Fostering digital citizens in a context of techno-skepticism and techno-optimism

• In Event: Supporting transformative education through technology

Proposal

With the unprecedented prevalence of digital technology in social and educational contexts, public debates highlight the myriad meanings attributed to these tools. On one hand, discussions often center on the potential for innovation and autonomy that technology offers, while on the other side there are concerns about how these tools might control and shape our thought patterns and identities. Additionally, debates address issues such as improving engagement and efficiency versus the risk of fostering a distracted generation (Bond, 202; Dutton & Blank, 2013; Kitchener & Bruyckere, 2017). Further, scholars have examined the digital divide in terms of access, usage, and its impact on social inequities and preparation of digital citizens (Barron & Martin, 2016; Gorski, 2003; Heath, 2018; ISTE, 2022; Warscheaur, 2010). Our conceptual paper aims to advance this discussion by exploring both the affordances and constraints of digital technology, with a particular focus on addressing the issue of digital divide within teaching and learning spaces. Teachers educators and both in-service and pre-service teachers navigate this complex landscape, marked by polarized perspectives evident in both policy and pedagogical approaches on integration of digital technology in the K-12 classrooms.

We explore current trends in U.S. contexts, by first introducing concepts of techno-skepticism and techno-enthusiasm, polarized positions that tend to present opposing perspectives, creating silos that minimize merits in their differing stances. We then highlight emerging trends in policy discourse and pedagogical practices in K-12 classroom spaces and corresponding teacher preparation programs. We acknowledge increasing trends of push-back towards the use of digital technology in these spaces. We recognize valid concerns while also advocating for an intentional and technoethical take on the use of technologies in K-12 classrooms, towards promoting equity in preparing digital citizens in these spaces. We are especially concerned with the roles that K-12 educators, teacher educators, and K-12 policy makers can play towards this vision of democracy in an increasingly digitized world.

At the heart of our discussion is our concern that the rhetoric, policies, and practices around technology in the classroom have become increasingly extreme. Much like the trends in other American arenas, there are certain assumptions behind these polarized stances. For example, in recent years, there have been increased calls to ban certain technology in schools (especially cell phones, as in California, Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, and South Carolina), to limit the use of particular technologies, such as video games, to reduce perceived risks associated with newer developments in social media, and to succumb to fears of invasion from AI in the classrooms. While we do not disregard the concerns behind these responses, we ask for a more informed approach toward pedagogical possibilities that arise with the use of these tools.

In this paper presentation, we will identify some of these related trends and emphasize on the shifts in this discourse, pointing to specific examples in American K-12 contexts. We will also explore the rhetoric and practices of both teachers and teacher educators as they navigate this polarized context. We will draw on a mix of research literature, news media, and examples from our respective work in K-12 spaces and teacher preparation programs to discuss these ideas.

We then argue that teachers, teacher educators, and policy makers should resist knee-jerk rejection or acceptance of technology in the classroom. We instead advocate for intentionality and training to raise technological literacy, and acknowledge the important role that teacher education programs can play in this process. We offer a literature-based justification for why educators must create opportunities for intentional digital citizenship instruction and digital fluency (Bawden, 2008; following the lead of International Society for Technology in Education, Eshet-Alkalai, 2012 and others; drawing on practitioner advice such as that by Baker, 2016; Ribble, 2015; etc.; Tinmaz, Lee, Fanea-Ivanovici, & Baber’s 2022 review of the literature on digital literacy offers many useful resources). We acknowledge a variety of equity issues that underlie these discussions (Baber et al., 2022; Garcia & Lee, 2020; Macgilchrist, 2018; Project Tomorrow, 2018; Robinson et al., 2015; Sulecio de Alvarez & Dickson-Deane, 2018; and many other studies). Ultimately, we argue that technology is a tool and cannot be treated as good or bad by nature. Instead, educators need training and support that enables them to use technological tools with purpose, facilitate learning experiences that equip students with essential digital literacy and digital citizenship skills, and recognize and intentionally minimize technologically-related risks. Educators also need the research-awareness to empower them to navigate loaded and often one-sided discussions of technological use and inclusion in the classroom.

While this paper presentation draws primarily on examples and literature from a U.S. context, the implications of our conversations extend to other geographic contexts. There are real benefits and challenges with technological integration in primary and secondary classrooms and (teacher) educators must navigate pressures around these. We ask (teacher) educators, policy-makers, and parents alike to resist reactionary or one-sided stances on technology in the classroom and instead consider the range of purposeful research-based approaches which ultimately foster digital citizenship skills for students.

Authors

• Sarah R Lillo Kang, Washington University in St. Louis

• Pallavi Chhabra, Washington University in St Louis