Servatius, J. D. (2005). Commentary on “Educational Technologies and the Teaching of Ethics in Science and Engineering”. Science & Engineering Ethics, 11(3), 447-449.

She is not arguing with Loui but rather exlaining why ed tech seems an important topic for her. She raises and answers two additional questions:

“why do these technologies enhance learning and how can higher education faculty be supported in the appropriate uses of these technologies?”

Why? two things here: Production and communication. She says that ICT tools are not just for achieving the desired final product but rather a way of doing something. And pupils learn much during the process. The way they communicate via tech tools is close to a real life situation.

How? Good example about older generation: a professor misuses the PowerPoint presentation by filling it with text and lecturing anyway. “Just with the lights off”. “/…/ it is important that college administrators recognize this and support faculty members in their journeys to integrate instructional technologies, as Loui says “…not merely to duplicate conventional pedagogies, but to promote intellectual engagement.”

Loui, M. C. (2005). Educational Technologies and the Teaching of Ethics in Science and Engineering. Science And Engineering Ethics, 11(3), 435-446.

Main question: ed tech imposes costs (hard/software, licensing, support, training). Whether the benefits justify these costs is an unsettled question. All instructors should assess the effectiveness of their practices.

Term ‘ed tech’ is defined as ‘electronic information technologies that support education’. Including ed tech tools into teaching practice is not a binary yes/no decision. One should examine carefully which functions he needs and at which level. Three levels: limited (e-mail, course website), moderate (interactive, collaborative), extensive (immersive, constructive, simulations, sophisticated animations). The boundaries are not strict and they change over time. ‘What is considered limited today was state-of-the-art twenty years ago’

Five primary functions of ed tech:

– communication
– production of docs, and other artifacts
– distribution of these artifacts
– archiving class sessions
– access to special resources

Concerns: ed tech is accelerating and it is harder than ever to predict the costs which may bring the cost effectiveness down. Ethical issue: state-of-the-art tech cost serious money and can exclude poor people from the mainstream education.