A re-evaluation of mobile communication technology: A theoretical approach for technology evaluation in contemporary digital learning

Abstract

We live in an age of continual technological development. Rapidly developing technologies have found use in nearly all aspects of life. As such, it is understandable that technology has also infiltrated the field of education. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has provided us with the technical underpinnings for distance and lifelong learning. Our understanding of learning has shifted in accordance with the capabilities of technology in such a way that we have had to re-think our approach to learning as a whole. Connectivism is one such approach which aims to re-consider learning within the scope of our relatively new, networked social structure. The Theory of Connectivism relies heavily on what we are technically capable of, and therefore it is also important that we re-evaluate our approach to the technology we use in learning. Due to these aforementioned shifts in our approach towards learning, this study aims to provide a theoretical framework for the re-evaluation of the technology we utilize in connectivist learning; more specifically, how to evaluate our perception of mobile communication technology. A combination of the Technology Acceptance Model and the Media Naturalness Theory is proposed for the evaluation of user perception of mobile communication technology, and the implications of possible outcomes of this re-evaluation are discussed with regards to connectivist learning and education as a whole.