Lesson 3 - Implementing Online Learning

5.1. Defining Media and Technology

Philosophers and scientists have argued about the nature of media and technologies over a very long period. The distinction is challenging because, in everyday language use, we tend to use these two terms interchangeably. For instance, television is often referred to as both a medium and technology. Is the Internet a medium or a technology? And does it matter?

I will argue that there are differences, and it does matter to distinguish between media and technology, especially if we are looking for guidelines on when and how to use them. There is a danger, particularly in education, in looking too much at the raw technology, and not enough at the personal, social, and cultural contexts in which we use technology. The terms ‘media’ and ‘technology’ represent different ways altogether of thinking about the choice and use of technology in teaching and learning.