Adventurous Collaborations: EdTech Models from Experimentation to Application
A new report has been published in the Versnellingsplan developed through case studies and interviews by yours truly. Find it here in English and Dutch.
Here in the Netherlands, there is a lot of energy being put into educational technologies. Procurement, creation, budgeting and of course, innovating the world of teaching and research with new tools. While the pandemic has certainly brought forward (digital) challenges for the Dutch education system, it’s good to remind ourselves that the ‘educational’ part of EdTech does not have to be tied to the classroom.
Educational technologies change and or shape didactics, pedagogy and of course, curriculum. They are the movers of teachers ideas and the active participant in both drama regarding homework or new workshops in class. They are the technologies we take for granted every time we open the door to our schools and take the brunt of criticism when they do not work. Like many technologies, EdTech is used to move ideas and create work.
While many of us have nightmares of math assignment submission buttons failing to work or reading through unsearchable PDF’s, the plethora of EdTech tech in schools cannot be understated. In fact, this is where the really key thing to understand about the ‘EdTech’ world is; if educational technologies are about incentivizing/shaping/spreading learning, then we have to seriously consider what kind of technologies we want to learn from. In other words, the attention we pay to our technologies will shift our focus in and out of different topics, subjects and ways of thinking. Therefore, we have to recognize that what technologies you use in your every day will shape and develop how and what you learn about.
If you agree that the technologies you use change what and how you learn about, then perhaps it is important to consider what is next. For me, wearables come to mind. FitBit and Apple Watches have inspired users of them to think more about their bodies, health, and overall conceptions of ‘good sleep’ based on the interpretation of data points. What’s next requires us to recognize that a reliance on these technologies becomes much more apparent. Similar to relying on a calculator for simple math problems, users may find a new reliance on the advice (or assurance) of their devices.
Developing dependence aside, the work of eHealth apps and devices could be considered a new kind of EdTech. These devices not only could change your mind about drinking one more glass of wine, but could also challenge you about how many steps you think you walked that day. Instead of handing you the answers, technologies like these have the opportunity to activate your thinking about your health in innovative ways.
While perhaps not the most exciting conclusion to consider, realizing that the ‘educational’ part of EdTech is not necessarily of an institutional nature can serve a purpose in understanding the profound effect these tools have on our ways of living. Just as every person you meet can teach you something new, so can most, if not all, technologies you interact with.
