Module
Technology and Education Futures
| Module title | Technology and Education Futures |
|---|---|
| Module code | EFPM294 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Judith Kleine Staarman (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 80 |
|---|
Description - summary of the module content
Module description
In this module you will explore the role of digital technology ineducation and education futures. You will interrogate some of the key concepts in learning and technology, such as digital literacies, gamification and datafication; and will use these ideas to critically consider emerging educational practice and new technologies and pedagogy. You will learn about the ways in which new technologies might be used in teaching and learning (such as VR/AR technologies, AI and coding; and we will focus on some of the key issues that have emerged in the networked age, such as fake news, ethical AI and automation.
Using a variety of digital tools, face-to-face seminars, hands-on and online activities, and drawing on a range of literature from educational technology, digital sociology and psychology, you will not only develop your critical understanding of issues around technology in education, you will also discuss, theorise and imagine, with other students, what probably, possible and preferable digital futures of education may look like.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Through an exploration and discussion of theoretical, professional and practical applications of new technology in education, the module aims to develop your critical understanding of how technology may shape the ways in which we think about teaching and learning, both now and in the future. There is a strong focus on the social nature of learning with new technology, digital literacies and creative practices with technology and you will familiarize yourself with a range of digital approaches for education, including social media, Augmented Reality and digital literacies. You will be strongly encouraged to reflect on and link back your ideas to your own practice and experiences.
Specifically the module will enable you to:
- develop a conceptual, critical and experiential understanding of the social and creative nature of learning with new technology;
- identify possible affordances of technological tools for teaching and learning;
- identify and interpret educational theory and research and relate this to educational practice and educational futures with new technology;
- identify and interpret evidence and discuss this in the context of academic and professional reading work independently and with originality;
- develop a critical understanding of ethical issues involved in teaching and learning with new technology
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate a systematic understanding of theoretical perspectives and practical concerns in the area of educational technology;
- 2. demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature of learning processes around new technologies, with a specific focus on social and digital aspects of teaching and learning and around possible educational futures;
- 3. demonstrate an ability to critically reflect on the affordances of technological tools for teaching and learning;
- 4. demonstrate an ability to synthesise relevant theoretical perspectives and arguments in current debates about core dilemmas in educational technology;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. identify systematically and evaluate insightfully current research and advanced scholarship relevant to the field of educational technology, creativity and thinking;
- 6. explore critically the multiple lenses through which the role of educational technologies for education, teaching and learning can be interpreted and developed;
- 7. evaluate and critique ideas and concepts encountered within the specialism in the light of different theoretical approaches;
- 8. apply theoretical insights, through critical reflection, to your study of the specialism;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. demonstrate the ability to identify and critically discuss current issues related to educational technologies and education;
- 10. demonstrate the ability to construct organised, structured, critically reflective and analytic writing;
- 11. demonstrate the ability to manage time and engagement in the context of masters level study that has a high level of independent study;
- 12. demonstrate the ability to take the initiative in contributing collaboratively in interactive learning contexts; and
- 13. demonstrate communication skills both oral and written and in on-line contexts.
Syllabus plan
Syllabus plan
The precise structure of the module varies year by year, but in general, we will focus on some of the key concepts of digital education, for instance computer-supported collaborative learning, collective intelligence, affordance theory and augmented reality.. We will engage with these ideas through a range of digital tools, hands-on workshops and seminars, as appropriate for the module.
In our sessions, we will aim to reflect on some of the current issues around the role of technology in education. While these issues may vary from year to year, topics can include the promise of openness versus the threat of surveillance, the role of trust in a networked age, and the constant evolution of digital literacies.. There will be opportunities to discuss your own experiences and ideas with fellow students.
We will also aim to incorporate practical experiences into the module, either through workshops or virtual activities. These may include work with educational games, AR/VR technology and coding, in order to further enhance your understanding of the links between digital technology, practice and pedagogy.
Throughout the module, you will participate in online activities, and online materials and digital tools will be made available for all students. You will be required to develop a digital portfolio, which will enable you to present your developing ideas to peers and to critically reflect on the module content and your own professional practice and the wider literature.
Contributions to online discussions and a reflection on your own learning will also form part of the work that will be assessed. There will be a variety of activities throughout the module, in which you will be asked to reflect, discuss and debate with other students.
This module is organised for both full and part-time students and the modes of delivery might differ for each of these groups.
