I teach at a comprehensive liberal arts university in the US. From this perspective, the biggest problem with the influence of technology on higher education is the temptation for instructors to rely on the technology rather than on personal interaction with the students. Online course delivery has much potential, but when the online components of a course interfere with the quality of relationship formed between instructor and students, then the most important part of the educational experience is impaired.

I do believe that course content does need to be evaluated in light of the new technologies. I have integrated shared Google docs in class exercises to attempt to improve the quality of writing in my undergraduate classes. I utilize freely available online statistical software in my statistics classes to focus on student learning of statistical applications rather than mathematical calculations. Much more of this kind of integration of classroom and technology is possible.

I teach at a comprehensive liberal arts university in the US. From this perspective, the biggest problem with the influence of technology on higher education is the temptation for instructors to rely on the technology rather than on personal interaction with the students. Online course delivery has much potential, but when the online components of a course interfere with the quality of relationship formed between instructor and students, then the most important part of the educational experience is impaired.

I do believe that course content does need to be evaluated in light of the new technologies. I have integrated shared Google docs in class exercises to attempt to improve the quality of writing in my undergraduate classes. I utilize freely available online statistical software in my statistics classes to focus on student learning of statistical applications rather than mathematical calculations. Much more of this kind of integration of classroom and technology is possible.

By recognizing that our most difficult and important problems are not driven by technology but by the people using or dependent on the digital culture. Educators, teachers, facilitators, and teachers would often do better by including all the key stakeholders in the system intentionally when suggesting ways forward. In complex systems engineering, for example, the system being developed or improved will likely fail if attention is paid only to the "sexy" technology while ignoring the stakeholders. Those protagonists that do wonder why their attempts fail but still keep trying the same old, ineffective techniques. The complexity (a continuum much beyond the simplest form, complication) of many situations is mainly due to the independent, prejudicial, and unpredictable nature of human beings. One should understand that no one is in control, one can only try to influence the situation by intervening, pursuing opportunities with informed risk, and hoping for the best while waiting some suitable length of time (decision making is necessary but is an art in itself) to see what happens and then perhaps intervening again. Please let me know if you wish more thoughts along these lines. :-)

Tenemos un problema.  No son las políticas, sistemas educativos, tecnologías emergentes las que deben adaptase a la nueva cultura digital, sino, las universidades.  Las universidades deben retomar el quehacer de la evaluación de cursos y grados para adaptarlos a los vertiginosos cambios que surgen a través del tiempo en las sociedades y a su vez para quienes enseñan.  Ello hace necesario partir de una pedagogía que permita formar a los estudiantes universitarios en lo que realmente se necesita para formar parte de la clase laboral y responder a las nuevas vertientes.

It is important to use technology to enhance the student learning experience, parallel to personal communication that at the moment may not be replaceable by technology tools only.   

Global bench marking takes into consideration the impact of technologies on most education systems and thus, the digital culture is relevant and ought to be addressed in order to to cater to global standards.

How you believe our educational policies and systems should adapt to emerging technologies and the new digital culture?

Think we should because if you are not moving forward with well-thought-out / appropriate technology / digital enablers available at our disposal, we are moving backward or risk being obsolete & become irrelevant vs competition.

Han has a great point. We should use all technology available to us or risk losing learners and becoming obsolete. But at the same time, as Peter said, we can't lose the human interaction. We should always think pedagogy first, then technology. Don't change your pedagogy to shoehorn in the latest and greatest technology. Design your teaching and then find the technology that will best enhance it.

Very interesting answers and opinions..thank you all

Educators should always be on the lookout for new technologies which can provide affordances for beneficial learning activities.  BUT many educators make bad choices about technology.

Please see my attached paper for a process that will lead to beneficial technology choices.

Chapter Educational Engineering for CALL and MALL

Democratization of educational systems is a logical replacement to centralized authoritative organizational structures. In the case of the digital culture, students and teachers are at least on par with administrators as far as knowledge and experience and therefore at least as qualified to contribute to policy-making.

Very interesting answers and opinions..thank you all