Efficiency Technology
Liz Kolb (2011) uses her experiences with cell phones in the classroom to support the argument that efficiency technology may improve the learning process for students and teachers by saving time. While this category of learning technology is less transformative, it is one of the more common types of learning technology in my own experience. Efficiency of learning should not be the end goal, but an aid to focusing additional time on learning outcomes.
Learning how to use new technology and teaching others how to use new technology requires a significant investment of time. It is necessary to weigh the time required for startup with the learning outcomes and potential for time to be saved later. For example, Linn and Sawyer (2006) caution that "activities that speed the rate of acquisition during instruction can fail to support long-term retention and transfer" (p. 258). Instructors then must balance considerations for efficiency with possible consequences for students' future learning.