On digital technology in education
“… any serious account of education and technology needs to resist the assumption that any digital technology has the ability to change things for the better. While appealing to those people who want to construct ‘bounded’ scientific explanations and models, the dangers of these ways of thinking about the use of technology lie primarily in the simplistic conclusions that the y lead towards. In particular, this way of thinking usually reaches conclusions that recommend the overcoming of ‘barriers’ or impediments within the immediate educational context, so that the inherent beneficial effects of technology may be more fully felt. This logic is illustrated in the frequent ‘blaming’ of individual educators or educational institutions for the failure of digital technologies to be used ‘effectively’. Indeed, current discussions and debates about the use of digital technology in educational settings often continue to follow a decidedly externalist logic, ‘treating new technologies as autonomous forces that compel society to change’ (Nye 2007, p.27) … “(p.36-37)
Reference:
Selwyn, N. (2013). Education in a digital world: Global perspectives on technology and education. New York: Routledge.