More and more job boards these days are advertising for learning technologists or educational technologists. The terms are basically interchangeable, but the former is used more in Great Britain and the latter is used more in the United States and Canada. To understand the job description of a learning technologist, you first need to understand what learning technology is.
Definition of Learning Technology
The Association for Learning Technology (ALT) is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom. On its website, it defines learning technology as "the broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching, and assessment." Basically, this means learning technology is any technology that helps people learn.
Definition of Learning Technologists
ALT goes on to define learning technologists as "people who are actively involved in managing, researching, supporting or enabling learning with the use of learning technology." So, a learning technologist helps educators use technology to teach.
Possible Duties
The most important requirement of a learning technologist is to stay up-to-date on the technology available. Technology can change quickly, and learning technologists serve as advisers or consultants to educators about technology issues. They often need to set up technology for educators to use and train the educators on use the technology. Many school districts also want their learning technologists to be a promoter for the technology because they want to encourage their teachers to use new technology.
Usual Qualifications
In general, learning technologists have the same requirements as teachers, such as a bachelor's degree, passing a drug test and a clean criminal record. They also need to have formal training in technology. A master's degree in learning technology often is required, depending on the employer. You need to be able to demonstrate your expertise in the field through a degree or job experience.
Employers
So, who would hire a learning technologist? Traditional learning institutions such as school districts, colleges or universities or private schools. Other employers include learning technology consulting firms, distance-learning institutions and large companies that routinely train employees. A learning technologist could help a large company find more cost-effective ways to train employees, either by making the material easier to learn through multimedia technology or by making the material more readily available through distance learning.
Tags: learning technologists, learning technologist, learning technology, Definition Learning, educators technology, learning technology
