Hi All,
I have posted my thoughts on the forum but thought I might share with the rest of you as well.
What are your personal thoughts on the relationship between technologies and educational reform? (For example is technology itself a cause of reform or an instrument used to encourage reform?)
In general I believe that Educational reform has more to do with which vision of education you want to carry out. In other words, one’s perception of how you want to teach and what you want to achieve. In principal I see new technology as tools with which you can carry out your vision. There are various visions of education and the best ways to teach: discussion groups, collaborative learning, differentiation by level (small groups), lectures. Each one of these can be implemented both with and without technology.
However, new technology has been evolving so dramatically in society that one can’t deny the existence of it and because of its massive influence on society students should be prepared for using it.
Another argument that new technology is driving educational reform lies in the fact that not only a new generation of students exists, but also a new generation of teachers is emerging (those Google Generation/ Digital Native students who became teachers). For this generation technology is not only a tool but a way of life, embedded in their vision of education. They bring new standards; they bring new ways of preparing and new ways of teaching. This generation doesn’t have to change its thinking, or make a transition from a specific kind of teaching. With them it comes naturally. As a consequence I believe education changes and reforms automatically. There is a new generation of people in general, or more specifically, a new generation of teachers and students.
What influence do you think the producers and developers of technologies and services have on university decisions about introducing new technologies?
I believe they have a big influence. Educational institutions in general and Universities in particular, are competing with each other. In order to attract students they need to present themselves as being (at the very least) up-to-date. They need to show themselves as forward thinking and, if possible, demonstrate that they have more to offer more than other universities. It is a very competitive market, involving big budgets.
Producers and developers will of course benefit from this. They are in a position to convince universities that they “want” or “need” these new technologies in order to remain competitive.
In addition to this, they can test out new technology and see if it’s appropriate for the consumer market. I have experienced this a number of times. We have been a pilot school for Deutsche Telekom, HP and Samsung. I know that we are not alone in being targeted by commercial companies as education is big business today.