Learning first, technology second

I know it's been said many times before, but it's worth saying again. Learning should always come before technology.

Let me elaborate. Many teachers welcome the idea of bringing new technology into the classroom. They see it as a means to engage learners, and as a way of making connections between school curricula and familiar territory. Ideas range from games based learning, to the use of social media and networking, to simpler approaches such as the use of digital cameras in art or data logging in science. In mathematics, I have seen interactive whiteboards used very effectively to teach number bonds and floor robots can be used successfully to teach geometry and algorithms. Blogging can be used to engage children in creative writing, while making videos is excellent for problem solving and collaborative work. There is nothing wrong with any of these approaches, provided they don't get in the way of good pedagogy.

But that is the problem. Sometimes, the technology does get in the way of learning and teaching.

Let me give you an example:

Many schools, colleges and universities have by now implemented a managed learning environment (MLE) sometimes referred to as a virtual learning environment (VLE) or Learning Management System (LMS). In fact, many institutions are in their second, or even third iteration of their centralised delivery system. Such tools are in fact large and complex networked systems, and are very expensive to buy if they are proprietary, and very time and labour intense if they are open source. They are complicated to install, take a lot of time and effort to populate with content, and the user interfaces often leave a lot to be desired.

Teaching staff don't like MLEs because a whole new set of skills are needed, and it takes time to generate content and maintain the system. Students don't like them because they are impersonal, not easy to navigate, and are a pale comparison of their weapons of choice - social networking services such as Facebook. The main problem with most MLEs is that they are so complex to use, students often spend more time and cognitive energy working out how to get to the content, than they do actually learning. The technology, designed to make learning easier, actually ends up making it more difficult. It gets in the way of learning instead of facilitating it.

Design issues are not the only problems.

You need to ask yourself why your school is purchasing one iPad for every child, or why you are buying an e-portfolio licence for every student in your university. Is it because everyone else seems to be doing it? Is it because you have been promised astounding, ground breaking results by the sales team? Is it because you are afraid of being left behind in the 'digital revolution'? Or is it because you have actually sat down and worked out what problems technology will solve, and how pedagogy will be enhanced by its introduction? Are your staff on board with this idea? Is your school community ready to adopt new practices or will they resist? Many organisations open up a large can of worms if they don't think through their digital strategy before buying into new technology.

If you forget everything else, remember this: Don't let technology get in the way of good teaching and learning. If you believe technology can be used to engage students, to enhance or extend learning, or to enrich the life of your community of practice, then go for it. However, if you can't see any way technology can do any of these things, then close the catalogue. Leave the store. Walk away. There is nothing for you to see here.

'Pedagogy is the driver, technology is the accelerator' - Michael Fullan

Photo from Tulane Public Relations on Wikimedia Commons


Learning first, technology second by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.