Robots and Unicorns

Many believe we live in a brave new world where technology is removing barriers to education, connecting us with others and enabling us to live, work and learn more efficiently and effectively. But there is dissention in the ranks… the pace of technological change in our daily lives is far outstripping the pace of change in academic practices.

Are technologies simply clever means to righteous ends? Have we become so enchanted by the means that we have forgotten what the ends were? Were those particular ends meaningless anyway? Are we on a path to forgetting what it means to be human? What does it mean to be human?

There may appear to be a considerable disconnect between such questions and the day-to-day work of educators and learning technologists, making decisions about what tools to use, how to maintain the attention of distance learners. There are some exciting examples of online and blended learning design, some of which no doubt you will be engaging with at this event.

In this session, however, we will use as our starting point some of the educators (and educational theorists) who are pushing back against the onwards march of technology. We will explore their beliefs and their reasoning. Through this we may reveal innovative ways to blend the old with the new, and to benefit from the best of both.