Mark Brown, Dublin City University, Ireland: Reframing the Digital Landscape

A cutting-edge digital learning strategy Reframing the Digital Landscape:

Painting a Different Version of the Future

Professor Mark Brown Director, National Institute for Digital Learning

Future of Learning Conference

Park Royal Hotel, Sydney

Tuesday 25th Feb 2014

Live from the Browns…

About DCU…

About NIDL…

The digital agenda…

The digital agenda…

The European agenda…

1.  The contested terrain

2.  The discourses of persuasion

3. Leading for change in uncertain times

Reframing the digital landscape…

Outline

Professor Mark Brown

2013

Who controls the past commands the future. Who commands the future conquers the past.

(George Orwell)

Key message…

What do you see?

Pop quiz...

What do you see?

Pop quiz...

If the answer is 3, then what is the question?

Pop quiz...

The current number of Australian universities offering Massive Open Online Courses through Coursera…

Pop quiz...

The rise of the MOOC is intertwined deeply with globalisation, the dominance of neo-liberalism, the expansion of digital capitalism, and decline of influence of the nation-state.

Key assumption...

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Technocratic Dream

Technological Determinism

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Technocratic Dream

Technological Determinism

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Technocratic Dream

Technological Determinism

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

1. The contested terrain

http://learning-reimagined.com/noam-chomsky-on-technology-learning/

1. The contested terrain

“Cyberspace is not politically neutral. It favors the political ideals of libertarian, free-market Repub l icans: a h igh ly decent ra l ized, deregulated society with little common discourse and minimal public infrastructure” (Shenk; cited in Burbules & Callister, 2000, p.169).

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Technocratic Dream

Technological Determinism

Social Determinism Technocratic Nightmare

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

Liberalism Perspective

Techno-centric Perspective  

Human-centric Perspective

Demon Perspective

Technocratic Dream

Technological Determinism

Social Determinism Technocratic Nightmare

Critics

Professor Mark Brown

2013

1. The contested terrain

“The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together...”

William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 4, Scene 3

1. The contested terrain

1. The contested terrain

Three must read books…

2. The discourses of persuasion

An avalanche is coming. It’s hard of course, to say exactly when. It may be sooner than we think. Certainly there is no better time than now to seek to understand what lies ahead for higher education – and to prepare (p.8)

Barber, M., Donnelly, K., & Rizvi, S. (2013). An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead. Institute for Public Policy Research. London.

2. The discourses of persuasion

Professor Mark Brown

2013

“It is the theory that decides what we can observe…”

Albert Einstein

2. The discourses of persuasion

Learning Society

Knowledge Economy

• Online learning • Blended learning • Anytime, anywhere learning

E-learning • Disruptive learning •

Technology-enhanced learning •

2. The discourses of persuasion

“Frankly, all the computers and software and Internet connections in the world won’t do much good if young people don’t understand that access to new technology

means… access to the new economy”

(President Bill Clinton; cited in Cuban, 2001, p.18).

2. The discourses of persuasion

“Frankly, all the computers and software and Internet connections in the world won’t do much good if young people don’t understand that access to new technology

means… access to the new economy”

(President Bill Clinton; cited in Cuban, 2001, p.18).

“Over the past decade Australian governments have invested extensively in digital education, highlighting the growing link between technology and economic prosperity.”

(Australian Digital Education Advisory Group, 2013, p.5).

2. The discourses of persuasion

Learning Society

Knowledge Economy

• Online learning

• Blended learning

• Anytime, anywhere learning

E-learning •

Distance education •

Technology-enhanced learning •

Different interest groups and stakeholders borrow the same ‘language of persuasion’ to legitimize their own hegemonic agenda

2. The discourses of persuasion

The concept of hegemony—in which dominant groups in society seek to establish the common sense, define what counts as legitimate areas of agreement and disagreement, and shape the political agendas made public and discussed as possible—is central to peeling away the deeper layers of the digital landscape.

2. The discourses of persuasion

An educational ‘change is neither natural nor normal, constant nor common’ as it involves a deeper struggle over who will win control of the curriculum (Evans, 1996, p.25).

