After reading Stommel’s article, my view on Ed tech has changed. I used to thought Coursespace was just a “grading machine/grade book” for instructors. The phrase she mentioned in the article “If there is a better sort of mechanism that we need for the work of digital pedagogy, it is a machine, an algorithm, a platform tuned not for delivering and assessing content, but for helping all of us listen better to students.”(Stommel, 2018) Edtech has opened new opportunities for teachers as well as students as it has made it extremely easy for both of them to communicate with each other and to share study material. Edtech not only helps teachers but makes students’ learning experience more inclusive.

After reading Regan’s article, I personally find discrimination is a huge ethical concern. The example of InBloom provided in the article show that the discrimination by tracking and sorting of students on the basis of their grades in the United states. (Regan, 2019) It negatively impact students as labelling them makes them feel inferior to those who are a little more intelligent or are performing better than them. This discrimination being done through the use of Big Data & Edtech has been deemed as unethical by many because this leads to undesired competition and leads to hatred among the students.

After reading Vaughan’s article, I find the the concept of “blended learning approaches” very intriguing. The definition of blended learning is “the organic integration of thoughtfully selected and complementary face-to-face and online approaches and technologies”. I remember taking EDCI 335 learning design, it is a great example of the concept. Most of our learning is through blog and online discussion where students are able to interact with each other using various technology platforms. Even though we are unable to achieve learning face-to-face due to Covid-19, the instructor provides us feedback on projects via Zoom.

 

Reference:

Stommel, J. (2018). An urgency of teachers: The work of critical digital pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy.

Vaughan, N. D., Garrison, D. R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. AU Press. [Chapter 1]

Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019). Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first-century student sorting and tracking. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(3), 167-179. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2