Learning, the Internet and Society

Learning, the Internet and Society Academic Year 2013-14 Hilary Term Day and Time: Thursdays 2pm-4pm Location: Seminar Room G/H, Department of Education, 15 Norham Gardens Course Convenor Dr Rebecca Eynon, Oxford Internet Institute, rebecca.eynon@oii.ox.ac.uk This course is co-taught by the Department of Education. For all comments and enquiries please contact Rebecca Eynon. Background The Internet and related technologies have significant implications for learning within and outside the classroom. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to transform how, what and where people learn, facilitate or inhibit people s access to educational opportunities, challenge existing ideas of what the purpose and nature of formal education is and what the future of education should be. Over the 8 weeks of this course the changing nature of society and technology and the implications this has for learning will be explored from a range of theoretical, empirical and policy perspectives. Course Objectives This course will provide students with an opportunity to understand and explore some of the debates around the use of the Internet for learning in relation to the academic literature on this topic; and will also draw on theories and concepts from other research that investigates the social implications of the Internet in other areas of everyday life. At the end of the course students will have a critical understanding of the theoretical debates, key concepts and appropriate methodologies that could be used to explore this rapidly developing area. Learning Outcomes 1. Gain an in-depth understanding of the potential of the Internet for learning in a variety of contexts 2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the theoretical perspectives which have been developed to understand learning and new technologies 3. Develop an ability to assess and evaluate the inter-related factors that affect the success of using the Internet for learning and education 4. Understand how research on learning and new technologies can benefit from, and contribute to, theories and concepts from other research that investigates the social implications of the Internet 1

Teaching Arrangements The course will be taught during Hilary term in eight weekly classes, each consisting of a lecture followed by student discussion. Assessment Students will be assessed through a final essay that is no longer than 5000 words which must be submitted to the Examinations School by 12 noon of Monday of Week 1 of Trinity term. Students may choose a question on a topic related to their research interests in consultation with the Course Tutor (Rebecca Eynon) in advance. The essay should be clearly related to the topics of the course. Formative Assessment Students will also be required to write one short (advised length: 1500-3000 words) essay on any of the 8 topics covered. This essay will provide a means for students to obtain feedback on the progress they have achieved. Submission of Assignments All coursework should be submitted in person to the Examinations School by the stated deadline. All coursework should be put in an envelope and must be addressed to The Chairman of Examiners for the MSc in Social Science of the Internet C/o The Clerk of Examination Schools, High Street. Students should also ensure they add the OII coversheet at the top of the coursework and that two copies of the coursework are submitted. An electronic copy will also need to be submitted to the department. Please note that all coursework will be marked anonymously and therefore only your candidate number is required on the coversheet. Please note that work submitted after the deadline will be processed in the standard manner and, in addition, the late submission will be reported to the Proctors' Office. If a student is concerned that they will not meet the deadline they must contact their college office or examinations school for advice. For further information on submission of assessments to the examinations school please refer to http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/schools/oxonly/submissions/index.shtml. For details on the regulations for late and non-submissions please refer to the Proctors website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/info/pam/section9.shtml. If a student fails a piece of coursework they will need to resubmit in September. The resubmission dates will be assigned by the examinations school nearer the date. Please refer the examinations school website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/schools/oxonly/timetables/index.shtml. Topics 1. Theories of the Internet and society 2. Digital inclusion and ICT4D 3. Assistive learning technologies 4. Technological drivers 5. Digital youth 6. Digital literacies 7. Social media and learning 8. Future trends in the role of technology in learning 2

Key to Readings A reading list is given below for each class. Those items marked with an asterisk (*) are essential reading and MUST be read by all students in preparation for the class. Items which are not marked with an asterisk are additional readings. A pre-course reading list is available for those students who have no background in educational studies. Further readings will be introduced during the sessions. General Readings Andrews, Richard N. L. Haythornthwaite, Caroline Illeris, Knud The Sage Handbook of e-learning Research. 2007. Sage. London. How we Learn: learning and non-learning in school and beyond. 2007. Routledge. London. Selwyn, Neil Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates. 2011. Continuum: London Week 1: Theories of the Internet and Society This session will provide an introduction to the module, critically exploring what we mean by learning and the role of education in society; and the relationships between learning, the Internet and society. * Castells, Manuel Mulcahy, DG Selwyn, Neil UNESCO The Network Society: a cross-cultural perspective. 2004. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Chapter 1 What Should it Mean to Have a Liberal Education in the 21st Century? 2009. Curriculum Inquiry, 39(3), 465-486. Education in a Digital World. Global Perspectives on Technology and Education. 2013. London: Routledge. Chapter 4 Toward knowledge societies. 2005. Paris: UNESCO Publishing Chapters 1 & 2 * Webster, Frank Theories of the Information Society, 3rd ed. 2006. London: Routledge. Chapter 2 3

