Education Technology Society

In this episode, Dr. Lulu Shi (University of Oxford) talks about the her new research around the economic and political agendas of tech firms and policymakers driving the digitalisation of education in the UK. Lulu’s work is already raising interesting findings. Amongst other things, we talk about the influence of effective altruism on UK government thinking around tech, and the ambitions of firms such as Duolingo to profit from testing and accreditation.Accompanying material >>   More information on Lulu’s research and career to date

Wayne Holmes (UCL) has been working around AI and education *long* before it became fashionable! In this episode, Wayne looks back over the recent hype around Chat GPT and generative AI and offers some suggestions of where the field of AI and education might be heading next. We also get up to speed on how international organisations such as UNESCO, OECD, the EU and Council of Europe are beginning to push distinct agendas around AI and education.Accompanying reference >>   Wayne Holmes & Ilkka Tuomi (2022). State of the art and practice in AI in education. European Journal of Education, 57:542–570  DOI: 10.1111/ejed.12533

Reports of ‘what China is doing’ are a key part of the hype around AI and education in Western countries.But how is AI actually being developed in China, and how can we make sense of the complex politics, history and culture of Chinese education?In this episode we hear from Jeremy Knox (University of Oxford) about his recent book ‘AI and education in China’. Accompanying reference >>  Jeremy Knox (2023).  AI and Education in China: Imagining the Future, Excavating the Past. Routledge  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003375135 

Until recently, Audrey Watters was one of the most prominent and prolific critics of digital technology and education – dubbed  ‘ed-tech's Cassandra'.Then in 2021, she published a book, quit Twitter, and wound up her highly influential ‘Hack Education’ blog.In this episode, we catch up with Audrey about her new ‘Second Breakfast’ project, and her pivot to writing about fitness technologies, food and exercise.Audrey talks about the parallels between fitness tech and digital education, the enduring legacy of BF Skinner in current Silicon Valley thinking, as well as her reflections on the relentless grind of critiquing EdTech.**Link to Audrey’s ‘Second Breakfast’ Sub stack 

Ben Williamson joins us for a sneak preview of the mammoth 2024 World Yearbook of Education with eighteen new  chapters themed around “Digitalization of Education in the Era of Algorithms, Automation and Artificial Intelligence.”Accompanying reference >>  Ben Williamson, Janja Komljenovic, Kalervo Gulson (eds)  (2024) World Yearbook of Education 2024: Digitalisation of Education in the Era of Algorithms, Automation and Artificial Intelligence. Routledge   ISBN 9781032417905

Advance warning of  ‘Education Technology Society’ … a new podcast about digital education and education futures.This is a place to catch up with the latest ideas, arguments and work coming out of the critical studies of education and technology.We will be releasing episodes from Sept 2023, so FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to this show from the podcast platform of your choice.See you very soon!