Technology-Based Learning (TBL) and the Learners’ Autonomy

Abstract

Two areas of concern, technology-based learning (TBL) and autonomy are discussed in this paper and indicate a fundamental shift in the focus of practice in the field of learning. At the core of this shift is the fact that learning autonomy can be achieved through technology. The learners’ autonomy is a major issue faced by teachers. Autonomy is important because autonomous learners are motivated and their learning is effective and efficient. Because of the changing and increasingly varied landscapes of teaching and learning, the learners’ autonomy has to be carefully established. In view of this reason, TBL has established itself as a relevant method of learning from which students’ autonomy is expected to benefit. Technology in general and computers in particular also engage the learners in classroom learning through the enjoyment and the increased ease of learning it offers. Yet, teachers can not withdraw from the educational scene. They have wider responsibilities and more creative and challenging roles. They are the leaders who keep the gate to classroom use. What they need is to revise their knowledge because the eye-to-eye classroom methods and techniques are not fruitful in helping them find their way into the new landscapes of teaching and learning.