Whilst technology may have been the 'saviour' of HE from the immediate challenges of the pandemic, the opportunistic dialogue emerging in response is imbued with notions of the pandemic as a catalyst for change. Empowered by the apparent success of technology's deliverance, the door has been opened to unprecedented investment into a pervasive and…

The history of educational technology is replete with stories of mostly White men who have conducted some of the leading innovations in the field. The stories of educational technologists from minority backgrounds have largely gone untold, perhaps giving the false impression that such individuals were not involved in this field. This article…

Technology has been an important influence on the development of education. However, very little research in Educational Technology considers this history, and even less questions it. In this paper, we argue that our understanding of educational technology should be informed by the philosophy of technology -- a field that has attempted to explore…

The pressure towards digital education is felt everywhere including in places with extreme digital divides. Resource-constrained educational environments are particularly threatened by datification manifest in the dominant business models of surveillance capitalism as there is less room in such contexts to refuse the 'free' offerings from big tech…

The paper proposes a framework for thinking about digital technologies, including AI, in education. The framework combines Don Ihde's postphenomenology and Seymour Papert's constructionism. The former is rooted in the philosophy of technology, the latter -- in education and technology. The intersections between the two theories have been mentioned…

Estonia has since the liberation from the Soviet Union in 1991 successfully branded itself as a digital society and an education nation. This transformation builds on a "sociotechnical imaginary" where the progression of learning and the advancement of future citizens is postulated by a restructuring of the classroom through digital…

The educational technology industry includes numerous learning providers and platforms offering cohort-based courses. In this paper, we examine, analyze, and critique one such platform called Maven. We focus our analysis on Maven because this specific platform describes itself as building 'the university of the future' and has recently received…

As social science fiction, this paper imagines three possible futures for education and technology. Among the most important technologies emerging today are data-aggregating technologies such as AI, affective computing, adaptive or predictive software, clouds and platforms. The paper is not, however, directed at specific technologies, but at…

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) seem to be ever more important in all spheres of life and have taken a central place in studies of learning. Yet, research on ICT and gender over the last 15 years suggests that more analysis is required of the interplay between gendered perceptions of ICTs and the educational applications of ICTs.…

Virtual worlds have been linked with e-learning applications to create virtual learning environments (VLEs) for the past decade. However, while they can support many educational activities that extend both traditional on-campus teaching and distance learning, they are used primarily for learning content generated and managed by instructors. With…

The internet presents many potential opportunities for people to learn for both formal and informal purposes. However, not everyone is able to make the most of the internet for learning. This paper utilises quantitative nationally representative survey data of internet use in Britain in order to explore the digital divide in relation to learning…

Enthusiasts for new social software do not always acknowledge that belonging to e-learning communities depends upon complex and often unresolved identity issues for learners. Drawing on the author's previous research on belonging in social learning, the paper presents a theory of identity congruence in social learning and brings to the foreground…