Innovative technologies and professional paths

Abstract

From Facebook to pharmaceuticals, innovative technology is today shaping our lives in critical ways. To what extent is technology transforming our pedagogical practice as we appropriate it to our own ends in navigating our professional paths, and more importantly, our students’ learning, which is, after all, the ultimate goal? It is hard not to be swept away by the strong currents of technological innovation that more and more teaching and learning aids for the classroom present. While technologies themselves do not imply a particular teaching method, or even a “better” method, they can, depending on the sociocultural context, be used for a variety of pedagogical purposes. The “rules of the game” in different contexts often influence the ways in which individuals perceive the utility of a technology and the ways in which they use it. Success stories abound about the capabilities of new technologies for opening up untapped possibilities and creating new opportunities for more democratic and self-directed learning. There are also narratives of the conflictive impact of technologies and of implementation issues, which can form barriers to educational reform. Issues relating to technology acceptance present insights into challenges that may have to be managed realistically and sensitively in each context of use. They bring to the fore the need to constantly re-think our pedagogy and keep an open mind to new modalities for staying relevant in the profession. (Abstract taken from first paragraph of document)