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25 Years of Ed Tech
In this lively and approachable volume based on his popular blog series, Martin Weller demonstrates a rich history of innovation and effective implementation of ed tech across higher education. From Bulletin Board Systems to blockchain, Weller follows the trajectory of education by focusing each chapter on a technology, theory, or concept that has influenced each year since 1994. Calling for both caution and enthusiasm, Weller advocates for a critical and research-based approach to new technologies, particularly in light of disinformation, the impact of social media on politics, and data surveillance trends. A concise and necessary retrospective, this book will be valuable to educators, ed tech practitioners, and higher education administrators, as well as students.
- GenresEducation
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 7, 2021
An important read by Martin Weller for anyone in education. Often we look for silver bullets to solve our problems in any industry and Martin gives us a look back over 25 years of time.
January 19, 2025
25 years of Ed Tech.
I wish the book was more specific. But I love how comprehensive the history of ed tech in this book is described.
Here are some notes I have taken while reading this book:
- In Ed tech, the tech part of the phrase walks taller. Most of the innovations are technologies. Sometimes these are underpinned with strong accompanying educational frameworks, such as the original CMOOC, but also there are cases of a technology seeking an application, as seen with blockchain.
- A set of ed tech developments 25 years from now may be better balanced with conceptual frameworks, pedagogies, and social movements.
- The possibility (even inevitability) of negative social consequences is not necessarily a reason to refuse to engage with any technology.
- Algorithms shape behavior, and in the seeds of each technology lies the posisbility for future dystopian outcomes (deepfake). The weaponization of echnology by misogynists is predictable, expected, and knowable. Technology is not neutral.
- ** Although technology has been the dominant force in ed tech, its prevalence in society now means that the educational component needs to come to the fore.
- Ideas in ed tech recurring, sometimes with increasing success in their adoption (eg learning objetcs -> OER -> open textbooks). Partly this is a result of historical amnesia. If there is no shared history, then there is a tendency, seen repeatedly over these 25 years, for ideas to be rediscovered. ** A consequence is that it sees every development as operating in isolation instead of building on the theoretical, financial, and administrative research of previous work. (published papers rarely cross over and reference work from other communities). This is reinforced by the commercial pressures of ed tech start-ups to position themselves as revolutionary and ground-breaking, and particularly "disruptive" as this promises a sector-wide monopoly.**
- For those proposing a new idea, there is a need to understand why previous attempts failed and to learn from that experience. This is not to suggest that all ideas will inevitably succeed; some of the claims made for AI are as far-fetched (and as undesirable) now as thery were in the 1980s.
- Technology outside of education has consistently been co-opted for educational purposes. (Blogs - ideal educational technology, blockchain - something of the air of a technology in search of an educational application). The convenience of the third-party choice is heavily compromised by it not being a technology designed specifically for educational purposes.
- The technologies that are most widely adopted and deeply embedded in higher education insitutions tend to correlate closely with core university functions, which are broadly categorized as content, delivery, and recognition (Agarwal, 2016). Eg OER, LMS, e-portfolios are widely deployed, and these types of technology relate very closely to these core functions. They are also technologies designed specifically for education, even if the roots can be found in other technologies.
- Generally, only those technologies that directly offer an improved, or alternative, means of addressing the core functions of education achieve wide-spread adoption.
- Ed tech, is operating in a fundamentally different context to other tech companies, and this is perfectly valid and appropriate. Ed tech is not a game for the impatient. (High pressure, rapid institutional transformation often seen in tech companies is disruptive (in its original sense) and harmful to the functioning of a university. Universities's very function is based on their longevity and adherence to core principles rather than rapid changes and then obsolescence).
- Disruption is simply not a very useful theory theory to apply to the education sector. One of the defining characteristics of higher education is its longevity, while disruption theory relies on the destruction of a sector.
