Maximum Overdive:

The Past, Present and

Future of
Human/Machine
Relations

Darren Elliott
Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Nagoya
JALTCALL 2016

Technology is
destroying (our)
humanity.

a sense of disquiet

As a teacher, what kind of

learner are you hoping to
develop?
What qualities do you hope
to foster in your students?

responsible

focused

critical
communicati

ve
motivated

social
confident

How does your use of

technology support
this?

technology is
empowering and
democratic

I am (not) a luddite?

packaging learning

$60 billion by 2018

(Waters, 2015)

learning
management
system
(emphasis authors own)

Reformers, more often than not,

were foundation executives,
educational administrators, and
wholesalers who saw solutions to
school problems in swift
technological advances.

Cuban, 1986

a dilemma

systemic problems

Little by little the subversive features

of the computer were eroded away
the computer was now used to
reinforce Schools ways. What had
started as a subversive instrument of
change was neutralised by the system
and converted into an instrument of
consolidation.
(Papert, 1993)

todays learners are

different

digital native /
digital learner

1. constitute a homogenous
group
learn differently
demand new ways of
learning
(Thomas, 2011)

digital wisdom

How do you think

todays learners are
different (if at all)?

How do we (as
teachers) respond
to those
differences?

If I adapt my
teaching to what I
think they are, am I
teaching them at
all?

digital vs. paper

The implicit feel of where you are in a

physical book turns out to be more
important than we realised
(Jabr, 2013)

Subconciously, many people may

think of reading on a computer or
tablet as a less serious affair than
reading on paper
(Jabr, 2013)

Screen time for younger children in

particular comes with a huge
opportunity cost, depriving them of
hands-on-learning, time outdoors and
face-to-face interactions with caring
adults.
(Hall, 2015)

Screen time for younger children in

particular comes with a huge
opportunity cost, depriving them of
hands-on-learning, time outdoors and
face-to-face interactions with caring
adults.
(Hall, 2015)

the tyranny of multitasking

We enjoy continual
connection but rarely have
each others full attention.
(Turkle, 2011)

..once we became tethered to

the network, we didnt really
need to keep computers busy.
They keep us busy. It is as
though we have become their
killer app.
(Turkle, 2011)

The main reason sleeps stock

has gone up, however, is that
very few people can actually
afford to sleep muchgetting
eight hours of rest has become
the ultimate status symbol.
(Mahdawi, 2016)

computer mediated
communication

freedom / willingness
to communicate

The Gyges effect the way that the internet can

encourage a disinhibition people simply would not
experience face to face is only part of the
explanation. Linked to that is the way the internet
allows us to shut down our sense of empathy. In a
nutshell, we are sending words through a screen,
and seeing words come back. No tone of voice,
facial expressions or body language. This makes it
easy not only to pretend there isn't a real,
emotional, possibly fragile human being at the
other end, but also to play down any emotional
reaction that they convey back as an
exaggeration or a lie.
(Hardaker, 2013)

suggestions

Use technology for

creative and
collaborative tasks output rather than
input.

Leave space in the

learners schedules
for focused work,
rest and reflection.

Use tools and

hardware as
necessary for
specific tasks,
rather than all
encompassing
systems.

Allow learners to
choose their own
tools (or none at
all).

Avoid impinging on
learners spaces. It is
intrusive, and blurs
lines between
learning and fun to
the detriment of
both.

www.livesofteachers.
com