ON LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES: TO CONTROL OR TO BE CONTROLLED

Abstract

In this article, learning is viewed as an activity that has five major elements, namely, total-involvement, self-initiation, self-evaluation, being pervasive, and being meaningful (Rogers, 1983). In their learning activities, students use various learning technologies like books and such Internet applications as YouTube, Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, and TikTok to facilitate their learning so that they can significantly improve their cognitive, psychomotoric, and affective competences.  Yet, it is observed that some students fail to use those learning technologies effectively.  This is shown by the fact that they still find it quite difficult to master some basic skills needed to succeed in their lives after schooling.  It is, therefore, crucial that the students have to be able to effectively use any learning technologies they have in order to improve their competences.  In other words, the students need to be able to control their usages of their learning technologies in such a way that those learning technologies can help the students improve their competences and, therefore, they are not controlled by those learning technologies, that is, they use most of their time using those learning technologies for things which are not conducive for their better and brighter future.    The author argues that to be able to control and not to be controlled by those learning technologies, students should have  big dreams of their future, work harder and pray wholeheartedly, have steely determination, and have great discipline in doing whatever is necessary to succeed in their lives, in and beyond school.