- Ed tech vendors will often use powerfl but largely meaningless and discredited theories, such as disruption, digital natives, and learning styles. These theories can be effective in creating a narrative of a need for urgent change, underwritten by the Darwinian survival ethos. However, an analysis of these motivating factors usually undermines their authority. There is a distinct need for educational technologists to be in the room for such pitches, then, and to have an appreciation of both the possible benefits of any technology and the limitations of the associated promises and threats.
- The absence of the human impact in much of the discourse around disruption leads to the theme arising from analysis of the past 25 years, which can be thought of as the role of people in ed tech. There are 2 distinct ideologies: those that help the educator or those that replace them. Technogies such as wikis, OER, CMC, Blogs and even Second Life have, as their primary aim to find technology that can enhance education, either for a new set of learners, to realize new approaches, or sometimes, just to experiment. Other approaches are oftentimes framed in terms of removing human educators in a bid for improved efficiency and scale: AI, learning analytics, or MOOC. This is is not ubiquitous across their associated literature; for ef, learning analytics can be used to help human educators better support learners. But often the hupe and associated interest is around the large-scale implementation of automated learning.
- A prohibitive factor for ed tech adoption is the return on effort. If an educational technology requires excessive effor for low perceived reward, then it will usually fail, or at least require another iteration to be successful. This is the case even if the long-term goal would be beneficial; educators operate in a time-constrained present and need an identifiable benefit. This return on investment paradox is one area where funding from national agencies can be useful in overcoming the initial impets required to reach a level where the benefits can be identified.
- Ed tech exists as part of a socio-cultural system that is decidedly human. For example, many of the requirements for the successful implementation of e-portofolios and digital badges are not related to the technology, but rather to how people will recognize, use, and ultimately, require them.
I wish the book was more specific. But I love how comprehensive the history of ed tech in this book is described.
Here are some notes I have taken while reading this book:
- In Ed tech, the tech part of the phrase walks taller. Most of the innovations are technologies. Sometimes these are underpinned with strong accompanying educational frameworks, such as the original CMOOC, but also there are cases of a technology seeking an application, as seen with blockchain.
- A set of ed tech developments 25 years from now may be better balanced with conceptual frameworks, pedagogies, and social movements.
- The possibility (even inevitability) of negative social consequences is not necessarily a reason to refuse to engage with any technology.
- Algorithms shape behavior, and in the seeds of each technology lies the posisbility for future dystopian outcomes (deepfake). The weaponization of echnology by misogynists is predictable, expected, and knowable. Technology is not neutral.
- ** Although technology has been the dominant force in ed tech, its prevalence in society now means that the educational component needs to come to the fore.
- Ideas in ed tech recurring, sometimes with increasing success in their adoption (eg learning objetcs -> OER -> open textbooks). Partly this is a result of historical amnesia. If there is no shared history, then there is a tendency, seen repeatedly over these 25 years, for ideas to be rediscovered. ** A consequence is that it sees every development as operating in isolation instead of building on the theoretical, financial, and administrative research of previous work. (published papers rarely cross over and reference work from other communities). This is reinforced by the commercial pressures of ed tech start-ups to position themselves as revolutionary and ground-breaking, and particularly "disruptive" as this promises a sector-wide monopoly.**
- For those proposing a new idea, there is a need to understand why previous attempts failed and to learn from that experience. This is not to suggest that all ideas will inevitably succeed; some of the claims made for AI are as far-fetched (and as undesirable) now as thery were in the 1980s.
- Technology outside of education has consistently been co-opted for educational purposes. (Blogs - ideal educational technology, blockchain - something of the air of a technology in search of an educational application). The convenience of the third-party choice is heavily compromised by it not being a technology designed specifically for educational purposes.
- The technologies that are most widely adopted and deeply embedded in higher education insitutions tend to correlate closely with core university functions, which are broadly categorized as content, delivery, and recognition (Agarwal, 2016). Eg OER, LMS, e-portfolios are widely deployed, and these types of technology relate very closely to these core functions. They are also technologies designed specifically for education, even if the roots can be found in other technologies.
