{"id":229,"date":"2020-09-10T16:40:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T23:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0165\/?p=229"},"modified":"2020-09-11T09:17:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T16:17:56","slug":"lessons-from-the-history-of-ed-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0165\/lessons-from-the-history-of-ed-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from the History of Ed Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Isolation\"<\/span><\/p>\n

XKCD Isolation comic (#1601) by Randall Munroe retrieved Sep 6, 2020 from\u00a0https:\/\/xkcd.com\/1601\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I found this XKCD comic well before taking LRNT 523 at RRU, and I think it summarizes that while the specific technologies might change, namely books, newspapers, magazines, televisions, walkmans, and smartphones; the perceptions and opinions regarding them remain fairly constant, in this case social isolation. This applies for technology in general, but also more specifically, Ed Tech.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While reading the book\u00a025 Years of Ed Tech<\/em> by Martin Weller, I see a similar tendency.\u00a0 This is shown again with a comic at the start of the book on page 2 before the introduction.
\n\"\"
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Weller (2020) explains that many people in Ed Tech, think of new technology simply as a re-creation of a previous technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has often been noted that when a new technology arrives, it tends to be used in old ways before its unique characteristics are recognized. So, for example, television was initially treated as “radio with pictures”. (p. 64)<\/span><\/p>\n

This pitfall is a problem, especially when people overlook the features and benefits of the new technology. Another example provided by Weller (2020) is for online classes. He explains in the chapter for 2006 – Web 2.0, that traditional post-secondary degrees are often compressed into 3-4 year programs because students want to limit the expense of staying on campus. Since online classes do not have the constraint of being on campus, do they need to be in this condensed form? Online classes provides a new feature of giving students more time to complete their credential, but if we are restricted to our previous viewpoints, we may not be able to afford the benefits of the new technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

This tendency is, I think, something we should learn from so that we don’t under utilize technology. One final example of this tendency in the chapter for 2007 – Second Life and Virtual Worlds, when Weller (2020) explains that virtual reality (VR) for education can (and should<\/em>) be used for much more than just virtual lectures. It can be used for simulating forestry practices, diagnosing and simulating medical treatments, and so much more.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, lesson #1 is that every technology has advantages and disadvantages.
\nAs I’ve summed up below, we need to take a critical look at the tools and technologies before judging them:<\/span><\/p>\n