Page 34 - Education in a Digital World

Developing a Global Perspective 21

Conclusions
All of the above questions are associated with questions of power – i.e. matters
of who stands to gain most from educational technologies and in whose interests
they serve. These then are the questions and the issues that shall form the focus for
the remainder of this book. In pursuing these issues, we need to take a balanced
and realistic view of the promises and the practicalities of educational technology.
In other words, we must be mindful to develop an analysis that is neither overly
celebratory nor overly cynical. At best, it is likely that the ‘global story’ of educa-
tional technology will be one of uneven implementation and unintended con-
sequences. While associated undoubtedly with some substantial changes and shifts in
educational provision and practice around the world, digital technology is also likely
to reproduce, perpetuate, strengthen and deepen existing patterns of social relations
and structures – albeit in different forms and guises. In this respect, then, it is per-
haps best to approach educational technology as a ‘problem changer’ rather than a
‘problem solver’. At best we should therefore approach globalisation in a
transformationalist-inspired ‘moderately optimistic’ approach (Busch 2000).
We now need to take our moderately optimistic intentions forward into the
remainder of this book. This first chapter has established that educational technology
is a key element in broader political, economic, social, cultural and historical con-
texts. It has also established that there are a wide range of actors in the shaping and
implementation of educational technology around the world. These range from
individual learners and educators, through to national governments, multinational
corporations, supranational and intergovernmental organisations and all of the other
infrastructural elements of the worldwide political order. All of these issues point to
the complexity of the topic and task at hand. We should now therefore spend a
little more time developing a useful, usable and (above all) understandable working
framework for the remainder of this book. So how are we best advised to go about
asking the questions and exploring the issues raised so far? The next chapter will
now go on to develop the theoretical underpinnings of the book – both in terms of
theorising education and in terms of theorising technology.