Lesson 12 - Emerging Technologies

5.2. Lessons to be Learned from the Use of Emerging Technologies

New technology developments show no sign of slowing down. Over time, other new technologies will emerge beside the three technologies discussed in this section. Educators will continue to be challenged to incorporate these new technologies as they emerge. In responding to this challenge, the following needs to be considered:

1. New technologies are not necessarily better than existing technologies for teaching. They may however offer new opportunities for teaching differently and may enable new or better learning outcomes, as well as improving on existing learning outcomes.
2. Old technologies rarely disappear completely as a result of popular new technologies. Older technologies become more focused and find a niche that they serve best.
3. Most educators will be best served by not jumping on the latest technology bandwagon, but should wait a couple of years for a particular technology to reach at least the Gartner ‘slope of enlightenment’ before experimenting with the new technology.
4. More important than the general characteristics of new technology is its design and application in education; in other words, how does it perform as an educational medium? Being a big success in the financial sector for instance does not mean technology will be automatically appropriate for education. Indeed, the technology may need to be heavily adapted or modified to be useful in the educational sector.
5. Given the rate of change and the number of new technologies entering the market, educators need a strong framework or set of criteria for selecting and evaluating technologies, not just emerging technologies but also existing technology.