For decades there have been inventions that have revolutionised parts of our daily lives. But is education one of them?

There is so much technology available to teachers that it can often be daunting. Having the time to explore these technologies and evaluate which ones would work best for different learning situations is a stressful situation for many educators, especially those who feel that they are not “digital natives”.

However, there is increasing research being conducted to analyse the effectiveness of technology for learning. So far a lot of this research has found that there was no significant difference between the uses of different media/technology e.g. animation and static graphics, on learning. Instead, research is finding that learning is limited due to the actions that are taking place in a student’s head. Therefore, research is increasingly focusing on looking at what experiences promote the kind of thinking required for learning. For example, making conclusions about the use of words and pictures being more beneficial for the learner than just pictures or words alone.

Technology can be used a tool for helping to promote learning inside our students. However, it is the job of caring teachers to guide the social processes, to inspire, challenge and excite their students to learn, sometimes this can be achieved with the support of technology.

Therefore concluding technology is evolutionary not revolutionary.