The pros and cons of technology

Last year, I read an article written by Marc Prensky about digital natives versus digital immigrants. I thought the ideas were really rich and it definitely grabbed my attention; I was firmly in the 'immigrant' camp but realised I had to get with it and start to experiment with different forms of digital technology. The main stumbling block for me is lack of confidence (in terms of technology my default position is that I don't understand) but actually this is a bit of a cop-out; one thing the e-teaching course has taught me is that with a certain level of self-belief and some guidance, all-things-technology are open to me too. So, how can technology enhance or inhibit learning? Through doing the e-teaching course, I've realised that the opportunities for learning can be significantly enhanced through the use of different forms of media; for example, everyone has a mobile phone meaning that learning opportunities can effectively be 'carried around' and accessed at any time. Personally, I've been using a twitter account to follow teachers, trainers and other practitioners whose ideas I really like; this has enabled me to reflect on ideas and adjust my learning accordingly. I don't always agree with everything but the fact that I can access ideas that otherwise might be denied me (or be too time-consuming for me to bother with) is great! It's almost no effort and this really appeals to me. Facebook can be used to communicate ideas with lots of people in many different places all around the world simultaneously - the opportunities for learning that this creates is 10-fold! Learning becomes global. Podcasting is another resource I've made more use of in recent months primarily to develop a course with a colleague at one of our consortium partners. This was a real revelation for me and so easy to use! Again this allows ideas to be shared and cascaded creating opportunities for learning that otherwise might not exist. At the college where we work, we use interactive whiteboards a lot; the tools available through the software allow students to engage with the learning and see information presented visually - in my view, they really like this because they are involved in creating the learning. So, for me, these are the advantages. On the flipside, I do think that are some problems which need to be considered, for example, not all students have access to technology, which can reduce their potential for learning and be exclusive rather than inclusive. I understand those learners who suffer from technophobia (being a sufferer myself!) and the limiting power this can have on one's ability to engage with technology. Finally, I think that technology can be gimmicky ie what does it really contribute to learning? Do teachers use tools just for sake of using them? I think that technology it needs to be used meaningfully and in a way that contributes to learning. Taking all things into consideration, I think that the use of technology should be embraced.