The social construction of educational technology through the use of authentic software tools

Jones, Allan and Bissell, Christopher (2011). The social construction of educational technology through the use of authentic software tools. Research in Learning Technology, 19(3) pp. 285–297.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21567069.2011.624995

URL: http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index....

Abstract

A major strand of science and technology studies (STS) in recent decades has related to the ‘social construction of technology’ (SCOT) movement, whose adherents maintain that technological systems are determined just as much by social forces as by technological ones. Taking this SCOT notion as a starting point, and putting a focus on the user, this paper looks at some examples of the educational use of software tools which exploit the functionality of the software in ways far removed from the original design. Examples include the use of spreadsheets, graphics editors and audio editors, and online translation software. Connections are made between the social construction of technology and constructivist pedagogy, particularly in relation to authentic learning.

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