New Technology and Learning: Accepting the Challenge

New Technology and Learning: Accepting the Challenge

New information and communications technology (ICT) is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives and is certainly now a major aspect of organizational life. As in all major areas of human activity, much has been claimed for the contribution ICT can or will have upon educational practice. In this chapter I would like to take a somewhat eclectic look at some of these claims as they relate to the characteristic features of new information and communications technology, and as they link with prevalent ideas about the way people learn, the management of learning, and the function of education. In particular I will examine how information and communications technology changes our capacity to represent and communicate information and, ultimately, construct knowledge. I will explore the impact this might have upon education and learning, and mention some of the concerns that have been raised about the effects of technology on the learning process. I will then go on to present an argument which suggests that as technology is of our own making and a material extension of our own processes, the way we come to adopt it in our educational practice is very much our own choice. Its potential and power as an educational tool provide a tremendous opportunity to extend our capacity for understanding and for learning. However, as in all educational endeavours, the ultimate impact upon learning will depend on the educational intentions and beliefs underpinning the decision to use technology. To this extent I will be looking at technology from the point of view of its ability and potentential to support dialogue in learning and critical reflection, both of which are assumed as key processes in management learning.

One of the most significant characteristics of information and communications technology is the capacity it gives to store, edit and retrieve information in an ever-increasing variety of ways and forms over unlimited spans of time and space. Because of this capacity it is possible to design sophisticated multimedia educational software which allows learners to access and interact with information in ways that were not previously possible. The same capacity allows learners to interact with others, be they other learners, teachers, mentors or whoever, and over whatever distance or time. Most importantly, however, whether it is in the form of multimedia programmes [Page 216]or computer-mediated communications systems, new technology, quintessentially, provides us with an entirely new cultural apparatus for both representation and memory.

It is this feature of information and communications technology which arguably makes it so significant from an education and learning perspective. Representation and memory are, in fact, key processes in education and the changes which new technology gives to both our capacities and our methods of representation and memorizing will inevitably impact upon education and training at all levels. In view of this, it is necessary that anyone responsible for education, in whatever capacity, needs to be aware of the potential of the new information and communication technologies to change the way we think about education and what we do in the name of education.

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