Educational technology - mapping the terrain with Bernstein as cartographer

This is the accepted version of the following article: Czerniewicz, L. 2010. Educational technology - mapping the terrain with Bernstein as cartographer. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 26(6): 523-534., which has been published in final form at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00359.x.This paper uses the literature of educational technology as the site of analysis in order to map the field of educational technology. Having considered Kuhn and Bourdieu's theories, the paper frames the analysis of the field in Bernsteinian terms as a horizontal knowledge structure in a vertical knowledge discourse. Using the concepts of interacting discursive planes, the paper maps the field in terms of its general approach planes and its problem planes. Finally, the paper shows that researchers in the field themselves acknowledge its weak grammar, and calls for commensurability of approaches to be acknowledged in order for robust knowledge to be developed and the legitimacy of the field to be enhanced

Educational Technology as Seen Through the Eyes of the Readers

In this paper, I present the evaluation of a novel knowledge domain visualization of educational technology. The interactive visualization is based on readership patterns in the online reference management system Mendeley. It comprises of 13 topic areas, spanning psychological, pedagogical, and methodological foundations, learning methods and technologies, and social and technological developments. The visualization was evaluated with (1) a qualitative comparison to knowledge domain visualizations based on citations, and (2) expert interviews. The results show that the co-readership visualization is a recent representation of pedagogical and psychological research in educational technology. Furthermore, the co-readership analysis covers more areas than comparable visualizations based on co-citation patterns. Areas related to computer science, however, are missing from the co-readership visualization and more research is needed to explore the interpretations of size and placement of research areas on the map.Comment: Forthcoming article in the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learnin

Mapas conceptuales y el problema fundamental de moverse entre las estructuras de conocimiento

A concept map provides a ʻsnap shotʼ of a studentʼs understanding that is frozen in time by drawing it out on paper or on a computer screen. However, to represent the dynamic state of student learning, concept maps either need to emphasise dynamism (through the phrases that are chosen to act as links within the propositions that form the map), or need to be viewed as a single perspective on a more complex situation that can only be fully appreciated by considering movement between knowledge structures (e.g. through sequential mapping over time, or by indicating relationships between map structures that represent complementary learning contexts). The recognition of the importance of movement between knowledge structures needs careful management, whether teaching is conducted as a face-to-face activity or (increasingly) as a digital/online activity. Existing models of e-learning development (such as the TPACK model) can be modified to accommodate a multiple perspectives view. When the purpose of teaching is the promotion of studentsʼ ability to move between knowledge structures (rather than acquiring a single structure), the purpose of producing a concept map changes and becomes part of a wider dynamic process of learning, rather than providing a static record of what has already been learnt.Un mapa conceptual ofrece una "instantánea" del entendimiento de un estudiante, la cual se congela en el tiempo al dibujarla sobre un papel o en una pantalla de ordenador. Sin embargo, para representar el estado dinámico del aprendizaje de los estudiantes, los mapas conceptuales necesitan enfatizar dinamismo (a través de las frases que son elegidas para actuar como enlaces dentro de las proposiciones que conforman el mapa), o necesitan ser vistos como una perspectiva única de una situación compleja que sólo puede ser apreciada en su totalidad al considerar el movimiento entre estructuras de conocimiento (por ejemplo, a través de la construcción de mapas secuenciales en el tiempo, o indicando las relaciones entre las estructuras del mapa que representan contextos de aprendizaje complementarias). El reconocimiento de la importancia del movimiento entre estructuras de conocimiento requiere un manejo cuidadoso, sea cual sea la enseñanza se lleve a cabo como una actividad cara-a-cara o (como ocurre cada vez más) como una actividad digital / en línea. Los modelos existentes de desarrollo de e-learning (tales como el modelo TPACK) pueden ser modificados para acomodar una vista de perspectivas múltiples. Cuando el propósito de la enseñanza es el fomento de la capacidad de los estudiantes para moverse entre las estructuras de conocimiento (en lugar de la adquisición de una sola estructura), el objetivo de producir un mapa conceptual cambia y se vuelve parte de un proceso dinámico de aprendizaje más amplio, en vez de proporcionar un registro estático de lo ya aprendido

