This past week, we discussed Critical Theory and its importance in the field of educational technology. Critical theory is a way of analyzing society with the ultimate goal of making a change, or evoking action. The focus of the change or action is generally on the benefit of society as a whole. Critical theory helps us question the status quo, addressing questions such as “Why is this the status quo?” and “What are we leaving out?” It helps us take responsibility for our actions and makes us question our decisions, as well as make us aware of our consequences. It opens up alternative solutions and ways of thinking.
If we do not think critically about educational technology, consequences may occur that could have been avoided. Such consequences include limiting students in their educational endeavors, further oppressing those who might not have access or have limited access, and overlooking the teaching of core values in the educational setting. Addressing issues brought to the surface through Critical Theory promotes the responsible use of technology.
One question in particular came up during our discussion of Critical Theory. My peers and I are interested in how we can expect to teach core values to students while using technology when the use of technology goes against many values teachers want to teach. The core values that we identified as being taught in the past include independence, self-reliance, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, basic spelling and grammar, and societal expectations. With the introduction of technology, these skills have been hindered and are often overlooked. I am interested in how we might rethink the integration of these skills into curriculum as a result of the introduction of technology.
For example, the calculator has limited critical thinking and problem skills within the subject of math—students are oftentimes reliant on their calculator and cannot perform without them. Students rely so heavily on word processors and spell check that spelling, grammar, and vocabulary are not skills fully developed. Has the introduction of calculators and spell check been detrimental to students’ learning? Or has it opened a door to a new type of education that does not focus so heavily on these skills?
Manners and respect are skills that are also affected by technology, particularly in the realm of social media. Students approach social media as an impersonal communication method, and do not transfer their communication skills into their online communications. Digital citizenship is an essential focus in today’s educational system because of the integration of technology into our lives. Cyberbullying has become increasingly common occurrence in interactions using social media. When students encounter trouble as a result of the content they post online, does the liability fall upon the teachers and school system that did not properly educate students? Are we as educators responsible for students’ actions outside of school or online, even though manners and respect have typically been taught within school?
Because of the accessibility of online materials, cheating and plagiarism occur more frequently with technology integrated into education. Sharing has also been a value that we teach our children in schools, and with the integration of technology students are less willing to share if there is not enough of one type of technology for everybody in the classroom.
So, how do we address the disconnect between values that result from integrating technology and what we teach students in the classroom? We must emphasize the responsible use of technology. For example, classroom time should be focused on teaching digital citizenship and addressing issues that are encountered while using technology. There should be scaffolding of children to utilize technology appropriately, starting at a very young age. We should emphasize the limitations and affordances of technology to students, and identify consequences of inappropriate use.
However, other disconnects have become the norm—there is no real way to address them except to embrace the changes. For example, with spell check, calculators, and Google, students do not necessarily need to approach spelling, math, and memorization the same way as we have in the past. Instead, we need to emphasize the appropriate use of these tools, teaching students how to properly search, cite, and learn from sources on the web.