Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates

Description

Will technology replace the school and university? Will technology replace the teacher? What do we really know about technology and learning? Does technology make education more individualized? What does the future hold for technology and education? What can be learnt from the history of technology use in education? In a thoroughly revised edition of this successful book, Neil Selwyn takes a critical look at some of the major current debates and controversies concerning digital technologies and education. Focusing on the social as well as the technical aspects of these issues, Selwyn addresses fundamental but often unvoiced questions about education and technology. Over the course of eight chapters, the book gives careful thought to the people, practices, processes and structures behind the rapidly increasing use of technologies in education, with an emphasis on the implications of digital technologies for individuals and institutions. The book focuses attention on the connections between recent technology developments and broader changes in education practice, education policy and education theory over the past 10 years. It also challenges us to reflect on future directions and controversies for education in the (post)digital age. Expanded study questions, annotated further reading and a new glossary of key terms are included to support readers. An updated companion website links to two bonus chapters and audio recordings of the questions for further discussion found at the end of each chapter.

Neil Selwyn is Professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Australia.

[This] is a useful critical overview for anyone wishing to explore the area and adopts a social dimension to understanding technology. Each chapter provides a useful summary as well as opportunities to explore ideas further with a well-chosen and digestible reading list. * Media Education Research Journal (of the first edition) * Offers an informed and carefully argued perspective on the role of information technology in education, adopting historical and critical perspectives in its attempt to produce a shift towards a more evidence-based approach. If the book is relevant to you, I recommend that you buy it. * British Journal of Educational Technology (of the first edition) * Education and Technology is a clear and readable account raising important questions and debates about how educationalists use and think about technology. This is a highly stimulating book which provides a great resource for anyone interested in or working with technology and education. * #ALTC: Association for Learning Technology blog * This book is essential reading for today's educator. It digs beneath the surface of popular debates and misconceptions by asking difficult questions about the role of digital technology in education. Selwyn invites much needed debate on key social issues and looks ahead to the digital future as we try to produce more critical thinkers, critical consumers and critical citizens. -- Mark Brown, Associate Professor and Director of Blended and Distance Education, Massey University, New Zealand (of the first edition) An updated and nuanced presentation of key issues and debates regarding education - where technology is increasingly gaining ground. The book itself serves as an important contribution to the actual debate as it helps us to see wider than the more well-known and polarized views of opponents or proponents of technology. In so doing, Selwyn carefully introduces the reader to central aspects regarding education, and he demonstrates how various ideologies influence the processes of implementation of technologies within educational systems. I warmly recommend this book to everyone interested in the topic - students, researchers, scholars and policymakers! * Cathrine Tomte, Research Professor at the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, Norway * Neil Selwyn is one of the best observers of the ICT-driven transformation of education. His critical analysis shows a deep understanding of the threats and opportunities for schooling in a digital age. Selwyn's book reveals the overselling of ICT in education at the same time as the potential for individualized learning beyond its rhetoric. His institutional perspective shows the forces of persistence within the institution as well as across the teaching profession to fundamental changes like ICT-driven innovation. * Andreas Breiter, Professor for Information Management and Educational Technologies, Institute for Information Management, University of Bremen, Germany * The main contribution of the book is to show how technology in education is complex, contrary to the straightforward, simplistic and linear view that prevails in popular discourses about technology. In doing so, the book clearly goes beyond the pointless "technophobia vs technophilia" debate to give a much more interesting picture of the relationship between technology and education, highlighting the genuine significance of this field of study. Still, and as always with Neil's writings, the content is very accessible (no useless technical or conceptual terms). For this reason, this book should definitely be compulsory for all students, teachers and researchers interested in technology and education, as it is a great example of how a critical perspective can positively contribute to having a better understanding of the daily educational life. * Simon Collin, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), Canada * I would highly recommend this book to all students and researchers engaged in the study of Education and Technology. It is an insightful and highly readable text that provides the reader with a well-informed, comprehensive view of the area connecting theory, policy and practice. Throughout, the book moves beyond the instrumental perspectives of much writing in educational technology and encourages the reader to take a more critical stance when researching the field. An engaging and thought-provoking book that should become a standard read for those involved with any aspect of education and technology. * Rebecca Eynon, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor, Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK * The author shares his own journey in the changing philosophy around technology and its potential for transformation. The discourse of progress is well explored and the debate around digital disruption is interesting. The layout of the book is effective and accessible even to level 4 students. * Cheryl Hedges, Newman University, UK * Useful resource for students considering teacher training and also lecturers to evaluate and enhance their use of technology. * Ann Gorecki, University of Winchester, UK * A thought provoking insight into the way technology has impacted upon education. It seeks to raise issues and challenge the reader to reflect on what is often considered to be the traditional rhetoric surrounding technology in education - for that alone it is a valuable read and well worth the time spent reading it. I recommend anyone with an interest in the debate into the impact of technology in education to invest in a copy. * David Wooff, Edge Hill University, UK *