can tailor
their educational experience, giving them control, knowing when and how
they acquire new knowledge. Despite this, students expressed concerns over
the possibility of isolation and the absence of face-to-face interaction that
may result from using digital education (Margaryan et al., 15).
Further research indicates that students actively seek ways to improve their
learning experience through digital means (Yu & Bryant, 19). They appre-
ciate the intersection of their personal, digital, and educational lives, which
shapes their learning experience. Digital storytelling and narrative tech-
niques have been found to engage student learning, replace assessments,
create new knowledge, and support creative writing and teaching (Yu & Bry-
ant, 19) in the digital environment.
Today’s learners are much more autonomous than ever, and the digital
age offers them a wealth of information at a hand of distance. This autono-
my is not just about having access to information but also about the ability
to critically evaluate, interpret, and apply this type of information in several
contexts. So, the digital environment has transformed the traditional learn-
ing landscape, enabling these students to take control of their learning path-
ways. They can now choose what, when, and how the learning could happen.
While doing this, they create personal networks, collaborate with peers, and
use ICT to access relevant information (Selwyn & Gašević, ; Tondeur et
al., 17). This action of integrating, for instance, social media platforms and
other digital tools into the learning process has also brought different chal-
lenges, such as social isolation, pressure, and engagement (Teräs et al., ).
Despite these challenges, students have developed personal interpreta-
tions of their identity within the community. They have formed personal and
professional connections through tutorials, lectures, peer-assisted groups,
and various societal meetings and hope to keep these connections even after
graduation (Kasa et al., 1). So, the perspective is slightly different from the
point of view of the teacher, who tends to find digital education as the key
solution rather than another tool to promote knowledge.

Perspectives from Education Community
The educational community recognises digital education's potential but ac-
knowledges its challenges. Still, it considers that implementation and ongo-

37