Does Techology Make it Better?

This afternoon I was catching up on last night's Grey's Anatomy episode. In the event you aren't a fan, I'll spare you the details. However, one of the main subplots surrounded our Know-it-All Surgeon (KIA) in competition with an older Seasoned Surgeon. Essentially, Seasoned Surgeon was past her surgical prime and really needed to retire her scalpel.

What brought this all to a head was that the Seasoned Surgeon made a mistake. A mistake that KIA Surgeon surmised could have been avoided if she'd just used an arthroscopic technique. Arthroscopic techniques use lasers and small cameras inserted into the area of interest, rather than cutting you open. But Seasoned Surgeon was standing behind her surgical prowess - cutting the patient open. Arthroscopic techniques drastically reduce the healing time because they are far less intrusive than using a scalpel, and many surgeons will argue that the added technology allows you to be more precise.

That's the argument KIA Surgeon was making.
And then Seasoned Surgeon threw her a curve ball and asked her what would she do if she worked at a hospital that could not afford the technology.

KIA Surgeon was speechless. She had nothing.

Thankfully, most universities have the basics covered. Many classrooms have set ups that allow you to do show the PowerPoint slides we've slaved over, or at the very least have an overhead projector cart that we can wheel in to display our slides on.

But what if our classrooms didn't?
If we had to use the whiteboard (or chalkboard) what would you do?
How would it affect your class set up, your approach to the course content, your teaching?

The point is, I think that kind of situation would give all of us pause. We have been indoctrinated that the basic technological advances (since at one point, that's what they all were) are essential. Personally, I've given a few lectures (unintentionally) without "my slides" and it was rough. I was trying to simultaneously write on the board and read through my notes to ensure that I covered it all. My non-tech lectures were arguably effective, but perhaps not equally so.

KIA Surgeon came back at the end of the episode, equipped with a non-tech surgical approach. Seasoned Surgeon was impressed because KIA Surgeon was right. She had researched a non-tech approach that would have worked, AND illustrated that the technology would make the procedure easier. In some cases, better.

Would I make that same argument about my lecturing? Using PowerPoint (or any other technology) makes the learning situation easier for my students, but I wouldn't automatically infer it was better. Clearer? Yes. Organized? Yes? But better?

Maybe.
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