Week 2: Digital Inclusion and ICT4D This session will explore the various dimensions of the digital divide in relation to learning and education. What the digital divide means for educational policy and practice and how education can play a role in overcoming these divides will be a key focus of the discussion including the growing attention on OER and MOOCs. Graham, Mark Time Machines and Virtual Portals: The spatialities of the digital divide. 2011. Progress in Development Studies 11 (3) pp. 211-227 * Hatakka, Mathias Build it and they will come? Inhibiting factors for reuse of open content in developing countries. 2009. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 37(5). Selinger, Michelle ICT for Education: catalyst for development. In, Unwin, T. (ed) ICT4D: Information Communication Technology for Development. 2009. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Selwyn, Neil Education in a Digital World: Global Perspectives on Technology and Education. 2013. London: Routledge, chapter 7. Traxler, J. Ng gambi, D. Snapshot of Africa s Mobile Learning Milestones: Guest editorial preface for special issue on mobile learning in Africa. 2012. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 4 (2) pp. i- iv. * van Dijk, Jagm Digital divide research, achievements and shortcomings. 2006. Poetics, 34 (4-5) pp. 221-235. Week 3: Assistive Learning Technologies This session will explore assistive learning technologies, or digital technologies designed to support learners with special needs in education with the aim of building up a picture of the state of research in the field. (*) Abbott, Chris et al Learning difference and digital technologies: a literature review of research involving children and young people using assistive technologies 2007-2010. 2011. Alper, Sandra Raharinirina, Sahoby Assistive technology for individuals with disabilities: a review and synthesis of the literature. 2006. Journal of Special Education Technology, 21 (2), 47-64 4

Edyburn, Dave L. * Griffiths, Tom Price, Katie Understanding the quality of the science supporting the special education technology evidence base. 2010. Journal of Special Education Technology, 25(1), 63-68 A proposed framework for decision-making for assistive communication technology support: many perspectives, but one common goal. 2011. Journal of Assistive Technologies, 5(4), 242-248. Week 4: Technical Drivers This session will critically consider how we conceptualise technology in learning and technology research. Arthur, W. Brian The Nature of Technology: What it is and how it evolves. 2009. London: Allen Lane. Chapter 1 * Dale, Roger Robertson, Susan Shortis, T. MacKenzie, Donald Wajcman, Judy Oliver, M. You can t not go with the technological flow, can you? constructing ICT and teaching and learning. 2004. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20, pp. 456-70. Introductory Essay: The Social Shaping of Technology, in D. MacKenzie and J. Wajcman (eds). The Social Shaping of Technology. 1985. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. pp. 2-26 Technological determinism in educational technology research: some alternative ways of thinking about the relationship between learning and technology. 2011. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27: no. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00406.x * Selwyn, Neil Looking beyond learning: notes towards the critical study of educational technology. 2010. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26, 65 73. Week 5: Digital Youth This session will consider how young people use the Internet and other new media in their everyday lives and the implications this may have for learning. * Davies, Chris Eynon, Rebecca Teenagers and Technology. 2012. London: Routledge. Chapter 5 5

*Ito, Mizuko et al. Takahashi, Toshie Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media. 2009. MA: MIT Press. "My Space or Mixi? Japanese engagement with SNS in the global age". 2010. New Media & Society, 12(3) 453-475 Thorne, Barrie Childhood : changing and dissonant meanings. 2009. International Journal of Learning and Media, 1(1), 19 27. Week 6: Digital literacies This session will explore competing definitions of digital literac(ies), and how schools can support the development of the associated skills and competencies. Ba, Harouna Tally, William Tsikalas, Kallen Buckingham, David *Bawden, David Investigating children's emerging digital literacies. 2002. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 1(4), 1-49. Digital Media Literacies: rethinking media education in the age of the Internet. Research in Comparative and International Education, 2(1), 43-55 Origins and Concepts of Digital Literacy. In, Lankshear, C and Knobel, M. Digital Literacies: Concepts, Policies and Practices. 2008. Peter Lang. New York. *Jenkins, Henry et al Willetts, Rebekah Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. 2006. The MacArthur Foundation. Young people s video production as sites of learning. In Carrington, V and Robinson, M. Digital Literacies: Social Learning and Classroom Practices. 2009. Sage. London. Week 7: Social Media and Learning This session will focus on the complex question of whether or not social media as they are currently constituted really do deliver the "social" that is claimed to be at the heart of the learning process. Boyd, Danah Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites in MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning - Youth, Identity and Digital Media Volume (ed. David Buckingham). 2007. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 119-142. 6

* Friesen, Norm Lowe, S Greenhow, Christine Robelia, Beth The questionable promise of social media for education: connective learning and the commercial imperative. 2012. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(3) 183 194. Informal learning and identity formation in online social networks. 2009. Learning, Media and Technology, 34(2), 119-140. * Selwyn, Neil Faceworking: exploring students' education related use of Facebook. 2009. Learning, Media and Technology. 34(2)157-174. Rollett, Herwig et al The Web 2.0 way of learning with technologies. 2007. International Journal of Learning Technology, 3(1), 87-107. Week 8: Future trends in the role of technology in learning This session will explore what the future of education and learning may be; both in terms of what people will need to learn in order to participate effectively in society and how technical innovations may support learning in novel ways Czerniewicz, Laura Distinguishing the Field of Educational Technology. 2008. The Electronic Journal of e-learning, 6(3), 171-178. Davies, Chris Eynon, Rebecca Studies of the Internet in Learning and Education: Broadening the Disciplinary Landscape of Research In: Dutton, W.H. 2013. The Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies. Oxford University Press: Oxford. * Facer, Keri Learning Futures: Education, Technology and Social Change. London: Routledge (introduction). Educause *Kay, Alan Horizon Report. 2013. Available at, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/hr2013.pdf Computers, Networks and Education" - Scientific American Magazine. Special Issue on Communications, Computers, and Networks, September, 1999. 7