This position paper explores the ambiguity of technology, toward refined understanding of Educational Technology. The purpose of education is described by John Dewey as growing, or habitual learning. Two philosophical conceptions of technology are reviewed. Dewey positions inquiry as a technology that creates knowledge. Val Dusek offers a "consensus definition," a systems approach to technology that merges into social construction theory and actor-network theory, both of which emphasize complex relations between humans and technology. Using Dewey and Dusek as reference, literature related to Educational Technology is reviewed. A history of its definitions and conceptions of hard (material) technology and of soft (process) technology are examined. Three brief case studies reveal a bias toward hard technology in contemporary discourse. A misconception that soft technology begins with pre-authenticated knowledge is identified and shown to obscure the reciprocity between technology and the intellect.