The distinction between face-to-face and distant digitally-mediated educational
engagement is a complex one, and the two modes are often combined in practice, via
‘blended learning’ or the use of a VLE to support campus-based teaching. The
current Covid-19 pandemic has thrown this distinction into relief, in a context
where educationalists have been forced to move to fully distant engagement in a very
short timeframe. This paper explores how this predicament has brought to the fore
the nature of our engagement with digital knowledge practices and screen-based
communication, arguing that the notion of ‘virtual learning’ is a flawed one. Instead,
adopting a sociomaterial perspective, it argues that all aspects of digital engagement
are in fact grounded in material and embodied entanglements with devices and
other artefacts
