Week Three

Day One:

Paradigm Shifts in IT by, Koschman was today's reading.  In this article the author explains that due to advancements in technology that IT has undergone several paradigm shifts in a short amount of time.   Furthermore, he relates to the reader that as a result of these advancements in technology that there are numerous communities with competing ideologies with the newest being CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning).  CSCL views technology as a mediation tool with collaborative methods of instruction.  Lastly, the author stresses that shifts in IT happen due to shifts in theories of learning and instruction.

Much of this ties into what was read last week regarding evolving approaches to IT.  As technology has changed so have approaches to ID.  Newer methods of ID adapt to the technology and theories of learning while others stay grounded in traditional methods of technology and instruction.

The Paradigm Shifts video was also very informative and tied in to the Koschman article.  As the video explained, paradigm shifts can sometimes be controversial as they tend to attack what may have been previously considered intractable positions.  This video also talked about CSCL and how tech should be less relied upon as a means of instruction but should rather support and mediate instruction in a collaborative environment.  Picture students working together in a Google Hangout to complete problem based learning activities. 

A good example of this is BYOD and or 1:1 initiatives.  In my own district now we are in the midst of a paradigm shift.  Many teachers (including myself) have started to allow students to utilize their personal electronic devices which is prohibited by our school handbook.  Previously Administration had never seen or understood that necessity and advantaged that BYOD could offer our school.  However, after inviting them to view how the students use their own devices there has been a slight shift in attitudes regarding our very rigid policy.  Though I pushed for BYOD previously I've started to come to the conclusion that most HS students are not mature enough to use their devices appropriately enough of the time to be worth while.

Day Two:

What is Moral Philosophy by Pojman started day two in which morality and ethics was the main theme.  This passage seemed to discuss most of the history of morality and dealt with the major questions surrounding the topic such as conflicts between the law and morality.  In so far as dealing with the topics of this course there were some parallels between the reading and class videos and other topics.

The question of most interest in the Moral Philosophy video was how should be best use ed tech?  It discusses this issue from a moral standpoint.  After viewing this video it made me think about a colleague of mine, "Don".  Don has a list of credentials a mile long as it related to ed tech.  However, I think sometimes he stresses the technology over the content.  He wants to use the technology for the sake of using it and is not firstly concerned with how it will improve student learning.  Don definitely uses a Rapid Prototyping approach in his instruction which many times frustrates the students and he loses them.  I think Don's approach is almost a selfish one and for that reason it is immoral.  Not immoral in the evil sense, but immoral because he is putting his own desires ahead of what is best for his students. 

This topic was also dealt with in the video clip from The God's Must be Crazy.  I won't recall the content of the video but the issues it dealt with.  The Bushmen were introduced to a new piece of technology that was exceedingly useful and labor saving.  However, there was only one and this tool (a coke bottle) could not be introduced.  Was it moral to introduce this new tool to these people?  This caused me to think of similar stories/scenarios.  Was it moral for Prometheus to give fire to man?  After all, man has learned to kill with it, however, it allowed society to advance and raise the standard of living above which would not have been possible before.  That being said, man learned to reproduce fire.  The people in the video are shown to be living in "Garden of Eden" type of existence.  Is the coke bottle being introduced akin to taking the Quince from the tree and eating of it to gain the knowledge of good and evil? 

Moral Guidance in Ed Tech by Nichols seemed to concur with some of the ideas presented by the God's Must be Crazy video.  In the reading, the author explains that sometimes technology can be needlessly morally harmful.  It would certainly seem as though this was the case with the Bushmen.  Nichols explains that we must always consider the moral issues involved with introducing new technology but that by doing so the chances that the technology could be harmful are less.

Day Three:

Critical Theory by Yeaman, Koetting, and Nichols laid out several theories about the morality and it's application to educational technology.  It deal with how ed tech can both help and further marginalize different "under-served" demographic groups.  One specific point addressed was how in many situations the introduction of ed tech seems to be introduced from the perspective of the dominant culture.  To me this situation seems unavoidable especially as nations like the United States become increasingly more Balkanized.  It would seem that a paradox has been created in which we would like Ed Tech to ideally bridge and close gaps between groups but political correctness and multiculturalism (especially how it has been applied in Europe) only make those gaps wider.  This does not seem like a problem that ed tech can solve, morally or socially.