I’m always intrigued by the idea of technological determinism, and the debates for/against in education circles. There are those who approach technology as a tool (“it’s about the teach, not the tech”) and those who approach technology from a more critical perspective, seeing it as an advocate for change, i.e., technology “does something”. Then, there are those who take a more balanced view, recognising that technology (and teaching!) are “wicked problems” and look at the bigger picture of technology, pedagogy and content within a context (see: TPACK).

So is it the teach, or the tech? Or the teach, the tech, and the thought?

In approaching technology as a “tool” alone, I’ve noticed that many who do so also blame the tech when something goes wrong (usually when they don’t have a backup plan!). A data projector stops working during a presentation, the computer network goes down, the electricity shuts off. That then causes them to abandon the activity all together.