I found this weeks reading very interesting, especially the idea of technological determinism – the perceived good or bad value placed on technology by society(?). Even though this determinism has fallen out of fashion and the value placed on any technology should be based on the social network that it works in, many forms of technology today have negative perceptions associated with it. This poses a number of problems for both students and educators.
If we as educators are trying to make connections for students by using forms of popular culture (FaceBook, Twitter, video games, etc.) we will undoubtedly run into instances where we use technology that is perceived as ‘bad’ by society. As a personal example, in my wife’s Grade 11 English class they are studying Hamlet. In an attempt to have her students more fully understand the characters and their roles in the play, she has asked them to post ‘tweets’ as various characters. They should comment on the events in the drama and on the experiences of the character. The reaction from students has been amazing and after reading some of their tweets I was amazed at how fully they understood the characters and their motivations. However, this has been meet with  some resistance from parents who perceive Twitter as a ‘waste of time’. The value that has been placed on this form of technology within the sphere of education has impeded the learning process of these students.