Category: LRNT 523

Under the guise of environmentally friendly paperless classrooms and commuteless classroom attendance lays a deep environmental crisis rooted in technology itself. Unbeknownst to many, technology comes with a significant carbon footprint. With the rapid digitalization as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the carbon impact is accelerating at a significant rate with recent estimates of the internet’s carbon dioxide equivalent emissions coming in at 1.7 billion tonnes in the year 2020 alone (Jisc, 2022). Moreover, 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide in 2019 (World Health Organization, 2021). 

As we live through a so-called technological or digital revolution, each year that passes brings with it exceptional advances in technology and the way that we operate within society. The advancement is fast with innovation dictating a seamlessly never-ending cycle of production and consumption while sidestepping the reality of finite resources and inadequate digital recycling processes. The world of Ed Tech is very much a forward-looking field in which innovation and transformation are the focus, with less time spent on the present and learning from failures of the past (Selwyn, Panrazio, et al., 2019). Meanwhile, as we embrace each new technology, many of which are packaged in a new device or tool, our e-waste grows. Selwyn (2021) points out that recycling devices is often simply dumping them in some of the poorest regions in the world contributing to increased levels of pollution, contamination and toxic waste. This is concerning and a warning to us all.

Fast forward to 2030, a mere eight years from now where Sophia, a 9-year-old girl in Alberta, Canada, is enrolled in grade four at her local community school. Her school is digitally driven and prides itself on only using the latest and most advanced technology to enhance learning in order to provide the best education possible. In an effort to reduce travel-related carbon emissions, Sophia’s classroom has stopped taking a yearly field trip to the nearby mountains to study the local ecosystem and instead uses a virtual reality application to provide an immersive learning experience allowing them to simulate exploring an area that they would not be able to if they were there on foot (Adžgauskaitė et al., 2020). Sophia wonders what the trees smell like and imagines going there one day, in real life. However, she doesn’t realize that that same forested area would be destroyed in a fire the following year as hot and dry conditions have persisted over the last decade. Sophia is used to summers with smoke-filled skies due to the increasing prevalence of forest fires. It is all she has known. To her, it is normal and she doesn’t think about it all that often. She doesn’t visit or spend time in forests, at least not in real life, and doesn’t feel personally connected to them in any way. Always striving to keep up with the latest advances in educational technology, Sophia’s school invests a considerable amount of money into upgrading devices and software each year and ensures each student has access to their own personal computing devices, including a laptop and a tablet. The school prioritizes the recycling of devices upon upgrading and has them delivered to an electronic recycling management program in an effort to dispose of them responsibly. 

As predicted by the World Health Organization (2021), the amount of e-waste has grown to 74.7 million tonnes, overwhelming landfills in low and middle-income countries. There are now 109 million jobs in waste management, up 70% from 2019, with many of these jobs managing e-waste. 9-year-old, Avi has been working informally in a landfill in Seelampur, India since he was 5. He collects parts from digital devices shipped from high-income countries to be dumped as e-waste. Avi is having a hard time breathing as of late and is often coughing and wheezing throughout the day and night. As a child, Avi has a faster breathing rate and smaller lungs compared to adults, making it easier to absorb and harder to metabolize the pollutants he breathes in each day (World Health Organization, 2021). Avi doesn’t attend school as he has to work full-time to contribute to his family’s income to buy food and meet their basic needs. 

Back in Canada, on a shore near Bamfield on Vancouver Island, a killer whale lies lifeless. This is the second one to wash ashore in weeks. The Southern Resident Killer Whale, classified as endangered in Canada and the United States of America since 2003, has seen its population reduced from 73 to 64 since 2021 (Government of Canada, 2021). These killer whales are some of the most contaminated marine animals in the world (Garrett & Ross, 2010) and the impact of toxins entering the oceans from e-waste landfills through seepage and acid rain, affecting their food source, has continued to grow in recent years (Belmont Trading, 2017). Without significant intervention, these killer whales, along with many other species of marine life will face extinction. 

Returning to the present time, it is important to note that these speculative stories are not based solely on the result of e-waste, but rather as part of a complex system contributing harm to life on earth and thus illustrating the need for systems thinking approach when considering the future. This story also illustrates the interconnectedness of the world with the impact of e-waste returning to Canada through the ocean ecosystem. In an interview discussing decolonizing design, design anthropologist Dori Tunstall (2019) shares the concept of designing ourselves back into the environment in a way that human-centred design is decentralized and humans become part of the larger ecosystem in a relational model. We need to be accountable to the earth – to the trees, the water, the soil, the air – and consider the most vulnerable as we design, produce and consume technology with a do no harm approach. This includes sourcing more sustainable, renewable materials to create and sustain electronic and technological devices, improving the longevity of device use, corporate responsibility for product end-life, and effective recycling practices (Selwyn, 2021). Specifically, within the field of educational technology, consideration needs to be given to educational provision and practice with ecological responsibility prioritized (Selwyn, Hillman, et al., 2019).  Furthermore, a shift in beliefs and attitudes is warranted to slow down innovation and live, work, and learn within planetary limits, finding contention within an adequate teaching and learning framework.  Understanding and considering ‘all our relations’ in the decision-making and planning process is an ethical approach we must take across all sectors, not just educational technology, for a healthy and sustainable future for all. 

