What is technology? For a word that is ubiquitously used, within formal and informal educational settings, to describe so much in our digital world, it makes me wonder to what extent people actually stop and contemplate what it means to them.
As eluded to by Muffoletto (1994), prevailing assumptions tend to categorize technology as “gadgets, instruments, machines, and devices” that can offer some form of educational cure to what ails the disenfranchised learner. Treating technology as an appendage or accessory to learning further entrenches it as a separate entity endorsing the need to teach media skills in isolation from other subjects in school, which is what Dede (Kozma, 2003) and Trotter (1998) caution against.
I believe technology is derived from innovation. It is engineered to fulfill perceived human need because it’s in our nature to strive for better, faster means of accomplishing a greater product; sometimes to streamline a process, while other times at the expense of it. Technological advances and innovative practices have allowed humans to expand their resources as part of a larger process akin to the evolutionary ecology theory of niche construction – a fitting analogy considering humans have done more to alter their environment than any other living creature; therefore, the definition of technology put forth by Roblyer (2004) resonates with me:
Technology is us – our tools, our methods, and our own creative attempts to solve problems in our environment
Building on this premise, technology then also embodies “a way of acting”, as Muffoletto (1994) describes, because its effective use is also characterized by how well educators are able to harness its potential to improve pedagogy, enrich the learning experience for students, and build connections that extend beyond the walls of the classroom, much in the same way Dede and Trotter emphasize technology in Kozma (2003). It is imperative that educational technology is defined with reference to the process it enables a teacher to enhance, rather than limit its view based on the product it helps to accomplish. When “students can learn with [technology] rather than from technology” (Jonassen, 2000) it sets the stage for meaningful learning and thinking whereby students use the technology to create their own meaning making, which helps them develop a clearer path of understanding.
image: Colored Plate – Fractal Mosaic by qthomasbower released under a CC Attribution – Share Alike license