The concept of hegemony—in which dominant groups in society seek to establish the common sense, define what counts as legitimate areas of agreement and disagreement, and shape the political agendas made public and discussed as possible—is central to peeling away the deeper layers of the digital landscape.

2. The discourses of persuasion

Learning Society

Knowledge Economy

Reproduction

• Mass education • Universal standards • Education as a commodity • Increased market competition

• Online learning

• Blended learning

• Anytime, anywhere learning

E-learning •

Disruptive learning •

Technology-enhanced learning •

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

Learning Society

Knowledge Economy Reschooling Reproduction

• xMOOCs • Global curriculum • Real world learning • Education in change

• Mass education • Universal standards • Education as a commodity • Increased market competition

• Online learning

• Blended learning

• Anytime, anywhere learning

E-learning •

Disruptive learning •

Technology-enhanced learning •

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

Professor Mark Brown

2013

2. The discourses of persuasion

Arguably the reschooling discourse is infected by laissez-faire principles and the language of a kind of “enterprise constructivism” — that is, the celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and learning for the real (unjust) world in a new global higher education market.

2. The discourses of persuasion

Learning Society

Knowledge Economy

Deschooling

Reschooling Reproduction

• xMOOCs • Global curriculum • Real world learning • Education in change

• Mass education • Universal standards • Education as a commodity • Increased market competition

• Online learning

• Blended learning

• Anytime, anywhere learning

E-learning •

Disruptive learning •

Technology-enhanced learning •

• Badges • Un-curriculum • Opening access • Unbundling learning

2. The discourses of persuasion

Page 3

Professor Mark Brown

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

2. The discourses of persuasion

Page 3

Professor Mark Brown

2. The discourses of persuasion

Reconceptualist Learning Society

Knowledge Economy

Deschooling

Reschooling Reproduction

• Being glocal • Digital citizenship • Socially just society • Education for change

• xMOOCs • Global curriculum • Real world learning • Education in change

• Mass education • Universal standards • Education as a commodity • Increased market competition

• Online learning

• Blended learning

• Anytime, anywhere learning

E-learning •

Disruptive learning •

Technology-enhanced learning •

• cMOOCs • Un-curriculum • Opening access • Unbundling learning

2. The discourses of persuasion

Learning to change and transform

Learning to live together

Learning to do

Learning to know

Learning to be

Digital Inclusion

Digital Citizenship

Digital Identity

2. The discourses of persuasion

“…technological developments are unavoidably linked to broader social imaginaries: our ideas about the role of technology in education are shaped and reshaped by our ideas about what constitutes the ‘good society’ (Morgan, 2013, p.5).

2. The discourses of persuasion

Page 3

Professor Mark Brown

• Who is telling the story? • What is the story they are

telling? • What story isn’t being

told? • What’s missing from the

story?

Key questions…

2. The discourses of persuasion

Page 3

Professor Mark Brown

3. Leading for change in uncertain times

“I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers” — Ralph Nader.

3. Leading for change in uncertain times

Lesson 1…

Professor Mark Brown

2013

Make sure that they have the right people on the “bus” before deciding where you want to go.

Jim Collins… “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t”.

3. Leading for change in uncertain times

Lesson 2…

3. Leading for change in uncertain times

“Developing and implementing desired change is not an event but is a complex and subjective learning/unlearning process for all concerned” (p.73).

Professor Mark Brown

2013

Scott, G. (2003). Effective change management in higher education. Educause Review, November/December, 64-80.

Lesson 3…

Professor Mark Brown

2013

Conclusion

Conclusion

A conclusion is the place

where you got tired of thinking (or ran out of time)

“All education springs from images of the future and all education creates images of the future. Thus all

education, whether so intended or not, is a preparation for the future. Unless we understand the future for

which we are preparing we may do tragic damage to those we teach.” (Toffler, 1974).

Conclusion

Contact details

Professor Mark Brown Director, National Institute for Digital Learning

mark.brown@dcu.ie

@mbrownz