t-Learning for Lifelong Learning: Combining Television with e-Learning
Kumiko Aoki
Center of ICT and Distance Education (CODE), The Open University of Japan
Television has been around for many years and it is still ubiquitous. However, since the advent of computers and the Internet, it has been pushed to the sidelines as a medium of teaching and learning. Yes, television has been primarily a one-way medium so far, making it unappealing as a technology for learning in this era of constructivist learning. Yes, I am a strong believer of interactive learning, active learning, collaborative learning, and constructivist learning. But I also believe that television can be more than a medium of passive entertainment. Today’s digital television can offer very high quality video with many features which have not yet been fully utilized. In addition, television and the Internet have been converging: you can watch television programs on computers with television tuners; television sets can be used to surf the Internet if they are connected to the Internet; and mobile phone devices can be used to watch “one-seg” television programs. Technically, the beauty of television lies in the fact that it does not have to compete with many other services in terms of bandwidth.
Television’s other advantages include the fact that it is a medium that everybody is familiar with, including senior citizens and those who are not well equipped with computers and the Internet. People also tend to trust more what they see on television rather than what they read on the Internet. It can offer rich content with high-quality video and audio that can motivate viewers.
While television has all of these advantages over computers, the lack of interactivity is a serious drawback of television as a learning medium. In this paper, ways to overcome this lack of interactivity and make the most of the television medium are discussed.
Keywords: t-learning, lifelong learning, open learning, television, e-learning, Japan