Editorial: In praise of pessimism - the need for negativity in educational technology

Introduction Educational technology is an essentially 'positive project.' Most people working in this area are driven by an underlying belief that digital technologies are—in some way—capable of improving education. This mindset is evident, for example, in the recent tendency to refer to 'technology-enhanced learning' or before this to 'computer-assisted learning'—descriptions that both leave little doubt over the inherent connection between technology and the improvement of learning and teaching. As such, the de facto role of the educational technologist is understood to be one of finding ways to make these technology-based improvements happen and—to coin a phrase often used in the field—to 'harness the power of technology.'