Preparing Preservice Teachers to Think Critically About Educational Technologies

• In Event: Developing Educators' Critical Literacy

Abstract

In this research study, we present the results of our efforts to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) to think critically about educational technologies. We implemented a series of learning activities in educational technology courses at two institutions that asked PSTs to critically examine common classroom technologies (e.g., Class Dojo). We analyzed PSTs’ responses to those learning activities and categorized the extent to which those responses reflected critical thinking. The factor that most influenced the criticality of PSTs’ responses was the nature of the technology under examination. Overtly social technologies such as Class Dojo lent themselves to critical inquiry more than ostensibly neutral platforms or hardware. We consider the implications of this work for future teacher education efforts.

Authors

• Jacob Pleasants, University of Oklahoma

• Jeffrey D. Radloff, SUNY Cortland

• Amy Lynn Jasmin Mueller, University of Oklahoma