ABSTRACT
Beginning with Gutenberg’s revolutionary printing techniques in the 15th century and continuing to the prolific use of mobile devices today, technological advances have shaped, and been shaped by, new learning behaviors (Thorne 2012; Thorne et al. 2009). Although the explosion of tools today is certainly more rapid, ubiquitous, and global than it was in Gutenberg’s day, the impact is similar. Tools themselves are instantiating the need to adapt to new learning behaviors, and simultaneously, human demands and ideas about learning and access are driving the invention of future tools. Take, for example, the intense interest in massive open online courses (MOOCs) by both highly respected universities and the general population alike. Despite many educators’ concerns about quality, access, and credit assignment, the adoption of MOOCs is occurring at a rapid pace, led primarily by high profile institutions, with 22 of US News’ top 25 universities offering MOOCs (Educause 2012). 1 Whether MOOCs are a fad or a long-term solution that will become part of standard distance education practices has yet to be determined. Nevertheless, the combination of human behaviors and desire for open access to information and learning, combined with the technological capability of hosting a course for thousands of students online, is a salient example of the co-construction of tools along with evolving human behavior, a critical perspective for our discussion of emerging technological contexts for teaching Spanish.
