Entry 8 IDT1415 Reflections on Blake's SLA, Language Teaching and Technology 2

Discuss the statement: "technology only provides a set of tools that are, for most part, methodologically neutral" (Blake 2008 ch 1)

I agree with Victoria and Jennifer in that tools are not neutral because of the affordances they come with and that these are shaped by the user as without an agent they are useless. I would also say that four of the key concepts that captured my attention in this reading are crucial for and in line with our ideas here, namely: know-how, pedagogical planning, informed selective filtering approach, and complementation. 

I also believe that they are all interconnected as know-how is essential as we cannot teach others how to use a tool we do not know how to use ourselves otherwise it would be a case for the blind leading the blind which often happens and translates into a waste of time and resources or using technology for the sake of it. Consequently, this know how plays an important role in the kind of informed decisions we make and how or whether our choices add value to the learning process. Being able to select amongst a myriad of options (filtering without frustration) enables us to complement our teaching while firmly based on pedagogical principles. In light of the above, one can conclude that tools are methodologically neutral as their affordances and their users, in this case intended as 'teachers'.