Developing critical and theoretical approaches to educational technology research and practice

Considerable prior literature reflecting on the evolution of the field of educational technology by numerous research experts has considered the extent of criticality within the field and found it somewhat wanting (Bulfin, Johnson & Bigum, 2015; Haßler, Major & Hennessy, 2016; Jameson, 2013; Latchem, 2014; Oliver, 2011, 2016; Selwyn, 2007, 2011, 2015). Challenges include considerations of whether research findings (OECD, 2015)indicating worrying findings about the negative influence of excessive computer usage are really being considered and taken up in research, policy and practice in the field. This 50th Anniversary Special Section called for submissions to consider the extent to which Selwyn and others are justified in asserting that much research in the field has engaged in 'previous decades of technological "boosterism," hyperbole, and outright evangelism' rather than genuine searching inquiry (Selwyn, 2015). The section considers the need for greater critical (Bulfin et al., 2015), challenging and questioning 'e-leadership' of the field by those who are practising within it (Jameson, 2015). Prior evaluation of theoretical perspectives such as Activity Theory and theories on e-learning, relate to this (Isssroff and Scanlon, 2002; Nichols, 2003). The paper considers the extent to which the evidence emerging from research findings in educational technology is really engaging in a critical way with important global issues (Selwyn, 2015) to effect a beneficial influence on education policy, theory and practice, including, particularly, outcomes for learners. To what extent are educational technology researchers really leading, critiquing and shaping the field

Developing professional knowledge and expertise in educational technology: legacy, change and investment (Editorial)

This editorial reviews the curricular and pedagogical development of the international MSc TELIC programme and the work of the TELIC community since its inception in 2000. This review is used as the site of analysis to map the research undertaken and the professional practice that has emerged. Issues associated with the role, effects and implications of technology in education are examined in the light of this mapping of a professional curriculum. The notions of learning enhancement, innovation and change that are prevalent at this time in professional contexts, and which shape understandings and actions of TELIC professionals, are used to reflect on contributions to this issue and what they indicate about the state of play in the community and beyond. The paper concludes by considering what response we might make to the need for knowledge building in the professional field of educational technology and how to investigate it

What in the world is educational technology? Rethinking the field from the perspective of the philosophy of technology

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 what these historical developments mean. This paper focuses on the ontological turn in philosophy and the technological thought of Marx and Heidegger. This is used to propose a foundation that can help researchers rethink educational technology, expanding research to account for human-education, human-technology and education-technology relations. It is proposed that human-education relationships should make students ‘become what they are’, highlighting their subjectivity rather than concentrating on information. Human-technology relationships can change the focus of design practice, so that technology is not merely seen as an efficient tool, but something ‘handy’ for peoples’ educational needs. Education-technology relationships explain how technology can shape education, and re-introduces the idea of ‘techne’ as something to be valued in education

Border Crossings and (Re)crossings: The Post-representational Turn in Social Cartography

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the utility of a post-representational social cartography for mapping educational texts. As a strategy for culturally responsible pedagogy, mapping provides a polyphonic discourse that helps educators navigate the spatial nature of the educational experience. By visualizing their students’ latent assumptions about cultural diversity, for example, educators can identify harmful or apathetic worldviews, such as cognitive dissonance, and differentiate instruction for transformative learning. From a post-representational perspective, which frames maps as inscriptions as opposed to representations or constructions, cartography does not simply explain or describe the world; rather, it is a part of the complex interplay between people and their surroundings. Mapping is a process of becoming, of negotiating and (re)negotiating the rhizomatic weavings of heterotopic space, and maps are practices that unfold in the liminality of human experience. What this means for education is that post-representational maps can help reify and decode the perceived locations and relationships of disciplinary phenomena in the social milieu. As both a celebration and an extension of the work of Rolland G. Paulston, who first encouraged his colleagues to become social cartographers, this study addresses our current crisis of difference, and opens possibilities for new ways of seeing social and educational change