Successful integration of an educational technology is marked by that technology being regarded by users as an unobtrusive facilitator of learning, instruction, or performance. When the focus shifts from the technology being used to the educational purpose that technology serves, then that technology is becoming a comfortable and trusted element, and can be regarded as being successfully integrated. Few people give a second thought to the use of a ball-point pen although the mechanisms involved vary ― some use a twist mechanism and some use a push button on top, and there are other variations as well. Personal computers have reached a similar level of familiarity for a great many users, but certainly not for all. New and emerging technologies often introduce both fascination and frustration with users. As long as the user's focus is on the technology itself rather than its use in promoting learning, instruction, or performance, then one ought not to conclude that the technology has been successfully integrated ― at least for that user.

Our society is not uniform. Among us even the best educated cannot participate in our whole civilization. Among primitive tribes the differences in occupations. interests, and knowledge are comparatively slight. Every individual is to a great extent familiar with all the thoughts. emotions, and activities of the community. The uniformity of behavior is similar to that expected among ourselves of a member of a social set. A person who does not conform to the habits of thought and actions of his set loses standing and must leave. In our modern civilization he is likely to find another congenial set to the habits of which he can conform. In primitive society such sets are absent. With us the presence of many groups of different standards of interest and behavior is a stimulus for critical self examination. for conflicts of group interests and other forms of intimate contact are ever present. Among primitive people this stimulus does not occur within the tribal unit. For these reasons individual independence is attained with much greater difficulty and tribal standards have much greater force.

Some people say that new technology is the answer to climate change. It is convenient to think that new technologies will provide all the energy we need so that we don't have to make any changes in our own lives. And it's true that some technologies, like wind and solar, are an important part of a more sustainable future. But when we remember that the Earth is a finite ecosystem in which there is limited availability of the resources and energy required to build technologies like windmills and solar panels, it becomes clear that conservation is the most important action we can take. Assessing how much energy and resources we really need, and learning to live with less, will show the leadership required to respond to climate change. So even with the promise of new technologies, turning off the lights ( and encouraging friends, family and political leaders to also conserve energy ) is important.

In the face of a population explosion, food and energy become critical issues. some experts feel that the only way to feed the world is to rely on ever more intensive farming methods. Rather than farmers growing several varieties of a fruit or vegetable, scientists are designing crops that will meet optimum criteria, regarding not only their nutrient content but also their ease of harvesting and packing, shelf life, resistance to spoilage, uniformity of size, and so on. In more and more cases only one variety of seed is used. But this makes the entire crop more vulnerable to disease and insect damage. In additon, these new crops require the use of pesticides and herbicides, as well as fertilizers and ripeners. As a result modern farming methods are making much of the third world dependent on the products of the chemical industry. In turn, this requires a change in traditional farming methods, an alteration of entire social structures and reliance on the products and assistance of the industrial nations.