One of the benefits of the information technology revolution has been its disruption of education. Whereas in the past, if you had not started college by you mid-late twenties the chances are that you would not ever go to college. Nowadays, however, taking a college class or even getting a college degree is as accessible as the nearest computer with an Internet connection. Adult learners have been at the forefront of the digital education revolution. However, despite the growing interest of adult learners in online and other Internet based learning platforms, some of the technology that allows learning to take place, at the same time creates barriers for adult learners who are either lack experience with technology or are apprehensive of using it. There are, however, a number of digital tools that not only help adult learners overcome their fears of technology but also work to ensure that they achieve academic success whether they are taking courses online or physically attending a school.
The laptop computer has been a common piece of technology for over a decade. Despite their age, they are still hard to understand for some adult learners. However, over the last several years, Google has developed a simplified laptop called the “Chromebook” that basically is a browser in laptop form. This is perfect for adult learners to provide access to classes, online search, and communications. Moreover, the adult learner does not have to worry about downloading upgrades because everything is done automatically. Note-taking is an essential element of an class, school or education. With the computer application “Evernote”, note-taking has been updated for the 21st century. Evernote is useful for adult learners in that it provides the ability to take written notes, voice memo, and photo/video of class and organize them into easy to access folders. Moreover, it can be used on multiple devices that consistently sync with another so that your notes are always updated. Lastly, the adult learner should consider a cloud storage service such as Dropbox. Dropbox, for instance, allows the adult learner to store their notes, papers, and anything school related on the Internet so that they can be available anywhere Internet access it available.
References
Melick, J.A. (214, Jul.). The generational digital divide: Understanding adult learners’ self-efficacy in online education. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1723&context=theses
