As a starting point for a definition of a philosophy of educational technology I really found truth in Kaplan’s ‘Readings in the Philosophy of Technology’. He describes the philosophy as  ‘a creative, reflective examination of the nature of technology as well as the effects and transformation of technologies in human knowledge, activities, societies, and environments.’

I unfortunately am guilty of using ‘accepted’ forms of technology with the assumption that it is improving the quality of education, while never really trying to understand the impact it has on the learning of my students. PowerPoint is so widely used in my school (and in my own education) that it has become the norm. What I failed to realize until I read Catherine Adams ‘The Poetics of PowerPoint’ is that many of us were educated in a system that did not use presentation technology so we developed a number of skills that we use and have made us successful (i.e. being able to read human cues like posture, volume changes, intonation of speech, etc.). However students who grow up in a ‘modern’ classroom may not develop these skills because they have never been required to. To add to that, I never really considered the idea that the architecture and design of a school has an impact on the skills that were learned by students. I have always taught in an art studio, so my teaching environment is very different from the typical classroom, but when considering the setup and orientation of the typical classroom it all reinforces traditional image of the teacher as the ‘knower of all’.

This assumption that technology is improving education (or in broader terms, everyday life) without a critical analysis, is the ‘essence of Heidegger’s talk. I must admit I was fairly confused with ‘The Question Concerning Technology’ and it required several readings before it started to make any sense. However after watching ‘The Betrayal of Technology’ by Jacques Ellul, and reading it again with that basis I believe that I have started to gain some insight into what the philosophy of educational technology is.  Heidegger defines the essence of modern technology as ‘enframing’ (the term used is Gestell). By that he means the ‘calling-out’ or discovery that humans are compelled to do in search of the truth (what the Greeks call ‘aletheia’ and the Romans call ‘veritas’, 322). Enframing is central to Heidegger’s understanding because he views modern technology in light of the Greek term techne, which is ‘the name not only for the activities and skills of the craftsman but also for the arts of the mind and the fine arts’ (318). In a slightly different way Ellul warns of the dangers of technology when people simply assume that it improves their current condition. He uses the example of a car as a form of technology. While the car represents freedom for people, they unknowingly become part of the mass which perform actions without any thought (vacationing at the same time). Ellul warns that unknowingly to many, technology has become something ‘sacred’.

This somehow all came together for me in the final statement in Kaplan’s description of a philosophy of technology. I paraphrase and edit it a little as the basis for a definition of a philosophy of educational technology. “The task for a philosophy of (educational) technology is to analyze the phenomenon of technology, its significance (to learning), and the ways that it mediates and transforms our (learning) experience.”