Education Commons^™

Defining Technology For Learning: Cognitive And Physical Tools Of Inquiry, Connor K. Warner, Clare V. Bell, Arthur Louis Odom

Middle Grades Review

This essay explores definitions of technology and educational technology. The authors argue the following points: 1. Educational stakeholders, and the public at large, use the term technology as though it has a universally agreed upon definition. It does not, and how technology is defined matters. 2. For technology in schools to support student learning, it must to be defined in a way that describes technology as a tool for problem-solving. 3. Integration of technology, particularly when paired with teacher-centered practices, has the potential of reinforcing and heightening the negative consequences of a conception of learning that positions students as recipients …