** My Intellectual Flakes **

We are conducting interviews with faculty members regarding their experience with CMS and technology. Some of the interviews set me rethinking about some of the claims. One of them is that technology should be viewed as lever for change, not just use technology to support old ways of doing, so-called “old wine in the new bottle”. But I began to wonder: what’s wrong with using technology to support old ways of doing if it can make it more efficient or better.

This might be seen as different stages along the technology adoption process. Dwyer, Ringstaff & Sandholtz(1990) revealed five stages of technology integration:

1. 1. entry: get familiar with technology
   2. adoption: use technology to support old pedagogoy or practice
   3. adaptation: use technology as productivity tool
   4. appropriation: trying new instructional strategies
   5. invention: create new teaching strategy drastically different from the old ones

Some of the researchers tend to think that the invention stage should be all the teachers should aim to reach. But drastic change are more likely to meet resistence. Thus to set in motion the change process, we probably should let the teachers to start from the beginning phase of this technology adoption stages. Give them the leeway to stay wherever they are comfortable with. Change one bit at a time, instead of starting with this “reenginnering pedagogy” in mind. Pedagogy is tightly associated with one’s belief which indeed is very difficult to change.It takes time and persistent efforts.

Thus I am thinking when we are putting together the cases of good practice, probably we should include all types of cases at different phases of technology adoption. There ARE cases of effective use of technology just to support old ways of doing things.