The medium is not the message - technology's difficult relationship with teaching

CRN content editor Sam Trendall argues that the IT sector needs to recast the role that technology plays in the classroom

First coined by academic Marshall McLuhan in 1964, the idea that "the medium is the message" is deeply embedded in many aspects of modern life.

From politics to pop culture, how an idea is conveyed now invariably enjoys a mutually dependent relationship with the means and method of that conveyance. And if you doubt that this is so, then consider the fact that spin doctors exist.

But perhaps the idea has not served us well when it comes to using IT as a learning tool. For years both the technology and education sectors have talked up the huge impact that the effective use of computing could have on teaching and, more importantly, learning outcomes.

For all that talk, a recent study from the OECD claimed that widespread use of IT has no discernible impact on pupils' performance. Indeed, those frequently using computers reportedly fare "much worse" when it comes to reading, maths, and science.

Numerous people we spoke to for our spotlight feature on the topic in this week's issue of CRN opined that the problem is not that technology is being used, but rather that it is not being used well.

An interactive whiteboard may be a great way for teachers to get their message across - but it is not the message itself, and never will be. And all the tablets in the world cannot magically improve your knowledge of the periodic table, or Seamus Heaney, or algebra.

Technology has arguably been guilty of casting itself as the star of the classroom. But to best serve students and teachers, it really ought to play more of a supporting role.