Office gadgets casting a pall of 'time pollution'
This story is very interesting because in contrast to the hype that we continually get in the media about how wonderful gadgets are, we have yet another underreported downside to 'gadgetting' (my term). As well, as the fact that they can contribute to superficial and shallow thinking (through flitting from here to there and not concentrating on one thing at a time), and lead to losses in productivity (I can't remember the term for this but the idea is that when you have prepared to work on something and suddenly, you have to drop it and do something else, the preparation time is lost and must once more be built up when you come back to the original task being undertaken), they can also promote mechanical rather than reflective approaches (putting out 'brush fires' or 'muddling through').
In a critical sense, there is no denying the need for change. Digital technologies (and it is important to remember sociologically that there are other technologies besides gadgets). However, TLs and educators should not simply embrace them but should try to practically do something like a needs analysis. What specific needs will these gadgets address. The gadgets should then be targetted towards those needs. Thus for example, instead of just giving students laptops that they can take home the library should lend out laptops for use during lessons or projects. Accordingly, this would support the connection between educational needs and the gadgets. Definitely a problem with the DET rollout of computers is that the need the DET seemed to have in mind was just a need for gadgets. The laptops have not driven home to students the connection between education and gadgets. Accordingly, the ability for educators to teach students to use their gadgets in a way that allows them to concentrate and complete tasks is largely non existent.
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