by Bill Ferster, Times Higher Ed
Efforts to enhance education with technology did not begin with the digital age. In reality, educational technology has enjoyed a much longer history, arguably starting in the 15th century with the introduction of horn-covered textbooks, as University of Virginia academic and former technology entrepreneur Bill Ferster argues. The overriding thesis is simple: learning is paramount, and technologies are tools that can support it. Via a series of historical narratives, lucid cultural insights and keen exploration of major theoretical perspectives, Ferster attempts to determine just how effective technology has been in supporting and enhancing learning. His view, as he sums up in the final page, is that “Teaching machines can be only as effective as the pedagogical methods they employ…and how they stay focused on the learner”. And he clearly believes that insights into the educational technology of the future can be found by looking at its past.
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