25 Years of Ed Tech – Chapters 1-8

Photo by Chris Henderson, Book Cover Image by Bryan Mathers, Visual Thinkery

In reading the first third of Martin Wellers 2020 book 25 Years or Ed Tech, I had to remind myself of the limits of information technology in the era that Weller is recounting. At times, the question of why certain design decisions were made was bound by the capability of the technology at that time.

However, one problematic theme prevalent in multiple ed tech sections was the recurring assumption that digital education would generate significant cost savings (Weller, 2020, p. 24, 46-47). Some technologies, such as the Web, did lower the cost of entry to educational materials for learners (Weller, 2020, p. 19), and broadcast technologies decreased the cost of mass content delivery (Weller, 2020, p. 24). Yet, access to content and broadcast solutions are content delivery mechanisms and not effective pedagogies and learning environments.

Effective technology-mediated education at scale is a complex goal that must incorporate interdisciplinary concepts of sociology, psychology, neuroscience, ethics, language, culture, and context that cannot function as a mass-production model. The assumption seemed to be a narrow perspective on a wide boundary problem. In saying this, I don’t intend to impugn the incredible work done by the pioneers in this field or diminish the challenges they overcame; I’m primarily reflecting on the importance of intentional consideration of exclusion criteria when combined with reductionist perspectives and their potential to create unanticipated externalities.

Weller’s (2020) discussion on the redistribution of fixed and variable costs and the pervasive myth of low-cost e-learning was an excellent summary of how this perspective continues to appear (pp. 46-47). These chapters reminded me of the two papers I had recently read for my final assignment for LRNT-522. I had specifically chosen papers that discussed e-learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns for insight into how other education professionals experienced the sudden changes in the learning environment due to an urgent change during a crisis.

Two important and related concepts emerged from these papers that are relevant to Weller’s chapters, particularly the cost of e-learning and tutors. Josie Barnard’s 2023 paper focused on the rapid conversion of post-secondary creative writing workshops to online delivery during the UK lockdowns. The paper includes numerous illuminating perspectives, but one core principle was the fundamental requirement for feedback loops between cyberspace and real life among tutors and peers to produce a digital learning environment that supported the transition of a course that relied heavily on a nuanced in-person atmosphere (Barnard, 2023). Similarly, a 2022 case study by Mavroudi and Papanikolaou, compared the approaches taken by European distance education (DE) and traditional universities to switch to fully online delivery of their programs during the lockdowns. Like Barnard (2023), Mavroudi and Papanikolaou (2022) found that tutor-to-peer and peer-to-peer interactions were critical to successful engagement in online learning.

Thus, Weller’s (2020) comments about the myth of low-cost e-learning are still applicable today, particularly in relation to the importance of tutors and facilitators (pp. 46-47). The case studies by Barnard and Mavroudi and Papanikolaou provided empirical evidence of the importance of tutor-peer interactions for both the creation of effective learning environments and to foster learner engagement. As such, the idea of low-cost e-learning disregards the role (and costs) of educators in facilitating successful learning.

Post Script

Both articles I mentioned in this blog are worth reading, particularly to compare to your own experiences as educators or education technologists during the COVID-19 lockdowns. They are also great resources to include in your literature review if you plan to digitize an in-person program. They provide many helpful evidence-based insights and perspectives from accomplished scholars.

References

Barnard, J. (2023). Cyber nuts and bolts: Effective participatory online learning, theory and practice. Convergence: The International Journal of Research and New Media Technologies 29(1), 116-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221150343

Mavroudi, A., & Papanikolaou, K. (2022). A case study on how distance education may inform post-pandemic university teaching. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 23(4), 57-74. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v23i4.6245

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