Technology has Consequences
After our last class discussion about the Victorian Internet and the Day the Universe Change, I got time to reflect on technologies and their consequences. I realized that even while technology may "shake things up" human nature remains the same, we
The main takeaway for me is that technology is no neutral, it comes with consequences, and while it is created to solve current problems, it creates new ones as well. With new technologies, new ways of perceiving the world are conceived, new tools shape culture and learning processes.
The impact this has in my practice is that I understand that when I include a technological tool in my classroom I have to think of both parts of the coin, the benefits and disadvantages that it may have and the consequences that will bring. I am also responsible to let my students analyze the use of technology in their lives and the consequences implied.
I agree that there are always resistors out there and they ultimately find out that the technology becomes the norm. I am reading a book called the "Innovators Mindset" and they address the same observation. I am guilty of this in almost every area of my life. One of my interests is fashion and I see new trends coming all the time. At first, I don't feel comfortable participating in the trend then a few months go by. After seeing it more and more, I will dabble in the trend and make it my own. The author of the "innovatior's Mindset" say that innovation is the key to success. The change is always going to come. If you don't jump on, you will be left behind.
ReplyDeleteWe do have to think about both sides of the coin, and I think the activities we participated in this past week helped me figure out how we as educators need to think when we're analyzing new forms of technology to try out in our classrooms. I have grown accustomed to thinking this way in the past and had no idea it was part of affordance analysis. Because the new technologies have benefits and consequences, it's especially important to determine early on in the lesson design process whether or not the tool is going to be beneficial and how we can teach students to use the technology to think creatively, create unique projects, etc...
ReplyDeleteTechnology certainly shakes things up but I can’t help thinking about what the printing press has done. Literacy actually changes the way people think. What other technology has done that?
ReplyDeleteYour post made me think about the technology bandwagon. Specifically, how people and in our case school divisions and teachers gravitate towards what is new or what others are doing. We need to stop and think if this is what is best for our students.
ReplyDeleteI think that you have started an important discussion. While it is necessary for us to be innovators and embrace change, affordance analysis truly offers us the opportunity to put a tool to the test. There is definitely a tendency to gravitate towards new educational technologies, just because they are new. There are plenty of fads in education. Hopefully, thoughtful affordance analysis will help us find the correct tools for our school environments!
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