The Technology Cart and the Pedagogy Horse in Online Teaching

This paper argues against the dichotomization of pedagogy and technology represented by the widely cited dictum of putting the pedagogical horse before the technology cart. Adopting a complex systems’ perspective, it points out that technology and pedagogy are interconnected and interdependent elements of the classroom or learning environment as a system, alongside other elements, including the teacher, the students, the curriculum content, and the physical environment. Any change in one will have an impact on the other, and hence the whole system. Drawing on data from an English language teacher educator’s reflections on her journey of adopting online teaching, this paper elucidates the dynamic relationship between technology and pedagogy. It shows how her exploitation of the affordances of technology to simulate face-to-face classroom teaching has led to a re-tooling of these affordances to achieve and re-imagine pedagogical goals. The positive impact on students’ self-efficacy and her own self-efficacy in online teaching has led to the emergence of new pedagogical practices and routines which have enabled her to surpass what she could achieve in face-to-face classroom teaching. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance for teachers to embrace technology with an open mind and to understand this complex dynamic relationship for effective online teaching.