The Salomon article was an interesting read and basically discusses the importance of balancing technology and education. Indeed, there has been an influx of online learning strategies and techniques being utilized, but there is also concern about maintaining the primary focus of education. Education aims to provide knowledge, allow collaboration, and continue to grow our fundamental knowledge of particular topics.
Because of the many technologies that have been developed, some have lost sight of the importance of pedagogical approaches to learning. Salomon mentions failed approaches such as the one in Los Angeles, where a $1.3 billion iPad initiative resulted in poor usage and did not support education as was hoped. The article argues that this occurred because of the lack of proper implementation or pedagogical techniques to ensure proper use and practice. While technology is expected to change education, unlike other subject areas, education is not responding well to those advancements.
If we want to make the best of technology, we need to use it in innovative ways to approach learning. Salomon talks about technology alone not being able to transform education in a fundamental way, so we need to ponder and consider what will make a difference in learning. An idea implied within the article is that technology should be used through guided educational goals rather than being the primary factor leading educational practices (Salomon, 2016, p. 158).
Education should be at the center of all approaches to learning, and it is important to be intentional in the tools used to support that.
References
Salomon, G. (2016). It’s not just the tool but the educational rationale that counts. Educational Technology and Polycontextual Bridging, 149-161. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-645-
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