To me, the most important thing in using technology is to know why I am using it, and always giving the recognition or misrecognition for using that to the ‘person’ who is using that technology and the mind behind it (both the user and the creator)- rather than giving the recognition or misrecognition to the technology. An online space can be used for the purpose of collaboration and learning, though, the same online environment can be used for bullying, for example. Or as Jodi said, it can make people/students less interactive with other human beings and more individualized. Yes, technology has the potential to bring “individuation” (again, Foucault’s term!). Such social issues around technology- digital bullying, individuation, etc.- is a result of misusing technology and its power to misrecognize ourselves or others and take away or decrease one’s agency. We need to educate our students in our classrooms to how to use technology, discuss the social issues around misusing technology, as well as the effective ways these powerful tools can help their learning and subjectivity. And as teachers, we need to practice what we believe in, and be perfect examples of what we speak about by using technology towards ‘recognition’—recognizing students’ minds, humanity, and their potential to innovate, learn, and produce.
(Charlene, I am glad the problem is fixed and you can now post your comments).
2 comments:
My two bits
I agree with the authors that technology must be investigated for their educational values and purposes (i.e. does it enhance or hinder the learning process?), but I don’t agree with all of their criticisms of educational technology produced by the marketplace. I would argue that educational technologies (many of which are being developed by educators) are providing the long overdue means for many dissatisfied with our traditional public education system, one that is arguably prescriptive, inefficient and outdated (i.e. not preparing students for a changing world). The large scale success of such education technologies that enable online e-learning environments is largely dependent on whether the public embraces e-learning or not; is educational technology driving e-learning or is the desire for a better alternative to the traditional system driving educational technology? Anyone who has taken a distance education course, for whatever reason, has endorsed e- learning. The growth in e-learning suggests dissatisfaction with the traditional system. I think many, including myself, have long been dissatisfied with the traditional public education system, but lacked the means to do much about it. I have found e-learning to be much more satisfying that the traditional way. Many rightfully gripe about the shortcomings of WebCT (I’m certainly not a fan), but it is a first generation e-learning platform- the digital revolution is still young and evolving rapidly. Indeed, since the paper was published, advances in technology are quickly removing many of the “immense” obstacles to implementation, including being held hostage to the dreaded “IT department” (we all have a story), software and hardware issues, pedagogical issues and so on. The recent emergence of Web 2.0 is inspiring new ways of thinking about e-learning based on social constructivist pedagogy. As with past technological revolutions, there will always be those who view the new technology with a sceptical eye (this is a good thing), those who fear and resist change and those affectionately labelled Luddites. The latter would largely include many teachers and academics embedded in the traditional educational system. Do these Luddites really see something that the “new breed of entrepreneurial academics” and the general public are incapable of seeing- i.e. does the emperor have no clothes?- or are they simply resisting change to the established order that “technology threatens to replace.”
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Charles Darwin
I think we have to think about the goal or purpose of our education at first. Is it to produce economic successful graduates or about nurturing future community members who contribute to and benefit our humanity?
I believe that the goal of public education is latter(I hope). Then, does commercial embed educational software really fulfill the goal of our educational goal? It maybe more efficient and effective, yet, to our young children who lack concrete judging skill, the commercial educational software can give a huge impact and bias.
I agree that we really have to think about why we have to use the technology. I see many teachers who are hesitant to use 'technology' and lack the motivation to or can't justify the use of technology.
Paul
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