Technophobia?

It had never occurred to me before that "technophobia" existed. I was aware of certain people who refuse to use technology or have a particular resistant attitude; however had never considered that it would be given a specific term or defined as a 'fear'. Brosnan (1998 p.2) outlines that "this fear can range from avoidance to technology from palpitations of sweating when thinking about using technology" and also claims that technophobia is a legitimate response to technology.  This may be a legitimate response; however, it is not one that accepted within a learning environment due to its fantastic potential as a learning resource. Constructionist theorist Seymour Papert (1993 p.4) highlighted that computers can be carriers of powerful ideas and help to form new relationships with knowledge. Technophobia therefore, can have the potential of having a significantly negative impact on teaching and learning; causing a barrier to learning which we need to ensure is removed.

A fear and anxiety toward technology can occur within teachers or children, but what are the symptoms? Similarly to other phobias, symptoms can include: feelings of panic, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and extreme avoidance. Technophobia is common among teachers, particularly those who have been teaching for many years and have been successful in doing so without technology. Is is typical human nature for us to resist change, we are creatures of habit. However, this technophobic attitude can also occur due to a lack of knowledge. After all, most of our fears are born out of the fear of the unknown; fear of death, fear of the dark, fear of the future. The risk of these anxieties being present in schools is not only that children will be denied opportunities for authentic learning (Wheeler, 2014), but they might also inherit these attitudes. This is why it is essential for teachers, particularly specialists and those responsible for technology education are confident in their use and knowledge.

I definitely wouldn't consider myself as technophobic; in fact I am probably a technophile, being that my iPhone 6s is an extension of my right arm and I take my matching iPad Air with me wherever I go. I certainly can’t remember the last time I went a whole day without checking twitter. However, despite all this, the prospect of HOW to use technology effectively to enhance and engage learning does cause me some anxiety so I can empathise with the 'technophobes'.

So, a concluding thought: there needs to be an awareness of technophobia within schools in order to prevent it from occurring and being detrimental to the learning process for our children. Technology is continually evolving phenomenon that should be embraced and used to our advantage rather than ignored and avoided as a result of fear.

References:

Brosnan, M. (1998). Technophobia: The psychological impact of information technology. New York: Routledge. 

Papert, S. (1993) Mindstorms. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Wheeler, S. (2014) Shock of the new. [Blog] Learning with 'e's. Available at: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/shock-of-new.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016].