Module 6: The History of Educational Technology: Historical Foundations

Have you ever experienced a moment in your teaching careers where you found yourself focused on the medium than the actual message or curricular outcome?

There was one time at the very beginning of my ESL career where I thought that having the students follow the contents of the supplementary CD of the textbook would allow the students to learn all the things they needed for the lesson. I quickly learned that this approach was very ineffective and threw the CD away, because students didn’t want to come to class to listen to the CD. They wanted to come to class to interact with me and their peers so that they can practice what they learned with another person and get feedback. So I think McLuhan is absolutely right: The content of a medium remains a medium. It is how we interact with the medium which determines the message one receives.

I like the concept of a “flipped classroom,” and I think it is a very efficient way of managing time and pedagogical approach in the classroom to suit learner needs. I also like how it incorporates the positive aspects of distance and face to face education so that students gain ownership of their learning by watching the instructional video at home, make notes, and go to class to interact with the teacher and their peers on the subject. The downside of the approach, however, would be issues arising from technical/mechanical difficulties at home. Another issue might be with administration. It would be nice to hear what Graham and Janke have to say about these points, because otherwise I think the approach is quite ingenious.

Teachers should be aware of learner needs, available technologies, and pedagogical approaches so as to find the best combination that would get the message across in simple and direct ways.

Ipads are becoming more commonly used in primary classrooms. Is there such thing as developmentally appropriate technology?

I think technology such as iPads can be considered as a developmentally appropriate technology only if the teacher makes use of appropriate software (apps) that meet her learners’ developmental needs. I think since primary students are in need of experiencing the world from as many perspectives as possible at this stage, if iPad apps can help students explore the world around them (not just on the iPads) then I am all for the usage of such technologies.

The MHS media students were often allowed to discover and produce segments of their choosing with limited rules, which in turn gave them great freedom to express their creativity. If this same perspective is applied to students today in using other forms of media in education, would it benefit or hinder their learning?

I think it would benefit student learning, because this approach combines constructionism and project based learning into the curriculum so that students are not only free to build a product that reflects their learning in creative ways but also present their findings to an audience. The challenge is how the teacher structures those “limited rules” to help learners become motivated and remain engaged throughout the duration of their learning.

I share the concern about how technology integration at such an early stage directly influences the development of certain skills such as penmanship, and I also think that there will definitely be a time in the future where the usage of pencil and pen will become obsolete. But for now, I do not think that those K students learning how to write using iPads will have the option of writing provincial/university entrance exams on iPads when their time comes. From this respect, teachers may need to think further about the effects of technology on student’s development of such skills. This is why I think if teachers can use technology to help students explore more of the (physical) world around them then by all means go ahead!

If teachers could help students gain the skills to adopt any technology to assist them in achieving their goals, then they can learn a lot of different things on their own with any available media.

Does the history of education technology play significant role in education today? If so, how? If not, should it?

I think the history of ET plays a significant role in education today. The form and delivery method of ET has evolved from those targeted for drill and practice to those that allow creative thinking and collaborative learning. The teaching machine, for example, was built for the purpose of “getting the right answer.” The affordances of the machine were very limited due to the linear approach to teaching and learning before the 1970s. With the advent of technology, teachers and learners gradually gained more affordances to design lessons and express learning in creative ways (i.e. the MHS media students). Teaching and learning can now be tailored to suit learner needs, but this couldn’t have been possible without going through the process of learning from building technology such as the teaching machine.

Please examine the website created by Discourse Leadership Group #6 members for more information on the topic.