References

Adžgauskaitė, M., Abhari, K., & Pesavento, M. (2020). How virtual reality is changing the future of learning in K-12 and beyond using needs-affordances-features perspective. In HCI International Late Breaking Papers: Cognition, Learning and Games: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp.279-298). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60128-7_22

Belmont Trading. (2017, January 30). Examining the impact of ewaste on marine life. https://www.belmont-trading.com/2017/01/examining-the-impact-of-ewaste-on-marine-life/

Garret, C. & Ross, P. (2010). Recovering resident killer whales: a guide to contaminant sources, mitigation, and regulations in British Columbia. https://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/D/690987332.pdf

Government of Canada. (2021). Killer whale (orcinus orca), northeast pacific southern resident population. https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/699-5

Jisc. (2020). Exploring digital carbon footprints. https://repository.jisc.ac.uk/8782/1/exploring-digital-carbon-footprints-report.pdf

Selwyn, N., Hillman, T., Eynon, R., Ferreira, G., Knox, J., Macgilchrist, F., & Sancho-Gil, J. M. (2019). What’s next for ed-tech? critical hopes and concerns for the 2020s. Learning, Media & Technology, 45(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1694945

Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2019). What might the school of 2030 be like? an exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1694944 

Selwyn, N. (2021). Ed-tech within limits: anticipating educational technology in times of environmental crisis. E-Learning and Digital Media, 18(5), 496–510. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530211022951 

Tunstall, D. (2019, January 31). Respecting our relations: Dori Tunstall on decolonizing design [Interview transcript]. The Jacobs Institute. https://jacobsdesigncal.medium.com/respecting-our-relations-dori-tunstall-on-decolonizing-design-d894df4c2ed2

World Health Organization. (2021). Children and digital dumpsites: e-waste exposure and child health. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/341718/9789240023901-eng.pdf

The year 2030 is less than 8 years away and yet within a so-called technological revolution, each year that passes brings with it exceptional advances in technology and the way that we operate within society. The advancement is fast. Innovation dictates how we can continuously do things better. But where is the limit? Will we ever reach or be satisfied with ‘good enough’? What is the impact, in particular on the environment, of continuous innovation? 

The world of Ed Tech is very much a forward-looking field in which innovation and transformation are the focus, with less time spent on the present and learning from failures of the past (Selwyn et al., 2019). Meanwhile, as we embrace each new technology, many of which are packaged in a new device or tool, our e-waste grows. Selwyn (2021) points out that recycling devices is often simply dumping them in some of the poorest regions in the world contributing to increased levels of pollution, contamination and toxic waste. This is concerning and a warning to us all.

Although the year 2030 may bring with it exciting and transformative innovations to improve education and learning, we must consider the cost of this innovation by looking at the impact on the environment and the survival of humans on earth. Does continuous innovation bring us closer to our devices and reliance on technology while simultaneously facilitating a lost connection to our roots and our land? As the gap in connection to the land grows, do we care about it less?

I look forward to digging deeper into these questions and considering the future of Ed Tech from a sustainability perspective as I write my final essay for LRNT 523.

References

Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2019). What might the school of 2030 be like? an exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1694944 

Selwyn, N. (2021). Ed-tech within limits: anticipating educational technology in times of environmental crisis. E-Learning and Digital Media, 18(5), 496–510. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530211022951 

Dr. Judith Pete is a lecturer and project coordinator at Tangaza University College in Kenya, Africa. I chose to highlight Dr. Pete after listening to her speak in the 25 Years of Ed Tech Between the Chapters (2021) podcast on Open Educational Resources (OER), and getting a sense of her deep passion and commitment to improving access to quality education in Africa. Pete grew up in a village in Kenya where she struggled to gain access to education, however, she eventually received a scholarship to pursue post-secondary studies where she began to explore how education could be accessible and affordable for marginalized communities (Pete, 2014).

Reflecting on her educational journey during the podcast with Pasquini (2021), Pete describes herself as a “transformed person who is also out, ready to transform others” (25:19). Her educational experience led her to discover OER and see its great potential for increasing access to education in Africa, while also recognizing the criticality of this access within the global community to prevent further divide from the ‘North’ (Pete, 2014). Pete’s PhD research focused on the role of OER in increasing access to University education among the marginalized communities in Kenya and she has since been involved in several studies looking at the impact of OER and online education within the African context. Pete belongs to the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN), a global network of PhD candidates whose research focuses on OER, where she led a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (EDI) project looking at how open research communities could be more diverse, equitable and inclusive (Farrow, 2109). More recently, Pete has been advocating for the open use of data to counter the impact of climate change in Africa. Pete is an incredible advocate for OER while also serving as an inspirational role model for young girls in Africa. I believe that this is just the beginning of her story and impact on access to quality education in Africa. 

