A little while ago on Twitter I tweeted:
Watching you two @dudeneyge @thornburyscott bait each other has to be one of Twitter ELT's most entertaining ongoing sagas... :-)
And indeed it is.
Beyond the entertainment value (as Gavin Dudeney and Scott Thornbury are two of the sharpest and wittiest personalities in international ELT, in my opinion), there is in fact a lot to be gained when watching Gavin and Scott face off on Twitter over tech-related issues in education.
What makes their ongoing tussle even more interesting is that they do not actually represent two opposite ends of a ruler. Gavin is definitely pro-technology, but is pretty much always the first to point out that technology is basically a set of tools that are supposed to enhance and further what are essentially pedagogical goals. Scott, for his part, loves to play the part of the conscientious Luddite, but is very obviously tech-savvy himself.
In fact, one could almost be forgiven for getting the impression the two of them are just (at times) inordinately fond of baiting each other. Occasionally they remind me of two elderly neighbours who used to live across the road from me when I was a kid, and the arguments they used to have over the mutual hedge that divided their properties.
But that sounds disrespectful, which is not my intention here. What I meant to say is that their two (instinctively?) opposing perspectives on issues to do with technology in education create a very rich resource for people like me following along. That hedge they occasionally bicker over really gets me thinking.
Do you know what I'd line up and pay money for tickets to see?
A Dudeney versus Thornbury debate at IATEFL.
With the topic being: Technology in Language Education.
It'd be worth seeing, don't you think?
In any case, if the chances of such an event are slim, in the meantime make sure you follow them both on Twitter (@dudeneyge @thornburyscott). You'll get a laugh and some good things to think about all at the same time.
:-)
