Integrating knowledge

Presentation of information is just one component of learning. But, as we know, a significant part of learning involves integration, the development of judgment, social and relational skills, and application of new learning to one's life and work.

Learners integrate new knowledge with what they already know and further develop their awareness of the world, whether they are mastering a new concept in mathematics or analyzing political theory. Although there are solitary learners whose preferred mode is to reflect alone, for many people, discussion and interaction is an important element in integration of learning. One educator, Sally Haag, has described this as "how do I know what I'm thinking until I hear what it is I have to say?" Another educator commented, "Sometimes we don't know we know as much as we do. Sometimes we don't think that what we know is valuable. When you put it down on paper, and share it, it becomes valuable. It's a form of legitimization... Knowledge can be legitimized by sharing it with someone else."

From the field of open and distance education, where learning technologies have been used for several decades, there is a significant amount of evidence that women in particular value the interactive, social aspects of learning. This research is particularly relevant when considering the newer learning technologies, whether they are used for on site learning or for situations in which learners and instructors are in different locations.

Women as interactive learners

The independent and combined research efforts of von Prummer and Kirkup in two distance education institutions in Germany and Britain demonstrated the extent to which women learners value social learning and connectedness. They found that even in an educational context geared more towards individual, self-paced learning with occasional group study sessions (Fërnuniversität and the UK Open University) women learners made more use of study centers than men did, even though they had to deal with more obstacles, such as child care and transportation arrangements than did men.⁴⁶ As well, women were more likely than men to involve family and friends in their learning.⁴⁷ The researchers also found that although equal proportions of women and men felt isolated, far more women than men (40% compared to 24%) were bothered by this isolation. They attribute this response to a greater desire among the women for connection with others.

While it could be argued that these women sought out opportunities for face to face interaction, there are indications that interaction mediated by various technologies is used and valued if it can provide a safe and non-threatening environment for discussion and reflection.⁴⁸

But interaction does not necessarily require new learning technologies. More than a decade ago, a creative distance educator set up arrangements for participants in a women's studies course to communicate by phone and mail. Her extra efforts, more than the choice of any particular technology, provided support and encouragement for learners to interact.

Computer mail and computer conferencing seem to be media that can provide for the kind of interaction that can lead to integration of knowledge and the bridging of theory and practice. To work successfully, conferencing requires an instructor or facilitator to provide a discussion framework and continue to be involved in and comment on the discussion threads as they emerge.⁴⁹

Potential drawbacks of technologies

There are also examples in which the need for reflective interaction and discussion may be hampered by technology. In one case, a women's studies course offered by videoconferencing raised questions about how to establish a trusting environment that allowed learners to integrate the personal and the political. The challenge was not just that one group of learners were at a distance, but that observers who were not part of the group could "drop in" unnoticed at the other site, perhaps just to observe how the technology was working, but potentially disrupting the feeling of a safe environment that was needed for this type of discussion. As well, there were concerns about how well the context could be shared among all sites, and that comments could be misinterpreted without a clearer sense of the context in which they were spoken. These concerns about safety, trust, and confidentiality also arise in computer conferences and are particularly pertinent to subject areas in which women tend to be the majority of learners, including counselling, education and health care, where both learner trust and client confidentiality are important issues.

It can be argued that these concerns are not necessarily an intrinsic feature of the technologies, but could be addressed by a concerted effort to develop and follow protocols, possibly using some human or technical "gatekeepers". Another issue that prompts critical reflection is why some technologies seem to create contexts in which people suspend inhibitions--- perhaps an advantage for someone reluctant to speak in a group, but a definite disadvantage when it leads to harassment and stalkers on the Internet.