Reflections on research into digital learning – lecture at BURCH University (Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herz.)

By Ibrar Bhatt on October 18, 2014 • ( Leave a comment )

The following is the Prezi for my session at BURCH International University on Thursday 9th October 2014.

Also available here: https://prezi.com/gi73acm6l3s1/reflections-on-digital-literacy-research-and-digital-methodologies-burch-international-university-sarajevo-bosnia-herz-9th-oct-2014/#

In this lecture, I talked about how research into digital learning and literacies can sometimes be characterised by hype, the kind of hype that reflects how we talk about new technologies when they emerge. I discussed how a focus on the mundane practices of digital technology, and the kinds of new societies which emerge through their use, should be a useful source of inquiry, especially as educationalists seek to understand digital practices and then harness them for pedagogic purposes.

This is also reflected in some of the tweets which went out during and after the talk:

There is a recurring rhetoric of recycled hype with regards to Tech innovations. #EdTech should be based on actual practice #DigiMethods

— Ibrar Bhatt (@linguistics12) October 9, 2014

Educational innovations shape societal practices. With #EdTech it’s the reverse: proliferation of societal use forces classroom change — Ibrar Bhatt (@linguistics12) October 9, 2014

Therefore #EdTech research should use learner practices as a foundational basis & not an a priori notion of what works

— Ibrar Bhatt (@linguistics12) October 9, 2014

This means ethnographic & ethnomethodological studies of learner practices are a key to understanding digital practices. — Ibrar Bhatt (@linguistics12) October 9, 2014

And accounts of ‘on the ground’ practices are also key to producing & evaluating institutional digital learning strategies in education.

— Ibrar Bhatt (@linguistics12) October 9, 2014