In case you haven’t seen it yet, the July issue of Science Scope is themed around technology. We seem to think that technology means new cool tools, but I heard a social studies teacher define it as  “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes” and “tools and strategies that people use to solve problems.” He was teaching a unit on inventions, comparing the industrial revolution to the digital one. His students compared the telegraph and Morse code to the technology of texting and the “code” used to communicate.
Recently, on Twitter I saw a link to A Tale of Two Worlds: Old School, New School This infographic lists tools used in classrooms over the years from overhead projectors to smart phones.
Although it would be fun to nostalgically stroll down memory lane (I could add 16mm projectors, filmstrips, record players, and mimeograph machines to the list of extinct technologies that I used), it’s more important to reflect on the “practical purposes” that these technologies serve and which comes first—the purpose or the tool?
Do we invent tools to serve a need (doing things better), as in replacing overhead projectors with interactive boards for teacher presentations? Or do we invent a practical use for a new cool tool (doing better things)? I’m thinking of how in a short time iPads and smart phones have found a a place in the classroom as communication tools, as substitutes for other media, and for applications that didn’t exist a few years (or months) ago.

The laptops of today will eventually join the museum, along with floppy disks and VCRs. There is one item on the list that I hope never exists—the robot teacher. Although, if a teacher can be replaced by a robot, perhaps he or she should be! It’s interesting to see the percentage of teachers who have embraced social networking for professional learning and communications—applying a tool to a purpose.
Speaking of social networking, join in on Tuesday evenings (8–9 pm Eastern) to #scichat on Twitter. Last week’s online tweetchat was an amazingly focused conversation on project-based learning in science with many educators sharing their experience and expertise (and links to relevant online resources). #nstachat occurs on a less frequent basis, but the conversations also focus on a specific topic. It’s interesting how these social networking sites have morphed from “here’s what I had for dinner” to highly engaging opportunities for professional communications.