Here are some questions that I would consider before responding in depth to the question... "What role have technologies played in learning throughout history?"

To begin with, I honestly don't believe that such a question can be addressed in a couple of paragraphs. I've banged out a couple of thoughts below, but they're rather general and not particularly original. If I were to take this on as a substantial piece of research and writing (!!), I would probably take the following tack.

• First, what is meant by "learning?" That's a term that itself is heavily loaded with meaning that has shifted throughout history. Learning, as a differentiated, explicit activity is itself historically determined, that is bound up with the development of classes, going back to the earliest social division of labor. Of course, there is "tacit" learning, that is tied up with everyday existence - how to harness the forces of nature to support human survival and, with the development of surplus product later on, population growth.
• In addressing this, I would want to examine what constitutes a learning technology, as distinct from "technologies of everyday life" and how these technologies are related (overlappings and differentiations), but how these have changed over time. For instance, looking recently and into the future, the same, emerging digital technologies play multiple roles, mediating the transactions of "everyday life," including economic transactions at various scales (personal, industrial, global/financial) but also learning and training. This is viewed as highly desirable, as it spurs reintegration of learning with the "real world." In your own words (approximately - I'm not quoting exactly), it's desirable that students learn with and think about technology, and also through technology.
• Also, I would want to look at the "objects" of learning and how these have changed over time. This bears also on the question of what constitutes "literacy" and how that's changed over history. For example, the differentiation between "natural philosophy" and science, or science and the "practical arts" (and the "arts" for that matter) illustrate a change not only in the nature of inquiry (and learning) but its "purpose" and method. That is also bound up with both the evolution of social and production relations, and the role that evolving learning technologies (as a subset of technology as a whole) plays in reinforcing (dare I say reproducing, both ideologically and materially) and, simultaneously transforming those relations over time (long stretches of time at that, though things have been rapidly speeding up since the 19 and 20 C).

Chip Bruce's feedback via C-base (9/18/01): I put my comments here just so you could see how this particular technology works. I hope you'll share yours with the bboard. You make a number of interesting points, and despite your saying that you "don't believe that it can be addressed in a couple of paragraphs" you do a remarkably good job, at least of identifying some issues. I was especially struck by your discussion of the differentiation between natural philosophy and the arts illustrating a change in both the nature of inquiry its purpose, and method. The question of whether, and if so how, learning technologies differ from the technologies of everyday life is also one we should explore further.

My reply, based on Chip Bruce's C-base feedback: The relationship between everyday and learning technologies is indeed interesting. I see both convergent and divergent trends at play here. For instance, a hitherto research (and dare I say learning) technology, GIS, underlies MapQuest and similar online mapping tools that are routinely used for purposes other than learning. Learning may or may not take place (e.g., examining what features are spatially related to each other, or understanding scale) but it's not explicit. And then there's GPS, so that you can know (and Big Brother can know) where you are, anywhere, anytime.

One further thought (9/28/01) There are many other examples of this, as digital technologies become increasingly ubiquitous, even "embedded" in the physical world that we humans construct around us (nothing new about this -- humans have been "constructing" the world since first evolving as distinct species, if not sooner).