Reading through the first few chapters of Martin Weller’s book, 25 Years of Ed Tech, it was interesting to find out in the introduction that Ed Tech history could have been better recorded because the industry is so forward-thinking (Weller, 2020). As the statement goes, “ History repeats itself,” it almost seems this lack of reflective thinking within the industry usually results in similar mistakes or omissions. In the chapter about constructivism, an educational theory, Weller talks about how introducing new technology within education often results in those involved in pedagogy readjusting their teaching practices (Weller, 2020). This is a repeated pattern whereby a new and novel educational technology is introduced, and there is a lot of initial hype and excitement about it. However, after some time, educators fall back onto their safety net of old teaching practices or have to readjust their current teaching practices as they realise some shortcomings. This makes me wonder if educators could spot these patterns by looking carefully at the history of Ed Tech and begin to question and change teaching practices using the current existing technologies available.
Some of the concerns about the web raised in 1995 are becoming more relevant as the years’ progress, such as the difficulty of governing or censoring the web and the deepening of marginalization within society, which has recently become a global issue with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (Weller, 2020). An article by Kousa and Niemi (2022) highlights the effects of AI within Ed Tech and how it can create “high inequalities and reduce opportunities to learn” if it does not become more inclusive and try to cater globally to more learners. This makes me wonder if we had learned from history and put measures to make the web and the field of Ed Tech more inclusive if a safer and inclusive online learning environment for students globally would have existed today.
Kousa, P., & Niemi, H. (2022). AI ethics and learning: EdTech companies’ challenges and solutions. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2043908
Weller, M. (2020, February). 25 Years of Ed Tech. AU Press—Digital Publications. https://read.aupress.ca/projects/25-years-of-ed-tech