Education, Technology And Society

This paper uses literature analytic method which is used in Science, technology & Society in Seventeenth Century England, written by Robert K. Merton, to analyze the researches regarding educational technology between 1978-2005 on the mainland China (Excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan SAR), then concludes that the focus of Educational Technology (Electrifying Education) changed dramatically from the beginning of reconstruction, and it had already had many new focuses and noduses for these 28years, also the blind spots. Getting to the bottom of this phenomenon, the problems lie in the diversion of those researches inside the disciplinary, which is not only caused by researchers' own limitations, but also the utilitarianism and the restriction of system.The development of educational technology is not only a natural one of the internal disciplinary, nor a result of extension of the discipliner's connotations and study field, but a development of the academic study conception with the times. It develops with the selection by the social concept as well as with the evolution from educational technology itself to the social behavior and structure. The technology of education has come a long way from 'Media-Tools' and 'Means-Methodology' to 'Theory-Practicalism', which is not only determined by the development of technological or education, but a progress of mutual influence as well as gradual improvement and enforcement of the positivism adopted in study and the pragmatism in practice. The whole process makes technology and education integrated and thus gives birth to a peculiar branch of social technology——educational technology.The paper aims to illustrate the point: Reflecting on the 28 years of educational technology history in our country, the focus and its deviations are not totally determined by the internal development of the educational technology as a discipline. Technological invention is carried out in a certain social environment and whether a technology can come into educational technology researchers' eyesight is not the natural consequences of the internal development in the educational technology and nor is it predominated by the education sector. In certain circumstances, the focus and its deviations in educational technology is the result of many social factors (market, government, culture) and education itself. The reason for the minor deviations of education technology research is failure to recognize education, technology and the society as a whole. Educational technology should rather attach more importance to China's social reality, and should be preceded with focus, deviations, conflicts, and reflections.The research into education, technology and society helps us understand the social environment which in turn promotes the development of educational technology via shaping and utilizing the social environment At the same time, it enables us to understand whether our development is deviating from the right track, whether we've left out some pressing issues during the course of interactions between the development of educational technology and social environment change. Hence, we can properly map out the strategies for educational technology development and enhance the positive interaction between the development of educational technology and social environment along with a coordinated development, as well as a sequenced transition of social environment itself. The ETS research is likely to develop into a foreseeable analytical theory for the development of educational technology.