Education Technology Society

• The cruel optimism of EdTech

  Platforms are now an almost ubiquitous feature of schools. We talk with Lucas Cone (University of Copenhagen) about his work around teachers’ everyday engagements with platforms – in particular the benefits of using affect theory to make sense of teachers’ affiliations and relationships with these clearly problematic technologies.  Accompanying reference >>>  Lucas Cone (2024) Subscribing school: digital platforms, affective attachments, and cruel optimism in a Danish public primary school, Critical Studies in Education, 65(3):294-311, DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2023.2269425

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• What is ‘critical’ in critical studies of edtech?

  There is growing interest in critical studies of education and technology. But what does it mean to be ‘critical’ of edtech, and how can this work genuinely make a difference in the world? Felicitas Macgilchrist (Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg) talks about the need to look beyond claims of transformation and novelty, drawing attention to marginalised forms of edtech, and the power of rageful hope. Accompanying reference >>>  Macgilchrist, F. (2021).  What is ‘critical’ in critical studies of edtech? Learning, Media and Technology 46(3):243–249 https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.1958843

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• What do ed-tech policymakers want from academic research?

  Academics are increasingly looking to make an impact on policymakers, but critical ed-tech research often seems to fall on deaf ears. In this episode Dr. Cristóbal Cobo – currently a senior ed-tech specialist at a major international organization – talks about the types of evidence that get most attention in policy circles, and some approaches that might help critical researchers get their messages through.   Accompanying reference >>> Cristóbal Cobo (2019). "I Accept The Terms And Conditions: Uses And Abuses Of Digital Technologies” [PDF book]

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• Reading in the digital age

  Digital books are now a common part of education, but concerns are growing around the problems of students reading on-screen.Marte Blikstad-Balas (University of Oslo) discusses the latest research around what it means to read on-screen as opposed to reading from ‘proper’ books, and why government bans on digital devices are not the best response.Accompanying reference >>> Jensen, R., Roe, A. & Blikstad-Balas, M. (2024). The smell of paper or the shine of a screen? Students’ reading comprehension, text processing, and attitudes when reading on paper and screen. Computers & Education, 219, 105107.

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• Australia thinks that it can ban young people from using social media … we have questions!

  The Australian government has just announced that it will ban all young people under the age of 16 from using social media.Dr. Clare Southerton explains the background to this ‘ban’ and what it might mean for students and schools.Recommended reading >>>  Lisa Given (2024). Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 just became law. How it will work remains a mystery. The Conversation, 28th November.

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