Learning and teaching
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 270 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 30 | The teaching sessions will take on a variety of forms, including 30 hours of face to face and/or online seminars (1-3 hours) and online sessions via a range of collaboration tools (e.g. ELE) |
| Guided Independent Study | 120 | Engagement with specific online materials, videos, preparations for academic tutorials, preparing for seminar activities, responding to seminar, online activities and collaborative group tasks |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Preparation for assignments |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Set readings |
Assessment
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written assignment | 500 words | 1-8, 9, 11, 13 | Written tutor feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital portfolio | 70 | 4,000 words | 1-13 | Written summative feedback |
| Video blog (vlog) | 30 | 10 minutes (1,000 words equivalent) | 2-3, 6-7, 11, 13 | Written summative feedback |
Re-assessment
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital portfolio | Digital portfolio (4,000 words) | 1-13 | 6 weeks |
| Video blog (vlog) | Video blog (10 minutes /1,000 words) | 2-3, 6, 7, 11, 13 | 6 weeks |
Resources
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Aiello, P., D’elia, F., Di Tore, S. & Sibilio, M. (2012). A Constructivist Approach to Virtual Reality for Experiential Learning. E–Learning and Digital Media, 9(3). PP.317-324.
Albion P.R., Tondeur J. (2018) Information and Communication Technology and Education: Meaningful Change through Teacher Agency. In: Voogt J., Knezek G., Christensen R., Lai KW. (eds) Handbook of
Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53803-7_25-1
Burnett, C. & Merchant, G. (2018). New Media in the Classroom. SAGE Publications.Craft, A. (2011). Creativity and Educational Futures. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books
DeFreitas, S. (2018). Are Games Effective Learning Tools? A Review of Educational Games. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(2), pp. 74-84.
Facer, K., Craft, A., Jewitt, C., Mauger, S., Sandford, R., Sharples, M. (2011). Building Agency in the Face of Uncertainty. Outcome of ESRC Seminar Series on Educational Futures http://richardsandford.net/edfutures/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Building-Agency-in-the-Face-of-Uncertainty-Thinking-Tool.pdf
Gee, J. P., & Hayes, E. R. (2011). Language and learning in the digital age. Routledge.
Gillen, J. & Barton, D. (2010). Digital literacies. London Knowledge Lab, London. Gilliard, C. (2017) Pedagogy and the logic of platforms. Educause Review, July/August 2017. http://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/7/pedagogy-and-the-logic-of-platforms
Granger, C. A., Morbey, M. L., Lotherington, H., Owston, R. D., & Wideman, H. H. (2002). Factors contributing to teachers' successful implementation of IT. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 18(4), 480-488.
Hillman, T., Bergviken Rensfeldt, A. & Ivarsson, J. (2020). Brave new platforms: a possible platform future for highly decentralised schooling. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), pp. 7-16. DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2020.1683748
Inayatullah, S. (2008). Mapping Educational Futures. In Bussey, M., Inayatullah, S., Milosevic, I. (eds). (2008). Alternative Educational Futures: pedagogies for emergent worlds. Rotterdam/Taipei: Sense Publishers
Kukulska-Hulme, A.; Bossu, C.; Coughlan, T.; Ferguson, R.; et al. (2021). Innovating Pedagogy 2021: Open University Innovation Report 9. The Open University, Milton Keynes.
Lanchester, J. (2017). You are the Product. London Review of Books, 30(16): 3-10.
Pangrazio, L. & Selwyn, N. (2019). ‘Personal data literacies’: a critical literacies approach to enhancing understandings of personal digital data, New media & society, 21(2). pp. 419-437, doi: 10.1177/1461444818799523.
Pegrum, M. (2019) Mobile lenses on Learning: Languages and Literacies on the move. Singapore, Springer.
Provost, F., & Fawcett, T. (2013). Data science and its relationship to big data and data-driven decision making. Big data, 1(1), 51-59.
Reimers, F. M., Schleicher, A. & Anash, G. A (2020). Schooling disrupted, schooling rethought. How the Covid-19 pandemic is changing education. OECD.
Selwyn, N. (2019). Should robots replace teachers? : AI and the future of education. Cambridge, Polity PressShaffer, D. W. (2007) How computer games help children to learn. New York: Palgrave/MacMillan
Slade, S. and Prinsloo, P. (2013) Learning Analytics: ethical issues and dilemmas. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(10): 1510-1529
Steinkuehler, C., Squire, K. & Barab, S. (Eds) (2012). Games, learning, and society : learning and meaning in the digital age. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Wegerif, R. (2012) Dialogic: Education for the Internet Age. London, Routledge
Zawacki-Richter et al. (2019). Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education – where are the educators? Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 16:39 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0
Module has an active ELE page
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 2018 |
| Last revision date | 29/04/2022 |