Chapters 1 through 8 of Martin Weller’s book, 25 Years of Ed Tech, have inspired much critical thought and reflection around the emergence of digital technology in education. Given I have never had (or taken) the opportunity to explore the recent history of digital technology, I did find the basic facts from Chapter 2 intriguing. First, the creation of the web and the four technologies that still underpin it today, HTML, URL, HTTP, and web browser, can be credited back to one person, Tim Berners-Lee. In addition, the web and the internet are two different technologies initially designed as an open, decentralized communication system (Weller, 2020). The original intent and spirit behind the technology seem to be at odds with what it has largely become. Our capitalist system drives the seemingly endless race to monetize everything, including knowledge and education.
The book’s format has also allowed me to walk down memory lane and consider my age and stage of life at the time certain advances in digital technologies were emerging. Both my high school and post-secondary education were completed before any major tech adoptions in education. This inspires me to consider how our circumstances and experiences influence what we are exposed to along with the opportunities we have to learn, which in turn shapes how we view and interact with the world around us. In addition, change may seem slow for those who have had the opportunity to use the technologies in school or have been working in the sector. Having returned to a formal program after decades away, rest assured, major shifts made possible by technology have occurred since I was last a student.
As a final thought, gaining insight into some points of contention within ed tech has been interesting. Some of these are highlighted in the book, while others are introduced in the Between the Chapters Podcast. A few that have stuck out for me are the LMS, scaffolding and the apparent historical amnesia in ed tech (Pasquini, 2020). Concerning the latter, we have seen this said in many other disciplines as well, for example politics or economics. I don’t think this phenomenon is unique to ed tech. I’m looking forward to ongoing learning and critical reflection as we continue through our course readings and related discussions.
References:
Weller, M. (2020). 25 years of ed tech. Athabasca University Press. https://www.aupress.ca/books/120290-25-years-of-ed-tech/
Pasquini, L. (Host). (2020, December). Between the Chapters: #4 deconstructing constructivism with @Jessifer (No. 4) [Audio podcast episode]. In 25 Years of Ed Tech. Spotify.
Great blog post, Lara! I’m glad that you had a chance to listen to the “Between the Chapters” podcasts too. I found I got as much out of these discussions as the chapters, although both were excellent.
I’m intrigued by your comment about former students who had the chance to use these techologies, that “change may seem slow for those who have had the opportunity to use the technologies in school or have been working in the sector.” Do you believe that time seems to move faster for those of us who completed our formal education in only traditional face-to-face environments, do you believe those of us in older generations are just more aware of the change, or something else? I’d love to hear your perspective.