1. What are my personal thoughts on the relationship between technologies and educational reform? (For example, is technology itself a cause of reform or an instrument used to encourage reform?)
I would say that technology is an instrument to encourage reform. As we always keep coming back to - technology has it's place, but that place must be carefully chosen to make it effective. Educational reform appears to be a well-informed, considered process (you might say slow) and so so much led by knee-yerk reactions like the ones we have seen in Noble's article. The fear of being left behind doesn't really seem to be an over-riding concern in education, some would say that they are already behind and as such we have seen studies written about the need to support the Digital Native.
I would say that technology is an instrument to encourage reform. As we always keep coming back to - technology has it's place, but that place must be carefully chosen to make it effective. Educational reform appears to be a well-informed, considered process (you might say slow) and so so much led by knee-yerk reactions like the ones we have seen in Noble's article. The fear of being left behind doesn't really seem to be an over-riding concern in education, some would say that they are already behind and as such we have seen studies written about the need to support the Digital Native.
2. What influence do I think the producers and developers of technologies and services have on university decisions about introducing new technologies?
As I don't work in a university environment it's difficult for me to give an informed view but here's a nice subjective view:
Educationalists by their very nature are thinkers, and they like to give due consideration before diving in - do a study over a number of years, read some articles, ask why?.
'Peddlers' from the business world will tell you that if you're not doing it 'this way' then you are doing it wrong - black and white, no room for negotiation, but they have a product to sell, or some other vested interest such as raising their profile.
Do technologies influence decisions? I think the answer has to be yes, but how much they influence change appears to be less clear.
As I don't work in a university environment it's difficult for me to give an informed view but here's a nice subjective view:
Educationalists by their very nature are thinkers, and they like to give due consideration before diving in - do a study over a number of years, read some articles, ask why?.
'Peddlers' from the business world will tell you that if you're not doing it 'this way' then you are doing it wrong - black and white, no room for negotiation, but they have a product to sell, or some other vested interest such as raising their profile.
Do technologies influence decisions? I think the answer has to be yes, but how much they influence change appears to be less clear.
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