The Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Dehumanizes”
by George Couros • • 0 Comments
For ISTE 2014 in Atlanta, I will be presenting on the “Myths of Technology and Learning”. As I am really thinking about what I will be sharing at the conference, I wanted to write a series of blog posts that will help myself and others “rethink” some of these statements or arguments that you hear in relation to technology in school. I will be writing a series of blog posts on different myths, and will be posting them on this page. I hope to generate discussion on these topics to further my own learning in this area and appreciate any comments you have on each idea shared.
“As the Internet has become more central in our lives, we have begun to witness a revival of the importance of being human.” Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant
One of my favourite books that I have read in the past few years was called “Humanize”, and it really helped me to think of technology in a much different way than I had in the past. As an assistant principal years ago, I remember actually arguing against the use of technology because of the way that I had seen it used. Students would often go to a lab, which became an event, and teachers would often have students interact with websites or programs, instead of people. I watched kids focused on a screen and losing connections with one another. If I continuously talked about the importance of relationships in schools, it didn’t make much senses to talk about technology this way.
When I became a principal however, Twitter started becoming all the rage amongst educators, although I never really understood it. Once I started connecting and sharing with real people, I was hooked. Not only were these people brilliant educators, but they were great people that I connected with. I learned not about their philosophies and thoughts on education, but about their families, their likes, their interests, and who they were as people. I don’t come back to The Myths of Technology Series: “Technology Dehumanizes” | Connected Principals: