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ELT in Images – The Terminator

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Terminator - the image of technology as evil

Well, this is a slightly different image this time and it is probably influenced by a lot of the stuff I’ve been reading online recently about teaching and technology. There have been arguments back and forth about the effect of modern technology on education, especially IWBs (Interactive White Boards). Are they a blessing or a curse for teachers? There certainly seems to be a lot of distrust of technology. Some feel intimidated by it (they are “too old” to start using it), some feel that it “gets in the way” of learning, some feel that it is a misuse of funds and resources that would be better spent on training. Others feel that it is liberating, or that it is a tool like any other. And some say that it’s vital for us as educators to be willing to accept, harness and use the technological knowledge our students already have.

Do you think the image above is how some teachers in our field view technology? As evil? Or as an expensive and jazzy distraction but without a lot of depth (erm, like the latest Terminator film)? Or is it not as sinister as it appears?

3 responses to ELT in Images – The Terminator

Gina says:

August 3, 2009 at 5:12 pm

Lots of them certainly see technology as such, however, there’s an increasing interest in using the latest technology in EFL (e.e IWBs). I think this image has more to do with new technology. If we think back, when taperecorders or VCRs were introduced, the same technophobia happened but fortunately, most teachers got over it. It’s a lot to do with a new element to learn, a new tool that challenges the teacher rather than technology itself, so anything completely new, either technological or not, will create this phobia among teachers.

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Tom says:

October 15, 2009 at 9:02 am

I wonder if in fact, rather than “the image above is how some teachers in our field view technology”, whether instead it’s how our learners view their teachers when they — the teachers — use the classroom technology, rather than letting the learners get their hands on it…,-) !?

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Education Tay says:

March 8, 2010 at 8:03 pm

Graphic design and other technology class at my school have used the iconic and very well known terminator picture as an inspiration. The image provides a structure and building block for a model of a person and most students do not see it as evil, although some students do not like the picture for its violence perception.

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