Shouldn't We All Attend an Invisible College?

Critical theory asks us to criticize ourselves, education, technology, etc.  Critical theory helps with accountability and responsibility for actions.  Isn't this what teachers should be doing as educational professionals?  Critical theory provides the opportunity for awareness and self-direction which in the end makes us question if what we, as teachers, are doing is the best. 

The idea of a an invisible college is simply an informal group of intellectuals that get together to conference, collaborate, support, and question each other.  In many ways, an invisible college could be a lot like a professional network.  Peers get together to discuss changes in education, technology, pedagogy, and encourage discussion of any issues that arise.  I feel that in any school building, amongst co-workers, invisible colleges should and more than likely do exist.  If they don't, educators are missing out on a valuable resource. 

Critical theory does more than simply just create the potential for a professional network via an invisible college, but is also allows us to scrutinize the current educational system for any issues that may be lying around.  When it comes to technology, critical theory really get educators to look at the importance of ethics and the necessity of knowing the potential risks associated with technology.  While technology is supposed to make our lives easier and provide us with so many more opportunities, it is important to realize that technology comes with unintended consequences and limitations.  Unfortunately, because technology is available to classrooms, teachers feel that the technology must always be used in someway, shape or form.  The unfortunate side of this is that the technology is not always used correctly.  Andrew Yeaman, J. Randall Koetting, and Randall Nichols suggest examining our ethics as they relate to educational technology by asking ourselves a series of questions. 

1. What is the philosophy of educational technology?
2. Can the field adopt nonlinear or improvisational design strategies and processes?  
3. How can anyone be assured of a fair and equal education in the midst of educational technology systems that tend to favor dominant cultures? 
4. Is "educational technology" an oxymoron?

I think it is extremely important for teachers to ask themselves these questions when using technology in their classrooms.  It is important that teachers criticize themselves to see if they are ethically using education or using it just to use it.