What does a Learning Technologist do?
The Association for Learning Technology (ALT), define learning technology as “the broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching, and assessment.”
Learning Technologists are people who are actively involved in managing, researching, supporting or enabling learning with the use of learning technology. Job titles vary – they’re also often known as Digital Learning Specialists, Digital Learning Leads or similar.
What makes a Learning Technologist?
Daniel Scott, Digital Practice Adviser at Nottingham Trent University, captures the breadth of journeys to becoming a Learning Technologist in his blog series for the Association for Learning Technology (ALT). The four part series includes unique stories of how individuals came to be Learning Technologists, including insights on how they perceive their role, what it entails, the best parts of it and some of the challenges they are up against. You can view the series on the ALT website via these links:
Job titles   Career paths   Roles and duties   Best-part challenges
Can I gain a qualification in Learning Technology?
Yes. You can do the Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Technology Enhanced Learning, which has been developed by Daniel Scott on behalf of Ascentis. You can find full details here
Becoming a Learning Technologist: a case study
Stephanie Heath, Learning Technology Manager at Plumpton College, says she is flattered by the number of aspiring Learning Technologists and educators who have contacted her to ask for advice on how they can get into a Learning Technologist role.
In her blog, Steph says the most frequently asked questions include: How did you become a Learning Technologist? Did you study this at University? How do you know so much about so many systems and online tools? She responds:
“The honest answer is no, I do not have specialist training for the majority of the systems that I use. I didn’t even have training for my first marketing role creating billboard images, distribution campaigns, brochures, posters and more using the fantastic Adobe Suite. I do however, have a wide range of technical skills, an enquiring mind and a passion for edtech. Therefore, the age old phrase is true, ‘you cannot train a personality but you can train skills’.
The secret is, Learning Technologists, Digital Learning Specialists, Digital Leads, Innovative Educators all have one thing in common… they are passionate and willing to learn!”.
You can read the rest of Steph’s blog post on Becoming a Learning Technologist here.