- Generally, only those technologies that directly offer an improved, or alternative, means of addressing the core functions of education achieve wide-spread adoption.
- Ed tech, is operating in a fundamentally different context to other tech companies, and this is perfectly valid and appropriate. Ed tech is not a game for the impatient. (High pressure, rapid institutional transformation often seen in tech companies is disruptive (in its original sense) and harmful to the functioning of a university. Universities's very function is based on their longevity and adherence to core principles rather than rapid changes and then obsolescence).
- Disruption is simply not a very useful theory theory to apply to the education sector. One of the defining characteristics of higher education is its longevity, while disruption theory relies on the destruction of a sector.
- Ed tech vendors will often use powerfl but largely meaningless and discredited theories, such as disruption, digital natives, and learning styles. These theories can be effective in creating a narrative of a need for urgent change, underwritten by the Darwinian survival ethos. However, an analysis of these motivating factors usually undermines their authority. There is a distinct need for educational technologists to be in the room for such pitches, then, and to have an appreciation of both the possible benefits of any technology and the limitations of the associated promises and threats.
- The absence of the human impact in much of the discourse around disruption leads to the theme arising from analysis of the past 25 years, which can be thought of as the role of people in ed tech. There are 2 distinct ideologies: those that help the educator or those that replace them. Technogies such as wikis, OER, CMC, Blogs and even Second Life have, as their primary aim to find technology that can enhance education, either for a new set of learners, to realize new approaches, or sometimes, just to experiment. Other approaches are oftentimes framed in terms of removing human educators in a bid for improved efficiency and scale: AI, learning analytics, or MOOC. This is is not ubiquitous across their associated literature; for ef, learning analytics can be used to help human educators better support learners. But often the hupe and associated interest is around the large-scale implementation of automated learning.
- A prohibitive factor for ed tech adoption is the return on effort. If an educational technology requires excessive effor for low perceived reward, then it will usually fail, or at least require another iteration to be successful. This is the case even if the long-term goal would be beneficial; educators operate in a time-constrained present and need an identifiable benefit. This return on investment paradox is one area where funding from national agencies can be useful in overcoming the initial impets required to reach a level where the benefits can be identified.
- Ed tech exists as part of a socio-cultural system that is decidedly human. For example, many of the requirements for the successful implementation of e-portofolios and digital badges are not related to the technology, but rather to how people will recognize, use, and ultimately, require them.
Read
December 17, 202125 Years of Education was an amazing journey through the years of technology. Martin Weller paints a clear, accessible, and visual timeline of which technology was relevant from the years 1994 to 2018. He doesn't skip a beat and gives his full opinion backed by facts and experience. His words are easy, upbeat, and informative. The book is a great way to further understand the history of educational technology and why we are where we are today. I 100 percent recommend the read especially if you are a teacher in the 21st century. Because of the organization of the book, it is easy to skip around chapters and read at your own pace and style.
March 2, 2020
An informed, fair and balanced look at the last 25 years of educational technology, this book looks at one technology or idea per year exploring why they were seen as important, and what their impacts were. As someone who was either studying in higher education, or working in learning technology throughout much of that period, I found it very interesting. While the book is split into a lot of chapters, themes that come up repeatedly give the book internal coherance, and remind us that understanding the history of educational technology is helpful to making wise decisions today.
April 28, 2021
Great overview of the past 25 years of Edtech. I wish some more specifics were covered (specific platforms, especially defunct ones like Google Wave and other very specific Web 2.0 ones that are no longer around), but this was a good survey of the field.
September 16, 2023
I needed to read this book for a course I was taking. I thought it was very interesting, and the way Weller discusses the history of ed tech over the years was thought-provoking and a good reminder of how long ed tech has existed.
April 2, 2020
A great book for an introduction - or a refresher - about the stakes of learning technologies over the last 25 years.
December 21, 2020
An excellent overview of 25 EdTech themes over the past 25 years. I’d strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Educational Technology, but relatively new to the field.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews