Running Head: FUTURE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1

Essay Proposal DRAFT: What Does the Future Hold for Educational Technology?

Doug Smith

ETEC511

FUTURE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 2

1. Topic: What does the future hold for Educational Technology?

2. Theme and Argument:

a) thesis: Applied Educational Technology will be the future of education. The ecology

analogy as model doesn’t tell us the future. But historical and global ecological trends tell

us tech is expanding. With copyright pressures not expected to ease, along with economic

shifts, will ensure the expansion of educational technologies.

b) background: a synthesis of foundational ideas in the history, ethics, economics and

ecology of ET leads to a futuristic viewpoint on where ET is heading

3. Primary and Secondary sources for insight into the topic

a) Issues to be addressed

The effect of IP and copyright on educational materials

the nature of the internet and what it means to ET

the growth of the internet

the spreading of computer technology and the culture that is growing with it

economics involved (haven’t studied/learned this yet)

b) Literature to be Consulted

Primary Sources: (Kim, 2006; McLuhan, 2001; Solum, 2005; Zhao & Frank, 2003)

Secondary Sources: (Frielick, 2004; Garrison & Anderson, 2003; Zhao, 2007)

Data trends on computer use (Zhao, 2007) and other data sources I hope

4. Provisional conclusions drawn from the argument & issues or data

The very nature of the internet dictates that it will dominate the dissemination of

information

The stakeholders in private enterprise in education will lose their grip as copyrights

and IP are challenged by the availability of free or open source materials

Computer growth is growing, perhaps exponentially when mobile devices are

considered

There is no foreseeable opposition/competition to internet/computer growth

5. Structure / sections of the paper

Introduction

Historical Context

Democratization of Education (removal of corporate control)

IT Growth

Obstacles

Conclusion

FUTURE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 3

References

Frielick, S. (2004). Beyond constructivism: An ecological approach to e-learning. Proceedings of

the 21st ASCILITE Conference.

Garrison, D. R., & Anderson, T. (2003). E-learning in the 21st century: a framework for

research and practice. Routledge.

Kim, S. (2006). Capitorgs and free/libre and open source software (FLOSS): Toward critical

technological literacy and free/libre and open source society (FLOSS). Educational

Insights, 10(2), 6-16.

McLuhan, M. (2001). The Medium is the Message. Media and cultural studies: keyworks (pp.

107-116). Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from

http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=umYwLkFOR0IC&oi=fnd&pg=PA107&dq

=mcluhan+the+medium+is+the+message&ots=zvyi0NVrgy&sig=RWGxrGceJXbH3Z1

GgLtRtac1y7g#v=onepage&q=mcluhan%20the%20medium%20is%20the%20message&

f=false)

Solum, L. B. (2005). The Future of Copyright. Texas Law Review, 83(4), 1137-1172.

Zhao, Y. (2007). Digital Citizenship in a Global Economy: The Internet Revolution and Its

Implications for Education. Boston, MA. Retrieved from

http://novemberlearning.com/dr-yong-zhao-blc07-keynote/%20

Zhao, Y., & Frank, K. A. (2003). Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools: An Ecological

Perspective. American Educational Research Journal, 40(4), 807-840.

doi:10.3102/00028312040004807