Mistaking the tool for the outcome: using activity system theory to understand the complexity of teacher technophobia

Abstract

[Abstract]: The blame for the reputed failure of schools to embrace information and communication technologies (ICT)) and the relegation of new technologies to the periphery of school life is frequently placed directly on the technophobic teacher. In this paper, we question this simplistic and singular placement of blame on such individuals and, in so doing, address the complexity of teacher beliefs and dispositions. In revisiting interview data and mapping against activity system theory, we have discerned a common misconception among technophobic teachers of 'othering' technology and believing classroom integration to be concerned with teaching about, rather than with or through, ICT. We cautiously conclude that those perceived as technophobic are in fact mistaking the tool for the outcome and that the problem of teacher technophobia is a misunderstanding of the roles of the components within the activity system.