My perspective of teaching in the digital era has been hugely influenced by the work of Don Tapscott. He values technology because of its transformative power rather than the novelty factor. As society becomes increasingly networked, traditional barriers to participation are torn done. Direct participation in government, the economy and even in education becomes easier to achieve due to tech advances which will hopefully ignite a participatory spirit in our students.
In this documentary trailer, one of the speakers offers this profound quote,
” Revolution doesn’t happen when society adopts new tools, it happens when people adopt new behaviours.”
Technology is the tool to bring on these new behaviours for our students. It is the ultimate tool of engagement.