It is indispensable for us socially committed educators to conceive technology as a transformer of society, workplace and education. Students and teachers now face the challenge of developing their computer literacy which implies a change in their labor process: learning and teaching through ICT’s stand as a challenge to more conventional ways of education.
However, we should contest the alleged revolution of technology on education and life. We should be aware and raise awareness of the potential perpetuation of cultural and economic inequities in society that technological advances bring about despite their promises of a fairer world. Technology has perversely been sold as the savor of economy and education.
Very similar to the English as a universal language phenomenon, or agenda?, in which students and citizens are pushed by government agencies, private corporations, and an explicable massive hysteria (or mass hypnosis) to be literate in English. Despite ambitious programs like PNB, the imposed teaching of English has created inequalities, or made the existent ones wider, in our society since the access to learning English remains a privilege for a few who are economically advantaged.
Economy rules in the teaching of English and the implementation of ICT’s in the classroom. The economic interests of powerful groups are imposed to education, and policy-makers and political leaders are their henchmen. Apple calls for a critical attitude towards the role of ICT’s in the classroom. We must consider political, economic and ethical implications of taking the locomotive of technological industry (una de las locomotoras del presente gobierno colombiano que jalonará el progreso y la prosperidad democrática). We must ask: whose idea of progress? Progress for what? Who benefits?.
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