References

Farrow, R. (2019, March 12). Diversity, equity and inclusion project. Global OER Graduate Network. https://go-gn.net/research/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-project/ 

Global OER Graduate Network. (n.d.). GO-GN. https://go-gn.net/ 

Open Data Day. (2020, April 21). Opening up data to counter climate change in Kenya: Open data day 2020 report. Open Knowledge Foundation. https://blog.okfn.org/2020/04/21/opening-up-data-to-counter-climate-change-in-kenya-open-data-day-2020-report/ 

Pasquini, L. (Host). (2021, January 21). Between the chapters: Sharing about OER & our open practices (No. 11) [Audio podcast episode]. In 25 Years of Ed Tech. Transistor. https://25years.opened.ca/2021/01/27/between-the-chapters-oer/ 

Pete, J. (n.d.). Dr. Judith Pete. Google Scholar [Profile]. https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=kJPx3lsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao 

Pete, J. (2014, June 23). The role of OER in increasing access to University education among the marginalized communities in Kenya [Video]. Video Lectures. http://videolectures.net/ocwc2014_pete_marginalized_communities/ 

After reading the second third of 25 Years of Ed Tech, I am again reflecting on the history of many innovations in Ed Tech and my interaction (or lack of) with each. As time has advanced in the book, I see my personal history intertwined with each passing chapter. The chapters I have read this week have been less surprising, however interesting to learn of the origins, success, and failures of innovations in Ed Tech. 

Weller (2020) describes the introduction of social media, in particular Twitter, as being a revolutionary way to make connections globally and engage in meaningful discussions across disciplines. The democratization of the academic space through the use of social media has increased the importance of establishing an online identity. Weller (2020) uses the example of keynote speakers often being those with a solid online identity rather than a lengthy list of publications. I believe this to be the case across many, if not all sectors. In our current time, to amplify your voice, you likely need to have an established online identity with frequent and meaningful contributions to content and dialogue. 

In the chapter on Open Educational Resources (OER), Weller (2020) identifies the value of OER while also indicating the role that privilege can play in open education. In the Between the Chapters podcast, Laura Pasquini (2021) describes open education as being focused on “access and equity” (28:28). Although I wholeheartedly agree with this statement and the concept of open education and OER, I come from 15 years of work in community education in the not-for-profit sector and offer a different perspective. Managing an underfunded organization with limited opportunities to fundraise meant having to charge for much of our resources and education. In my heart, I wanted to be able to offer everything for free, yet the systems in place meant I could not. Many of our partner organizations with more robust funding could provide more resources at no cost and this was frustrating. From a not-for-profit perspective, funding can lead to privilege. When considering OER and open education, equity and access should be considered across the whole system, not just from the user perspective.

References

Pasquini, L. (Host). (2021, January 21). Between the chapters: Sharing about OER & our open practices (No. 11) [Audio podcast episode]. In 25 Years of Ed Tech. Transistor. https://25years.opened.ca/2021/01/27/between-the-chapters-oer/ 

Weller, M. (2020). 25 years of ed tech. Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771993050.01 

After reading the first 8 chapters of 25 Years of Ed Tech, I feel that I have been living under a rock in many ways. The overall history of Ed tech is surprising to me because it dates further back than I had previously thought. In 1998, I was signing up for my first email address and unbeknownst to me, the first fully online undergraduate course would be developed in 1999 (Weller, 2020). I am left feeling fascinated at what was growing in the field of Ed Tech that I was completely unaware of. 

Reading these chapters lead me to reflect on my own experience and beliefs concerning Ed Tech. Weller (2020) discussed the creation and relevance of Wikipedia as one of the biggest successes of wikis. Weller describes Wikipedia as a useful tool in higher education and one with very few errors (2020). This immediately confronted my distrust in Wikipedia and caused me to navigate back to my undergraduate years as the source of this distrust. During this time, I remember being explicitly told not to use Wikipedia as it was not a reliable source of information. I took this instruction as a golden rule and have not looked back until enrolling in the MALAT program and found myself surprised when an instructor offered an idea, linking to further reading from Wikipedia. This was a moment that opened my eyes to the world and possibilities beyond a textbook in a formal education setting. Reading Weller’s (2020) chapter on wikis has, in a sense, granted me permission to trust Wikipedia and has reminded me that I likely have much to unlearn from my instructivist experience in my undergraduate years as I embrace the constructivist learning environment afforded in the MALAT program. 

References

Weller, M. (2020). 25 years of ed tech. Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771993050.01