4+-+Changes+in+Technology

**__Changes in Technology__**

 * ==While there have been many new developments in technology that have contributed to distance education (broadband internet, wireless internet, streaming audio and video, smaller laptops and handhelds), most instruction is still limited to text and simple graphics. Email, threaded discussion, and chat still dominate==
 * ==Interest in video interaction remains high, but high-quality video/audio has yet to change the face of distance education==
 * ==It seems only a matter of time before higher bandwidths for all will mean a richer variety of media==
 * ==**But the real question with any new development is "Does this Technology Add Value?" - As we know from the advent of radio, telephone, and television (each of which were touted as "the future of education"), the technology is only a tool - how will it be used?**==

__So what?__

 * ==While the many 'magical' new developments are exciting, Moore and Kearsley believe investment in designing quality instructional programs and teacher support must be **//equal//** to that of investment in new technology==
 * ==Whenever we are confronted with a new technology, our first question must be, "What value if any can this technology add to distance education?"==
 * ==**McLuhan’s Four Laws of Media** (stated as questions via Liz Burge) can help us understand if there is value added==
 * ==What does the technology enhance or intensify?==
 * ==What does it render obsolete or displace?==
 * ==What does it retrieve that was previously made obsolete?==
 * ==What does it produce or become when pushed to an extreme?==