Posted by sv303
30 January 202307 February 2023
09:00 – 10:30 (UK time)
Professor Neil Selwyn – Monash University
Better Ed-Tech – why we need to develop forms of Ed-Tech that are better for people, better for communities & better for the planet
It is becoming increasingly evident that the mass application of digital technologies in education is turning out to be far more problematic (and far less beneficial) than we were led to believe. Students and teachers are now dependent on digital systems, software and devices that are reinforcing some of the worst aspects of contemporary institutionalised education – standardisation of practice, continuous monitoring and surveillance, inflexible managerialism, and the increasing corporate capture of public education. At the same time, these digital technologies seem to be exacerbating social inequalities, and working to disadvantage the already disadvantaged. Perhaps most seriously, it is beginning to be realised that the mass production, consumption and disposal of digital technologies comes at an increasingly unacceptable environmental cost.
All told, it seems sensible to contend that current forms of EdTech are neither environmentally nor socially sustainable in the medium to long term. In this spirit, Neil Selwyn argues that we need to begin to think radically differently about possible futures of education and technology in light of impending climate breakdown and eco-compromised conditions. In particular, he will go through a number of different ways in which new approaches toward EdTech might be developed that make dramatically reduced planetary demands, while also genuinely advantaging the disadvantaged. This presentation will set out to convince you that something different has to be done in the world of EdTech… the most pressing question is how radical we are prepared to be!
About the Speaker
Neil Selwyn is a Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Education, Monash University who has worked for the past 25 years researching the integration of digital technology into schools, universities and adult learning. He is recognised as a leading international researcher in the area of digital education – with particular expertise in the ‘real-life’ constraints and problems faced when technology-based education is implemented. He is currently working on nationally funded projects examining the roll-out of educational data and learning analytics, AI technologies, and the changing nature of teachers’ digital work.
The speaker will be delivering this lecture online and to an in person gathering on St Luke’s Campus (Lecture Theatre EMS G18). Please register via Eventbrite to reserve a place.