Philosophies of technology:

Uses Determinism: neutral tool that is a device to enhance our capabilities

Social Determinism: technology is integrated within social systems and cultural contexts
Technological Determinism: causal agent determining our uses, pivotal role in social change
Philosophies of Teaching:
Liberal/Perennial
o Goal: search for truth, develop good and moral people
o Instructional strategy: lecture
o Teaching focus: content, teacher role is prominent, student role is to receive info
o Humanities superior to science
o Technology philosophy: Technological determinism (e-learning technology interferes with
objectives)
o Criticism: class/elitist bias, does not address vocational education and life-related
subjects
Progressive
o Goal: personal growth, maintenance, and promotion of a better society
o Pragmatism and practicality
o Teacher/student relationship partnership, student centered learning
o Teacher role: organize, stimulate, instigate, and evaluate the process of education
o Technology: Uses Determinism (asynchronous communication technology gives students
equal opportunities to contribute)
o Criticism: too much influence on the power of education to bring about social change
Behaviourist
o Goal: bring about observable changes in behavior
o Subject centered
o Teacher role is to control environment
o Technology: technological determinism (e-learning technologies results in effective and
efficient learning)
o Criticism: does not take into account other kinds of learning such as incidental,
dehumanizes students, inhibits creativity, fragments curriculum into pieces overlooking
the big picture
Humanist
o Goal: support individual growth and self-actualization
o Autonomy, self-directed learning
o Teacher role is to not interfere with students ability to identify their own learning needs,
facilitator, helper, partner; student centered
o Self-evaluation is the only meaningful test of whether learning has taken place
o Criticism: lacks administrative accountability in terms of what is going to be taught and
what has been learned
o Technology: uses determinism (e-learning technologies under certain circumstances can
be valuable)
Radical
o Goal: invoke change in the political, economic, and social order in society
o Instructional methods: dialogic encounters (problem posing and solving through
dialogue), lecturing is considered offending students autonomy
o Technology: social determinism (Commercial technology not trusted, open-source is ok)
o Criticism: knowledge is viewed as power and power is seen as political, methods used to
achieve perspective transformation are not doable in most educational environments

Analytical
o Goal: development of rationality
o Instructional method: class discussion guided and directed by the teacher
o Teacher role: guide students to expand beyond themselves
o Society and education should not be linked, neutral knowledge
o Technology: uses determinism (e-learning technology serves learning under certain
circumstances)
o Criticism: troubling questioncan any programmatic decision be neutral or value-free?

Kanuka, H. (2008). Understanding e-learning technologies-in-practice through philosophies-in-practice.
In T. Anderson (Ed.), The Theory and Practice of Online Learning (pp.91-118). Retrieved from
http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/99Z_Anderson_2008
Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf