Leading Edge Technologies Ensuring Education

Dear Colleagues,

Previous research has shown us that digital technologies, across an emerging and increasing range of hardware devices and software applications, can support education, teaching and learning (Passey, 2013). The term technology enhanced learning has often been used to cover those areas that focus on uses of digital leading edge technologies that enhance learning (that is, support and help learning beyond what might be expected without their use). Indeed, researchers and educators have often pointed to the need for the use of leading edge technologies to enhance rather than replace existing practices in education, teaching or learning (Li, 2007). What has emerged, and is increasingly emerging, from research is the identification of uses of leading edge technologies that ensure education, teaching or learning (that is, education, teaching or learning that could not happen without their use). This is the focus of this special issue.

Within this broad focus, there is a range of topics and themes that would fall within the scope of the issue. What is important is that each paper contributes clearly to the topic - uses of leading edge technologies ensuring education, teaching or learning. Papers might take a range of methodological approaches, but any paper will need to ensure that it presents evidence to show that leading edge technology use in education, for teaching or learning is ensured. For example, papers previously evidencing this case have often focused on specific instances, groups, communities or individuals:

• The use of video creation to support community engagement and learning (Davidson, 2015).
• Use of leading edge technologies to address drop-out (Darling-Hammond, Zielezinski, & Goldman, 2014).
• The use of video feedback to support behavioural reflection (Blood et al., 2011).
• The use of educational games to support specific learning outcomes (Rosas et al., 2003).
• The use of an online medium to support group engagement for individuals on the autistic spectrum (McDowell, 2015).

In the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, evidence is already indicating that education, teaching and learning in some instances would not have happened without the uses of leading edge technologies (Google, 2020). However, this is not the only theme that is intended for contributions for this issue; papers can cover cases that arose prior to the pandemic where the evidence is not already published, or can identify cases where application is being shown within a planned future post-pandemic hybrid or blended learning environment.

The purpose of the special issue is to provide a rich collection of papers that evidence instances where ensuring education, teaching and learning has been shown to arise from uses of leading edge technologies. Educators and policy makers continue to invest in leading edge technologies across the educational spectrum, whether this is within the compulsory, post-compulsory, special, vocational or adult education sectors. It is important that educators and policy makers understand where leading edge technologies are essential, how they have been utilised to ensure education, teaching and learning, and what the outcomes of those uses are for the end users. This special issue is intended to provide a starting point that offers a core of evidence to enable researchers, policy makers and practitioners to access key findings emerging at this point in time.

The issue will be situated within the existing literature that relates to educational uses of digital technologies, to outcomes of technology enhanced learning applications, and to the evidence of impact of digital technologies on education, teaching and learning.

Prof. Dr. Don Passey
Guest Editor

References:

Blood, E., Johnson, J. W., Ridenour, L., Simmons, K., & Crouch, S. (2011). Using an iPod Touch to Teach Social and Self-Management Skills to an Elementary Student with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. Education and Treatment of Children, 34(3), 299-322.

Darling-Hammond, L., Zielezinski, M.B., & Goldman, S. (2014). Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students’ Learning. Alliance for Excellent Education and Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education: Stanford, CA

Davidson, A.-L. (2015). A Collaborative Action Research about Making Self-Advocacy Videos with People with Intellectual Disabilities. Social Inclusion, 3(6), 16-28.

Google. (2020). Aufbruch Ausgabe Nr. 20: Lernen und Arbeiten. pp.4-8. Google: Dublin, Ireland.

Li, Q. (2007). Student and Teacher Views About Technology: A Tale of Two Cities? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39(4), 377–397.

McDowell, J. (2015). A Black Swan in a Sea of White Noise: Using Technology-Enhanced Learning to Afford Educational Inclusivity for Learners with Asperger’s Syndrome. Social Inclusion, 3(6), 7-15.

Passey, D. (2013). Inclusive technology enhanced learning: Overcoming Cognitive, Physical, Emotional and Geographic Challenges. Routledge: New York, NY

Rosas, R., Nussbaum, M., Cumsille, P., Marianov, V., Correa, M., Flores, P., Grau, V., Lagos, F., López, X., López, V., Rodriguez, P., & Salinas, M. (2003). Beyond Nintendo: design and assessment of educational video games for first and second grade students. Computers & Education, 40, 71–94.

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• Leading edge technologies ensuring education
• Leading edge technologies ensuring teaching
• Leading edge technologies ensuring learning
• Impacts of leading edge technologies
• Individual learning support
• Group learning support
• Community learning support