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Technological Cultures
Posted by: globetrotting4life | October 2, 2012 | 1 Comment
Summary of Technological cultures by Monohan, T. (2005).
Monohan asserts that the creation of official IT positions within school districts to manage technological infrastructure investments has “split the classic dichotomy between administrators and teachers, leading to profound destabilizations of authority and to many contentious turf wars.” (2005, p. 74)
The article looks at some of the different occupational groups in the Los Angeles Unified School District discussing their roles, locations and influence. He proclaims these positions “taken as a whole, constitute a powerful present and emergent IT occupational group consisting of multiple cultures. This IT group, while clearly not homogeneous or unified, is gradually gaining authority over domains previously controlled by other groups” (2005, p. 80).
Monohan goes on to explain that while in the eyes of some; “technology is an equalizing force that neutralizes power asymmetries in the organization, this interpretation elides the agency of IT specialists to nurture dependencies that happen to grant them more job stability and resource control in L.A. Unified.” (2005, p. 85)
The article concludes by looking at the role of informal networks. “Informal networks could serve as a model for human-centered flexible relations within the organization, because while they may bend the rigid rules of the school district, they also spur innovation, tap latent possibilities, and provide local responsiveness to students and teachers. That said, informal networks would not be so necessary if the institution of public education and its organizational manifestations adapted better to the needs of people rather than forcing people to adapt to them.” (2005, p. 91)
By clicking on the following tag cloud, you will see an interactive summary of the key terms in the article.
Reflection Questions for post- reading:
- What technological cultures are there where you work?
- Which are you apart of?
- How do they influence each other?
- How do they influence student learning?
References:
Monahan, T. (2005). Technological cultures. In Globalization, technological change and public education (pp. 73-92). New York: Routledge.
Comments
1 Comment so far
What technological cultures are there where you work?
In my school, there are 3 clearly distinguishable technological cultures: those that want nothing to do with technology, those that want to use it but don’t yet have the knowledge to be comfortable using it, and those that are fully on the train having both the expertise in the use of technology and have been using it for quite some time.
Which are you apart of?
I am part of the expert/experienced group. My principal (another expert) and I regularly talk about the direction our school should take with regards to technology and we bounce ideas off of each other on how to best integrate technology in our daily practice.
However, I regularly join the “want to” group, as I have taken a leadership role in my school helping others get more experience and expertise using technology in their practice.
How do they influence each other?
The most noticeable influence are the “experts” trying to help the “want to’s”. While not pushing, we keep ourselves open to requests for help and we will occasionally point out a new technology or an old one and how we use it in our practice, hopefully to inspire an idea in one of our colleagues.
How do they influence student learning?
Student learning forms the core of what I do. I take meaningful steps tp ensure anything I do in my classroom is done with the express intent to increase student learning. For example, I have had a website where I post daily activities, notes, assignments, etc. for a few years. This year I noticed that it wasn’t being accessed as much as before. After surveying my students I found that most were tring to access the site using their smartphone, not a computer as had been the case in the past. The website didn’t function well on smartphones. I decided then to create an app, while also keeping the website running.