Does Technology Hinder or Enhance Learning

In higher education, many lecturers are facing the challenges of reaching excellence in both research and teaching. While some of them might admit that if technology would be most useful if it could maximize their time for research and minimize their time for teaching, many lecturers are concerned with the quality of the outcome of learning and teaching when technology is applied. As a professional practitioner in the field of instructional technology in higher education, their concerns also become mine. This paper shows that the yardsticks for evaluating the effectiveness of technology in learning and teaching could be different and individualistic depending on we interpret the purpose of technology and what are our perspectives on learning and teaching. Subsequently, different learning perspectives could affect how technology could be applied and therefore be responsible for the outcome of the application. However, technology is a double-edge sword; when technology is misused or abused, opportunities in technology could turn into dilemmas. This paper includes many examples of such opportunities and dilemmas in the areas of learning environment, content development, information access, task automation, and communication. Trends and commonalities are found in these opportunities and dilemmas to suggest that we are going through some paradigm shifts of user readiness in response to changing technology and evolving perspectives on learning and teaching. In order to integrate theory and practice for the readers, this paper also includes some practical guidelines and checklists on how to bring about more opportunities with technology in learning and teaching