Matt’s Notes Like a comet made of gasses and minerals and lagan and jetsam from origins billions of years out comes hurtling this final episode of the EnT for the year of our (mis)creation 2025! We bring you tidings of sunlessness, funlessness, and likely many grievances in this especially timely EnT Festivus Special! Please join us, if you dare! https://youtu.be/DjP2JQKBeZQ Creativity such as this, and grievances such as these, only come around so often even in the era of ubiquitous interwebs! #ednontech Many an aluminum pole has been sacrificed in the name of educational non-technology, and this here audio is further evidence thereof! #ednontech IMG_20251220_0001-1 Doug’s Notes Festivus – Ed Tech for the rest of us Airing of Grievances Most teachers tend to regard educational technological devices with deep suspicion. Teachers think of education as a more or less personal relationship between them and their students. Programmed materials, canned electronic “lessons,” learner-operated machines, and even the older audiovisual aids tend to interfere with the generally parental interest teachers have in the success of their pupils. Hence, resistance to these devices among teachers is high. Selden, D., & Bhaerman, R. D. (1969). Instructional Technology and the Teaching Profession. QuEST Paper Series,# 6. The majority of participants believe that the use of computer technology in the classroom is distracting, reduces social interaction, is responsible for the development of a loneliness, can be addictive, is expensive, bears a risk, is remarkably easy to copy and reproduce and even undermines the teacher. Kryeziu, S. A., Avdiu, T. A., & Avdiu, A. (2021). Examining the Teachers, Administrators and Parents’ View on Drawbacks of Technology Use in Education. Ilkogretim Online, 20(2). Although Educational Technology offers numerous advantages, its use can also lead to various problems, such as: Adaptability: Technological changes tend to be faster than the willingness and capacity of teachers to accept these changes. Generally, it forces teachers to make a significant effort to master and adopt the use of new technologies. False information: The vast amount of available information presents a challenge for students, especially when it comes to distinguishing between true and false information. With more misinformation also increases. Outdated educational systems: The difference in quality between educational systems with different resources increases and those with fewer resources are less efficient. Nikolic, M., Paunovic, L., & Gojgic, N. (2024). Educational Technology–Benefits and Drawbacks in Enhancing Knowledge Acquisition Efficiency. In 10th International Scientific Conference Technics, Informatics and Education-TIE 2024. Faculty of Technical Sciences Čačak, University of Kragujevac. Feats of Strength And I believe that technology, if used as proper means to worthy ends, has the potential for increasing the productivity of our enterprise. The new media will provide a variety of new educational roles for both the teacher and supportive personnel. This, they foresee, will lead to increased specialization within the profession as we know it now and to the appearance of auxiliary positions in the school tables of organization. Some of these projected roles (planner, scriptwriter, etc.) will be ancillary to the more basic job of instruction, while others are likely to become separate jobs in and of themselves. Selden, D., & Bhaerman, R. D. (1969). Instructional Technology and the Teaching Profession. QuEST Paper Series,# 6. The findings indicated that the teachers, administrators and parents had a positive attitude towards the use of technology. The vast majority of teachers, administrators and parents indicated that technology affects the enhancement of contemporary teaching and it should be used by teachers in all subjects. They also added that the integration of technology into learning processes raises students’ motivation and interest in the subject. Similarly, many researchers expressed that integrating technology into learning process increased motivation and the length of attention. Kryeziu, S. A., Avdiu, T. A., & Avdiu, A. (2021). Examining the Teachers, Administrators and Parents’ View on Drawbacks of Technology Use in Education. Ilkogretim Online, 20(2). Students are in the focus of the teaching process (figure 1), and various forms of interactivity are incorporated into teaching: the structure of the learning environment is adjusted to suit the students’ needs the teaching process is focused on the students students are encouraged not only to receive information, but also to do research as much as possible, to think critically about, to work independently or as a team both teachers and students are encouraged to be the members of the team that collaborate in the teaching and learning process. Nikolic, M., Paunovic, L., & Gojgic, N. (2024). Educational Technology–Benefits and Drawbacks in Enhancing Knowledge Acquisition Efficiency. In 10th International Scientific Conference Technics, Informatics and Education-TIE 2024. Faculty of Technical Sciences Čačak, University of Kragujevac. Festivus Miracles There is no doubt that this technology will have a definite role in future instructional strategies. There does not seem to be much agreement concerning the costs of computer assisted instruction. Part of the reason is that some writers look at present technology and others think in terms of what will be possible in the future. Also, there is some disagreement over what the computer would be asked to do. If it were a full-scale tutorial program, it would be much more expensive than a simple drill device. Kiesling, H. J. (1970). On the Economic Analysis of Educational Technology. Suppose that you want to increase quality by providing more books and learning materials. The cost of schooling will go up which may mean that it can be offered to fewer people so access goes down. Our general point is that if you try to improve one side of this triangle your action usually changes the other two sides in undesirable ways. For this reason we refer to it as the iron triangle. It has been a straitjacket on the expansion of education throughout history. The revolutionary feature of educational technology in general – and of open and distance learning and ICTs in particular – is that it can break open the iron triangle. You can increase access, improve quality and cut costs – all at the same time. This is because of the economies of scale and consistency of quality that come with using media. That is the big miracle. Daniel, J., West, P., & Mackintosh, W. (2007). Exploring the role of ICTs in addressing educational needs: Identifying the myths and the miracles. South African Journal of Higher Education, 21(6), 632-642. Word of the Podcast Festivus Question of the Podcast How can we ensure edtech resourcings helps improve education? Phrase of the Podcast Before you roll out… & AI slop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a95G2GzB3t0 You know I’ve come to find it hard To know exactly where you are You left me folded in the dark And now I’m seeing stars again #ednontech
