The battle between the technofascists and the technophobes is really a battle over the platform for education's future. Clearly many agree the old brick and mortar platform needs expanding (if not replacing entirely) and technology is providing the ground for that expansion.
However, a principle challenge is the education-centered economy that is application driven. This driving force distracts attention from platform to application and therein lies our problem.
As an example, consider the iPhone as an innovative change within the technology arena. The iPhone didn't change cell phone design as much as it has changed the platform on which cell phones are now built and focused.
The same holds true for Twitter. Twitter is not producing more twitter-like applications but rather more platform-changing approaches to sharing information. Twitter is not creating merely a new application for gathering collective information as much as it is creating a new platform for collective action.
Until the education community bands together to embrace the new platform, the distracting skirmishes surrounding the myriads of applications appearing on the scene daily (ex: 70,000 iPhone apps to date) will continue to thwart the best intentions. In a way, the present economic crisis prevents us from throwing money at problems in hopes they will be fixed. Now we have to use our heads...collectively. (posted 8/12/09)
