Diametric Opposition or Natural Progression?

Stephen Heppel: “…we continually make the error of subjugating technology to our present practice rather than allowing it to free us from the tyranny of past mistakes…” Seymour Papert: "There are in principle two diametrically opposed visions of the role of new technologies in education. In one vision the technology is a means to bolster and improve established practices. In the other, the new technology renders these practices obsolete by creating the opportunity for radically new practices." Do we deploy technology in education in order to do what we already do just a little bit better (or even a whole lot better)? Or do we introduce technology so that we might find new and exciting ways of educating people? Unlike Papert, I do not believe these two views are 'diametrically opposed' to each other: rather the latter is the second phase in a natural progression from, first, finding out what technology can do for us by trying it out on stuff we know, and then realising that it can do more than we previously thought, and so we begin to do things differently. (In that sense, then, I guess I am disagreeing a little bit with Stephen too, since I do not see the former as an 'error' as such, just an inevitable first step for most.) An illustration of the 'do what we already do better' mindset can be seen in the Guardian's reporting today - by Julie Nightingale - of a paper published by Becta in October last year (not earlier this year, as the Guardian reported). A Newcastle University study - download it here - found that the use of interactive whiteboards over an extended period made no difference whatsoever to attainment levels for the pupils with whom they were used. For me, the question here would not be: can interactive whiteboards (or any other example of useful technology in education) raise attainment? Rather, the questions should be: what can we do with the technology that will make the learning process (and the teaching process) more enjoyable and more motivating for pupil and teacher alike, that will allow us to do things in ways that were not possible before, that will allow us to do entirely new things as part of our learning, and that, perhaps, will permit us to move beyond the narrow view of education as a process measured by achieving better and better scores in tests.

» Share on EdBloggerNews!

© John Connell
The views expressed in this weblog are entirely my own and are not intended to reflect the views of any other individuals or organizations. All sources will be fully acknowledged.