When we talk about technology , we are all quite aware of the key role it has played since the industrial revolution onward in improving the quality of life in terms of saving time and effort in work, speed of information, continuous contact, cancellation of distances, reduction of prices, health and safety.
The value of technology also fits in on the process of continuous learning and training.
Lifelong learning: what neuroscience tells us
With the expression “lifelong learning” looks at the entire life journey as a continuous acquisition of new knowledge, skills and abilities. It implies lifelong learning, an individual process that allows us to update and adapt our education to new personal, social and professional needs.
The concept of lifelong learning is distinguished by being an intentional process that has as its main driver theindividual himself, who chooses and decides what and when to learn, not to be confused with the normal and inevitable accumulation, over the years, of experiences that increase everyone’s personal store of skills and abilities.
One piece of good news immediately emerges from the definition, what is called “neuroplasticity” of the brain: we are always learning, regardless of age, because our brains are able to change their structure over time in response to experience.
If we can learn all the time, what other lessons come to us from neuroscience? What ingredients do we need?
Moderate stress level. Moderate levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, are associated with maximum performance in tasks of all kinds. This implies that moderate stress is an ally of learning, while extreme stress its enemy.
General conditions. Adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise encourage solid learning.
Volitional control. When the individual is fully immersed in the activity, involved and focused on the goal, the possibility of developing personal strategies and skills that would otherwise remain unexpressed increases.
The concept of positive technology
How can technology support people’s learning and, therefore, be beneficial to their well-being and personal growth?
Here we come, then, to talk about positive technology.
It is a scientific approach that uses technology to modify the characteristics of personal experience-structuring, augmenting or replacing it with synthetic environments-in order to improve its quality and increase well-being in individuals, organizations and societies.
Adults learn if they have within them a motivation to learn, as we have seen, but also if they can find a context or environment that is stimulating and supportive of their learning: people, tools, methods that facilitate their paths to knowledge, practice, or experience.
Technology can meet this need through various applications.
E-learning & gamification
Technology has madehuman-computer interaction more and more likely; this facilitates, engages and attracts human beings. It is in this light that education is moving today.
In fact, one product developed at PRAXI to streamline adult learning with regard to specific management skills is the Praxi4Learning learning management system (LMS), a platform for managing, distributing and monitoring online courses and learning materials.
After a preliminary onboarding session-in which they become aware of their learning style-and a video presentation of the objectives and structure of the training course, participants take an entrance test that tests certain target skills.
From the results obtained, the platform guides participants to acquire the theoretical foundations of the skills to be coached through a gamified, increasing complexity, role-specific mode based on an approach that combines play, fun and experience.
The course concludes with a final test to take awareness of what has been learned.
A strength of the system is undoubtedly autonomy, in that one can decide when to learn and in what place, which is a very important aspect for an adult who, in this way, feels free to be able to choose and be responsible for himself.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is also considered an example of technology with multiple positive applications.
It allows users to immerse themselves in a computer-simulated three-dimensional environment, often through the use of immersion devices such as viewers, providing immersive and realistic sensory experiences.
Embodiment occurs not only through the eyes with images, but also through hearing and, especially, proprioception, which is the ability to perceive and recognize the position of one’s body in space and the state of contraction of one’s muscles, without the support of sight.
The viewers reproduce our own movements in the image, helping us to recognize ourselves in the situation and thus “fooling” our brain, which will believe that it is in the very context we are seeing. So while we are absolutely aware that we are wearing the visor, the brain falls into the trap of the power of the instrument.
Taking advantage of a virtual gymnasium in which to experience challenging, and sometimes stressful, situations can significantly foster the development of people’s soft skills in organizational contexts. The benefit is to train individuals to navigate with greater resilience and awareness the complexities they are called upon to face in their daily work lives.
A significant contribution with a view to inclusion
Finally, by enabling access to lifelong learning for people of all ages and backgrounds, digital technologies and Internet access can contribute significantly to ensuring inclusive longlife learning.
In particular, they enable:
- Access to a wide range of resources regardless of geographic location, including remote collaboration
- Tailoring learning paths to individual needs, thus also meeting people with disabilities through translation tools, subtitles, speech synthesis, and other assistive technologies
- Facilitate intergenerational knowledge and skill sharing, promoting collaboration and mutual learning.
Proper design and implementation are of course the basis for the effectiveness of this kind of challenge, which adds up to other complexities that need to be carefully and competently attended to such as accessibility, privacy, and equity in access to digital resources.
