teleXbe 2021 - The role of technologies in education and new trajectories of blended learning

What are technologies? A set of artifacts and intentionality, of projects, actions and interactions whose purpose is to produce a transformation of the environment according to man. From this point of view, man does not adapt to the environment but modifies it through technology to make it functional. Technology responds precisely to this primary human desire to transform the environment and adapt it to their goals. The "goodness", that is, the quality of the technology, depends on the use made of it. In general, technology is a substantially inert medium: the internet and technologies can be used to trade weapons or to start a training course for support. By itself, therefore, technology does not have a positive or negative connatation it is the way in which it is used that determines its effectiveness. Many of the ideological battles around technologies are projections of our fears and doubts, polarizations that make no sense because, especially when it comes to the educational context, it is shared knowledge that assessments must be made on the basis of empirical evidence, facts and science, not ideological presuppositions; otherwise, it hurts the school and our children, and it betrays the teacher's task. Instead, it is necessary to overcome ideological polarizations and try to understand what a new technology can offer to schools.