{"id":1598,"date":"2011-01-04T09:30:32","date_gmt":"2011-01-04T13:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edutechdebate.org\/?p=1598"},"modified":"2012-09-27T10:37:25","modified_gmt":"2012-09-27T14:37:25","slug":"are-ict-investments-in-schools-an-education-revolution-or-fools-errand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edutechdebate.org\/ict-in-schools\/are-ict-investments-in-schools-an-education-revolution-or-fools-errand\/","title":{"rendered":"Are ICT investments in schools an education revolution or fool’s errand?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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From the time of Plato, educators have struggled with the acquisition of knowledge, seeking it to be understood by the learner versus just assimilated as dogma. And since Plato’s time, educational technology – from the written word to the printed book to the chalkboard – has been hailed as the solution to this challenge. Each successive technology had impact, though often not the type or scale that the introducer hoped. <\/p>\n

Now we come to the digital age, where electronic information and communication technologies (ICT) are the newest promise to empower learners to understand and interact with society. Radio, TV, and now computers and the Internet are profoundly changing civilization, as we know it. Can they have the same impact on education?<\/p>\n

Will investments in ICT create a revolution in education, as The Children’s Machine predicts<\/a>, where the learner is central and knowledge is created and understood with guidance from fellow learners and adult facilitators? Or is ICT in education really a fools’ errand, yet another fad that will waste resources, create Flickering Minds<\/a>, and leave educational systems no better than before?<\/p>\n

This month’s Educational Technology Debate on ICT investment in schools and education will feature the following five discussants giving their regarded opinion on this issue:<\/p>\n