Scholars like Joseph and Reigeluth (2010 p. 97) have long maintained that our K-12 public education system designed to meet our educational needs during the industrial age is fundamentally inadequate for meeting our vastly different educational needs in the information age. A systemic change is imperative to help transform the current paradigm into a different one.
D.P. Subramony (ch. 3) observes that "from the very beginning of the industrial revolution it became clear that advancement comes with consequences." Rationality which drove the American economic engine in the 20th century "is the exercise of centralizing reason rather than faith mysticism emotion or feeling. Rational choices are logically consistent but emotionally distant" causing undue harm to already disenfranchised populations an example being virtual schooling. Florida Virtual Schools which licenses its courses to schools in other States is part of a trend where education is being turned over to private entities further commodifying education. A central goal of humanity’s educational endeavors then which Subramony elaborate on focuses on the impact of cultural diversity in creating ECT that serves the whole of society in all its diversity.
ECT initiatives such as 1:1 laptops/tablets in schools across the nation along with the spread of handheld devices low-cost netbooks/tablets/e-readers and social media applications are in place to bridge the Digital Divide which compounds problems of equity in lower-income sections of society. Culturally diverse learners will use innovative ECT tools affected by the cultural discourse around ECT to serve their diverse needs. Equitable access to ECT tools skills and opportunities - along with the sociocultural impact of ECT must be taken into account.
Those who design and develop educational technology solutions must consider ethical questions such as - who is included who is empowered and who has authority in light of ECT? Are the appropriate technological solutions connected with the local users and cultures? Do they** reflect culturally and intellectually diverse viewpoints** and emphasize social/cultural diversity while avoiding content promoting gender ethnic racial or religious stereotypes? The Association for Educational Communications and Technology's (AECT’s) Code of Ethics document has put forth recommendations and this in turn has forced the global IT community to accept that research and practice in the field of ECT affect a more culturally diverse body of stakeholders than ever before.
D.P. Subramony puts forth recommendations for improving instructional systems design (ISD) with the aim of viewing ECT through "sociocultural and critical lenses to examine key issues within the majority of top academic departments/programs and technology integration courses at the undergraduate Master's and doctoral level." He recommends the incorporation and examination of cultural and power variables within:
- leading academic/professional organizations
- highly respected journals and books and
- influential conference from presidential sessions through workshops to concurrent roundtable and poster sessions.