How do humans and technology relate to each other? This question keeps coming up in discussions among professional educators. In this article, we put an end to "pedagogy before technology" and show why penguins are a great example of digitalization.
Pedagogy before technology?
How would you answer the following question: "Should pedagogy come before technology?" The didactician Axel Krommer addresses exactly this question in an article from the Digital Education Route Planner. But not everyone understands the question in the same way. Axel Krommer therefore presents three interpretations of the "pedagogy before technology" question:
Technology should serve humans, not vice versa.
Implement pedagogy first, then the technology.
Ignore technology when setting pedagogical goals.
Let's take a quick closer look at these three interpretations of the question.
Regarding number one: Krommer rightly calls this interpretation "trivial" – because who seriously believes otherwise? After all, I don't need to yell "Pedagogy before technology!" if there is no one claiming the opposite.
Regarding number two: Just like Axel Krommer, I think this assumption is wrong, because absolutely everything is technology, and technology and pedagogy cannot be separated in that way: Even if you "only" write with a pen on paper, you are using a specific technology.
Regarding number three: This is where it gets trickier! Because we at blink.it have also always pointed out that you should initially ignore the technology or the format when setting goals. We still stand by that: Don't plan "a seminar on the topic of leadership," but plan "to support leaders in a specific area."
However, Axel Krommer highlights an important core point:
The true added value of digital media [...] is not to achieve old goals faster, but to open up entirely new dimensions of goals for the first time.
This means that you cannot completely exclude technology when setting goals, because you always think of it intuitively. This thought is an absolute enrichment for all professional educators: You cannot simply separate technology and pedagogy – even if you think you are doing so! This is also shown by the following example from the world of penguins.
The penguin metaphor for digitalization
What do penguins have to do with digital media? I could write a lot about this now, but the following video provides a wonderfully simple answer:
In the video, Jöran Muuss-Merholz explains why digital media is simply not just a tool. Just like Axel Krommer, he shows that humans and media cannot be easily separated.
If a penguin that has only lived on land were to set a goal, it would automatically only set goals that are possible on land. It wouldn't think of flying, because it cannot do that in its "green medium" (on land). In the water, it is literally in another element: Here, it can suddenly "fly" and move in a completely different way, achieving entirely different goals.
It is exactly the same for us humans now with new (digital) media: We try to find out what works well and, in doing so, often unconsciously apply standards that we know from our old media.
Conclusion: How human and medium are connected
Let's summarize the key statements in conclusion:
No one seriously believes that humans should serve technology.
When setting goals for educational measures, you cannot completely ignore the choice of media. It is better to actively think of it rather than unconsciously restricting yourself.
Digital media is more than just a tool.
Humans and technology or pedagogy and media are interdependent.
This exact development is the "digitalization" that everyone is always talking about: Except that it is not about new media completely replacing old media. It is not about having to be afraid of technology. It is not about machines taking away our lives. Digitalization means being allowed to explore new media and thereby completely rethinking learning as such.
What does this insight mean for our actions? The answer is: Try it out! Let's dive into the new media world and gather experiences. Let's recognize that digitalization does not crush our "old world," but enriches it. Let's expand the horizon of our goals and think of digital media right from the start.
