It is about the technology
Monday, October 4, 2010 at 10:08AM 
A few years ago if technology was being discussed at a conference you would invariably hear, "It's not about the technology it's the pedagogy. The technology is just a tool." It doesn't happen as often at conferences anymore but in school workshops and discussions with individual educators it often pops up. I'm not convinced. I think it's the lizard brain talking. I sit a bit more in the Gary Stager camp on this one. It is about the technology people, and history has been teaching us this lesson for thousands of years.
Think of a cathedral.
A majestic structure, humbling, with impossibly high ceilings encouraging you to lift your thoughts to the heavens. A space can change the way you think, feel and behave.
Now consider these examples (no this is not an Old Spice commercial)...
Fire, the wheel, bronze, iron, paper, the stirrup, gunpowder, movable type, (some guy called Gutenberg?) printing press. Fast forward...
Internal combustion engine, flight, toaster, hair dryer, traffic lights, penicillin, Nylon stockings, the pencil, Duct tape (my favourite!), television, the contraceptive pill, the ball point pen, kevlar, personal computer, internet, world wide web.
The mobile phone.
In the same way a space can change the way you feel, tools change the way you work. And different ways of doing lead to different ways of thinking. Different tool, different approach. Different approach, different ways of thinking. That's where creativity and innovation starts.
Don't grab the wrong end of the pineapple, you still have to do work. Tools alone aren't a guarantee (ever seen an "Introduction to woodworking" class?)
But one thing is guaranteed. If you don't get those tools into your hands you can barely know a fraction of what's possible.
If you haven't already, get to work on your "metaphorical chest of drawers". Better yet get it started in your learning space.
learning, pedagogy, technology in education
Reader Comments (1)
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