Out with the old, in with the new?
When I was working through Module 1 of this course and discovered that one of our first assignments was to listen to a radio broadcast from 1999, my initial reaction was an eye-roll and a feeling of disbelief that my graduate level Educational Technology course was starting with reference material that was 16 years old. Really? In this day and age of technology, we couldn’t find more recent scholarly material? The module instructions also included this disclaimer, “ A cautionary word: Remember the historical perspective of the course and avoid judging writers and speakers according to present-day standards. What can we learn from historical perspectives on communications technologies?” Okay, I’ll try… What followed my reluctant click on the link to the radio broadcast was an eye-opening revelation that our concerns and challenges in regards to technological advancements has not changed in 16 years, in reality, it has not changed for decades, perhaps centuries.
In the radio broadcast, “From Papyrus to Cyberspace” (Cambridge Forum, 1999), Dr. James O’Donnell and Dr. James Engell share their perspectives on the issues and concerns of the computer age, the costs and benefits of digital technology and how to effectively integrate it into teaching and learning. O’Donnell begins by explaining there has always been, and will always be technological frontiersmen that create and implement new technology that simply becomes part of civilizations that follow, and that with new technology there will always be problems and trouble makers. With the implementation of new technologies there will be a “muddled set of choices” somewhere between “doom and utopia” but we “apply our knowledge and wisdom to understand the changes we go through”. Dr. James Engell reminds us that no extreme technological revolutions occur. For example, we did not throw away our books with the appearance of digital text, but instead we received a complex and layered balance of losses and gains with new technologies. We don’t completely abandon a technology, we gradually accept the new in usage and willingly accept its risks.
So what are the risks, problems and losses that may occur in the computer age? Aside from the reference to dial up modems, discs and diskettes, and the new music format of Mp3 in 1999, the technology may have changed, but many of the issues remain the same. Engell discussed the challenges of the substantial cost investments of new technology. When we invest in new technology, do we ever really know how long it is going to last? He also refers to the problem of storing digital information. Will storage systems be obsolete in the future? How is information managed? How do we store it? How do we retrieve it? Intellectual authority came into question which adds another layer of problems regarding copyright and fair use. The ease of sharing information on the web and the ease of publishing work brings into question the validity of scholarly digital information. The 1999 broadcast made reference to whether or not academic universities would accept webpages as scholarly material that can be referenced in a published article. This sounds very similar to questioning the validity of Wikipedia or the debate about open source materials. The integration of new technology and old technology will always present a new set of problems, and yet as we compare the issues discussed in 1999 to the issues we still discuss in 2015, many of the problems remain the same.
O’Donnell and Engell also discussed the benefits of digital technology. O’Donnell considered the creation of broader communities and how information reaches further than it ever has before and fewer people are excluded. New technology has allowed communication to become dialogue rather than one-way communication. In a learning environment, students have non-linear access to text through digital technologies. They have 24 hour access to like minded individuals all over the world through online learning communities and social networks. Face-to-face classes are supplemented through digital sharing networks. The ideas discussed are still relevant today.
The Cambridge Forum radio broadcast (1999) reminds us that new technologies will always emerge, and they will bring both benefits and challenges. Generational differences will bring forth resistance to change, but in the big picture of things, we are not altogether giving up on technologies of the past, but integrating the new by applying our knowledge and wisdom of past experience to understand the changes of the future.
Corinne McWhinney
References
Engell, J. & O’Donnell, J. (1999). From Papyrus to Cyberspace [Radio Broadcast]. Cambridge Forum. Retrieved from https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-2750916-dt-content-rid-12134568_1/courses/CL.UBC.ETEC.540.66A.2015S1-2.50694/module01/papyrus-cyberspace.mp3
Motoi, K. (2013). At Your Own Risk [Online Image]. Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AT_YOUR_OWN_RISK.svg
“The Cambridge Forum radio broadcast (1999) reminds us that new technologies will always emerge, and they will bring both benefits and challenges. Generational differences will bring forth resistance to change, but in the big picture of things, we are not altogether giving up on technologies of the past, but integrating the new by applying our knowledge and wisdom of past experience to understand the changes of the future.”
Agree! and, on the other hand, our resistance to change is very nuanced, consider the recently popularity that podcasts have gained. Are podcasts new technology? what makes them new in comparison with radio? is it the immediacy? the access? is that what we really appreciate about “new technology”? I would say that we are now assessing “old technology” based on the affordances of the “new technologies”, and in doing so, revealing new aspects of it. What do you think?
This makes me think of something I read in my Math and Science Tech class that was written in 1938 by John Dewey.
Dewey (1938) strongly advocated for experiential learning. “ There is no discipline in the world so severe as the discipline of experience subjected to the tests of intelligent development and direction (p.114)”
If Dewey realized it in 1938 that learning by trial and error and experience was the best way – then we’ve had nearly 80 years to digest this and make it true! And yet, to this day we are not supported or funded to make this a possibility all the time. Creative teachers are definitely trying but it is not the norm, yet! One day, I hope!
Hi all;
Just look at the reports of a revival of vinyl records. If younger generations are developing an interest in past technologies we should be using this interest as a bridging mechanism between generations where both learn for each other.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-biggest-music-comeback-of-2014-vinyl-records-1418323133
Yes, “the integration of new technology and old technology will always present a new set of problems” so we should be looking to change our attitude and not see them as ‘problems’ but challenges/puzzles to be solved by asking the question ‘How do you integrate the best of both?’.
This is happening not just with technology. Look at eh art world where very old paintings are being auctioned off at exorbitant prices. Public demand for what is new or old is a major factor in accelerating change whether it is change moving forward or change looking backward.
Terry