Module 5: The Anthropology and Sociology of Educational Technology: Cultural and Social Foundations

Does technology bring about unique cultures. Is there a specific culture for educational technology. If so what defines it (i.e. customs, beliefs, practices, etc.)? If not, why?

I think technology brings about two unique cultures in education: Those that base their work on technology and those that use technology to supplement their work/learning. In my opinion, the former culture includes those listed on Monahon’s (2005) list of IT specialists (i.e. Technology Coordinators, Administrators, etc.). The latter culture can be exemplified by the research specialists, teachers, and students in Buechley et al.’s (2008) study where the researchers used technology to design learning content, the teachers used technology to facilitate student learning, and the students used technology for their learning.

In short, I think what defines the culture of educational technology are the people who believe in and incorporate the usage of technology for learning.

With the increase in new technologies, do you feel that there is a “cultural lag” in the education system? Explain your opinion and give an example from your own teaching experience.

I think as technology advances, there will always be some sort of lag between ET cultures, because the availability of technology and the belief in the usage of technology for educational purposes will always be unequally distributed within and across districts. This results in a system where funding determines the amount of cultural lag in ET from district to district and even within districts themselves.

From my limited experience working with students at the grade four level during my practicum, I experienced this cultural lag. The technology available (netbooks) for classes to sign out were out of date in comparison to what the students were familiar with at home. On top of this, the netbooks were unstable and crashed constantly. These were due to insufficient funding and manpower (no tech coordinators available to update the soft/hardware). Even though this lag was quickly overcome by the students finding their way around certain obstacles (i.e. using their own devices instead of using their assigned netbooks that needed updates), I feel that new technology will always create some sort of cultural lag in the education system.

I think this lag was created in the first place by people’s different viewpoints on the importance of integrating technology into the curriculum. At the center of this, I think the mechanism at play is the issue of funding. The amount of funds available determines the amount of technological integration, thus determining the amount of lag from culture to culture.

Nevertheless, this lag can also be regarded as opportunities for learning. If teachers can make use of these lags and allow creativity and ingenuity to take over (using other mediums to achieve the same results), these lags could help promote creative thinking and problem solving skills for our learners (evolution). Educators should be prepared to take on these lags, so that students can learn how to overcome challenges due to such lags.

Buechley et al. are working toward creating e-textile hobbyist communities. What are other communities that have developed around technology? Why do you think people have developed these communities?

A community which comes to mind that has developed around technology is the community of Wikipedians. In my opinion, one of the reasons that led to the development of this community is a social justice issue, which is the need for free information. In comparison to Encyclopaedia Britannica, users can visit Wikipedia and get the same information for free. Even though the reliability issue is still under debate (see Reliability of Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia, and Encyclopaedia Britannica and Nature: a Response at http://www.nature.com/press_releases/Britannica_response.pdf), in my opinion, the sense of ‘justice’ brought about by free information is what derives Wikipedians to constantly monitor and make changes to Wikipedia entries to ensure the reliability of its contents.

We are now living in the past of an unknown future. What kinds of technological innovation do you expect will come? Do you think they will be tools of hope or destruction?

I think there will be technological innovation of every kind in the future – both tools of hope and destruction. To me, the matter is whether or not the public is aware of such innovations, and the purpose for implementing new technologies in certain ways.

I am inclined to take on Clark’s (1994) position, that ultimately the difference is not in the technology we use, but rather how we use the technology to achieve our goals.

I am not teaching at the moment, but when I did I had a chance to build a Science lesson around the usage of netbooks. The experience was quite rewarding, because I got to realize how quickly technology becomes outdated. Back then, I wouldn’t have minded some iPads in the classroom! But that’s just wishful thinking, because I know that by the time the school gets the iPads something newer and faster would be available.

Perhaps the bring your own device approach would better suit the needs of our learners in the future, because the financial burden for schools to constantly update and have (somewhat) new devices up and running are too much to handle for the current economic status of the world.

Can you think of an example of an innovation that was created by particular culture that would likely never have been created by any other culture? Why?

I think the answer is no, because technology, to me, exists as a result of culture. Since cultures today are built through exchange of goods and services, innovation cannot remain exclusive to only one particular culture.

Please examine the website created by Discourse Leadership Group #5 members for more information on the topic.