Looks like I missed the discussion but I’ll chip in anyway.

Fundamentally I think teachers use technology when it allows them to do what they do more effectively or more easily. Students will use technology when it is necessary for their assessments.

An educational model that goes: lecture > reading list > seminar > individual assignment is likely to only have a place for technology on the sidelines.

I blogged on this recently: http://learningunlearning.blogspot.com/2009/06/technology-for-learning-technology-for.html

I’d be interested in your thoughts.

I think I mentioned to you about the Building Schools for the Future E-Learning promo I worked on for Wolverhampton City Council. There might be some relevant stuff within that. The website is http://www.wolverhamptonbsf.org – click on the link that says ‘BSF Focus’ and the film should start playing. We got loads of interviews with kids about what they got from from technology – a really strong theme of improving life chances emerged.

Hope this helps! jen

Good questions are always better than good answers – this is a great question.

Many clever heads have contributed here or in the blogs linked to Doug & others so I won’t expound, it would simply be a bit ‘echo chambery’.

For my 2c – it is because with technology (by that I mean digital technology you and I are using right now) we can develop not just “21st century skills” (whatever that means because we don’t exactly know how the century is going to turn out do we…) but “2nd century BC” skills that even some of the old Greek wise heads were talking about – democracy, participation, freedom of expression & thought, active citizenship … you know those pesky old things that never seemed to go out of fashion with thoughtful people.

As long as technology is used to those goals it is a professional travesty not to consider it in education. Sadly, we are often more focused on the science of technology (the ‘best version’ or ‘latest tool’ or ‘most efficient system’) to kinda forget the massive opportunity to change not what and how we know, teach & learn but what we are and become. That’s the ball game for me!

Can we be better with & because of technology? I reckon we can, time will tell. Never forget that some of the world’s most creative, intelligent and passionate people once used the cutting edge technology to create a …. nuclear bomb.

You know, some teachers freak out when you ask them ‘why do you teach’ let alone ‘why would you (not) technology?’.

Keep asking questions my friend, way to go!

Regards

Tomaz

@Doug I hadn’t come across Ben’s blog yet, but I’ll certainly be taking a look at it now.

Thanks to you both!

Lots of great stuff in there. You can see my response (which Ben quotes) in more detail in my post Why (educational) technology?.

Hope that helps!