How does the history of education and educational technology impact what we do when we teach with technology today?

The history of  Western education lies in making citizens ready for the workplace and much of the knowledge that was taught in the past was focused on skills demanded by employers.  Now, with the possibilities of upgrading and furthering ones education, the focus has shifted to looking towards the future.  No longer is one set of skills or knowledge enough to secure a lifelong career.  Students, who will become employees, are expected to be able to use and understand the newest technologies or at least be willing to expand their knowledge.  This new frontier has changed the way that many educators function.  Technology is quickly becoming a necessary addition to the classroom (at all levels) rather than an option.  Adhering to the tried and true teachings of rote memorization and mimicking is no longer sufficient, one must be willing to embrace the future. Both Bates and Watters touched on the  tension that remains between the old and the new, which is not new, but is becoming more pronounced as technology seeps into all aspects of life.  Those that do not change will eventually be phased out, they will have to be.

 

How do Bates and Watters differ?

Bates focused on the inclusion of technology in education at the post-secondary levels and beyond, providing explanations of the different ways that this change may manifest.  Sustainability and the continuing growth of education with the inclusion of technology rather merely jumping to the newest technology without keeping what does not need to be replaced.  Watters focused on the ebb and flow of technology in the education system, emphasizing the development and company rather than the impacts that they made on the education system as a whole, how the technology was made to replace teachers, rather than serve as tools.