Let’s say ‘no’ to inappropriate use of technology in education.
I’d like you to read that again;
Let’s say ‘no’ to inappropriate use of technology in education.
The chances are that you may be misinterpreting what I am saying here. You quite possibly think I’m saying that we should stop using technology inappropriately and you quite probably think that’s a good idea.
That, however, is not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that we should say ‘no’ to the idea or the concept of inappropriate use of technology in education. As a passionate supporter, proponent and advocate of educational technology, I urge us all to reject any notion of technology being used in support of education as being, in any way, inappropriate.
I have long held the belief that technology can have positive benefits in the education of all learners and I know I’m not alone in that belief. I also know, however, that not every educational professional shares that belief as firmly as I do, in my many years of working in the field I have come across people who have been sceptical or dubious over the role of educational technology. Over the years, these people have become fewer and fewer in number and prominence as the value and proof of the benefits of edtech have become evident.
So why do I feel a need to write this article now? Well it would seem that recent developments, at least here in the UK, have given the edtech sceptics new heart and new initiative to question or attack the use of technology in education. It is in response to this that I feel the need to affirm support for technology in education.
The argument that it is not always appropriate to use technology, is not a new one. I first encountered it in the late 1980s and 1990s and it did originate from people who were reluctant or sceptical about using technology in class. Originally some teachers were saying they didn’t use technology because they did not have access to it, this was quite true particularly in the early days when a school would have just the one or a few computers whose use had to be timetabled. However, as devices became more numerous and more readily available, this argument became less valid and the reluctant users or sceptics turned to a new argument; that they hadn’t received any (or adequate) training. This, sadly, was also often true and it is well known, on reflection, that devices were put into schools without any training and, where training was provided, it was often just the basic operating instruction. However, as many ICT coordinators and CPD providers will attest, when training is offered, it is rarely the sceptic or reluctant user that attends.
To be fair, though, not all staff who started off as reluctant users have remained that way. Many professionals took advantage of the increased availability of edtech and whatever training has been offered to support it and have brought the benefits of it into their teaching. In the 1990s and beyond, however, there remained a small and dwindling number of staff who remained sceptical and their last argument was that they felt it wasn’t always appropriate to use technology.
Taking the side against the argument that we shouldn’t use technology inappropriately, is not an easy one. At first sight their argument seems sensible as anything ‘inappropriate’ should be avoided, shouldn’t it? In practice, however, the argument is not against ‘inappropriateness’ but against ‘technology’. This is the first reason why I feel all supporters of educational technology should reject the concept of ‘inappropriate use of technology’; accepting or supporting this concept gives vailidity to an argument that, at first, appears reasonable but ,beneath the surface, is not based on reason but on other factors such as fear of, opposition to or lack of confidence in using educational technology.
You will notice that the concept refers to ‘technology’ as if technology were just one thing or one tool. In reality we know that technology is not just one tool, it is a whole range of tools and resources, each having many different uses and ways of using them. To say that there are times when it is inappropriate to use technology, in such a blanket or all-encompassing, way is to deny learners the use of these tools, the different ways of using them and the learning opportunities they afford. There is no way that I can accept this as a correct approach to education.
It may be my experience in special education that leads me to view technology tools as valuable resources that can be tailored and used to fit the needs and requirements of individual learners. I am sure, though, that colleagues in mainstream education have also considered technology as important for certain learners more than for others and that technology can be used to aid differentiation in the classroom. I also feel that many learners with special needs can be aided into inclusion by the use of technology and that technology can be used to enable access to learning resources that might otherwise be unavailable to them. To deny the use of technology, through some concept of it being inappropriate, could serve as an additional and unwanted barrier to both the learning and the inclusion of pupils with special needs.
There are many camps, theories and approaches to education and it would be true to say that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education. Educational technology is a very versatile set of tools and resources which can be adopted or adapted to fit almost any educational approach. It is almost inconceivable to consider an approach that did not utilise education technology in some form. Unless, that is, one is considering a pre-1960s approach. Now that might be fine in an historical context or simulation but I don’t think any school inspector, head teacher, parent or pupil would consider a class of pupils using ink and paper to copy a teacher’s notes on a chalk board to be an effective form of education in the 21st century. Okay, so that might be an extreme example but I do believe, in many cases, if you scratch the surface of an edtech sceptic, you will find an outdated approach to education.
When faced with the concept of inappropriate use of technology, many colleagues capitulate in the face of what seems a reasonable argument. In the past I have challenged colleagues and sceptics to give me examples of times when it would be inappropriate to use technology. They have cited P.E., R.E., meetings, swimming, driving, flying, mountaineering and playing football, (as well as certain ‘adult’ activities that I won’t mention here), as examples of times when it would be inappropriate to use technology. In each case I have been able to show, to my satisfaction, ways in which technology tools can be both appropriate and beneficial. The only one I hadn’t been able to argue against had been ‘flying’, where I believed, like many others, that the use of electrical instruments could interfere with sensitive instruments necessary for safe flight but it now seems as if airlines or aircraft manufacturers have found ways around this. As for the case of technology not being appropriate for football, just consider England’s last match in the 2010 world cup and tell me that technology might not have changed the match by clearly showing that England’s second goal was good, though I accept that substituting Peter Crouch for Wayne Rooney might have also helped change the outcome of the match!
So, to conclude, why do I believe that we should say no to inappropriate use of technology?
- It is not the reasonable argument it first seems
- It gives validity to those staff who are reluctant or opposed to using technology
- By using the blanket term ‘technology’, it fails to acknowledge the wide range of tools that constitute ‘technology’ and the numerous uses for each tool
- It fails to take cognisance of the needs of individual learners, including those with special needs
- It may be linked to outdated approaches to education.
- Its proponents have yet to give a clear and unequivocal instance of where the use of technology would be inappropriate.
I have to admit, I have pondered hard about whether to publish this article or not. I do not like being negative or critical about my professional colleagues, whom I hold in the highest regard. Indeed I am not really critical of colleagues, it is more the views some of them express or support which I fell critical of.
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