25 Years Of Ed Tech

225 Pages·2.091 MB·English

by  Martin Weller

25 Years of Ed Tech
Issues in Distance Education
SERIES EDITOR: George Veletsianos
SELECTED TITLES IN THE SERIES

The Theory and Practice of Online Learning, Second Edition
Edited by Terry Anderson
Emerging Technologies in Distance Education
Edited by George Veletsianos
Flexible Pedagogy, Flexible Practice: Notes from the Trenches of Distance Education
Edited by Elizabeth Burge, Chère Campbell Gibson, and Terry Gibson
Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining
Communities of Inquiry
Norman D. Vaughan, Martha Cleveland-Innes, and D. Randy Garrison
Online Distance Education: Towards a Research Agenda
Edited by Olaf Zawacki-Richter and Terry Anderson
Teaching Crowds: Learning and Social Media
Jon Dron and Terry Anderson
Learning in Virtual Worlds: Research and Applications
Edited by Sue Gregory, Mark J. W. Lee, Barney Dalgarno, and Belinda Tynan
Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning: Foundations and Applications
Edited by George Veletsianos
An Online Doctorate for Researching Professionals
Swapna Kumar and Kara Dawson
Assessment Strategies for Online Learning: Engagement and Authenticity
Dianne Conrad and Jason Openo
25 Years of Ed Tech
Martin Weller
Martin Weller
COPYRIGHT © 2020 MARTIN WELLER
Published by AU Press, Athabasca University
1200, 10011 – 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3S8
https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771993050.01
Cover design and interior art by Bryan Mathers, Visual Thinkery
Interior design by Natalie Olsen
Printed and bound in Canada
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: 25 years of ed tech / Martin Weller.
Other titles: Twenty-five years of ed tech
Names: Weller, Martin, author.
Series: Issues in distance education series.
Description: Series statement: Issues in distance education series |
Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200152211 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200152238 |
ISBN 9781771993050 (softcover) | ISBN 9781771993067 (pdf) | ISBN 9781771993074 (epub)
ISBN 9781771993081 (Kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: Educational technology. | LCSH: Education, Higher.
Classification: LCC LB1028.3 .W45 2020 | DDC 371.33—dc23
We acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Government of Alberta
through the Alberta Media Fund.
This publication is licensed under a Creative Commons licence, Attribution–Non-
commercial–No Derivative Works 4.0 International: see www.creativecommons.org.
The text may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that credit is
given to the original author. To obtain permission for uses beyond those outlined
in the Creative Commons licence, please contact AU Press, Athabasca University,
at [email protected].
To my two canine writing buddies,
Teilo and Bruno, on whose walks most of
the ideas in this book were developed,
and who listened patiently to my
musings on MOOC and metadata.

C O N T E N T S
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction: The Historical Amnesia of Ed Tech 3
C HAPTER 01 1994 Bulletin Board Systems 11
C HAPTE R 02 1995 The Web 15
C HAPTER 03 1996 Computer-Mediated Communication 21
C HAPTER 04 1997 Constructivism 27
C HAPTER 05 1998 Wikis 37
C HAPTER 06 1999 E-Learning 43
C HAPTER 07 2000 Learning Objects 49
C HAPTER 08 2001 E-Learning Standards 57
C HAPTER 09 2002 The Learning Management System 63
C HAPTER 10 2003 Blogs 69
C HAPTER 11 2004 Open Educational Resources 77
C HAPTER 12 2005 Video 85
C HAPTE R 13 2006 Web 2.0 91
C HAPTE R 14 2007 Second Life and Virtual Worlds 97
C HAPTE R 15 2008 E-Portfolios 101
C HAPTER 16 2009 Twitter and Social Media 107
C HAPTE R 17 2010 Connectivism 115
CHAPTER 18 2011 Personal Learning Environments 123
C HAPTER 19 2012 Massive Open Online Courses 129
C HAPTER 20 2013 Open Textbooks 137
C HAPTER 21 2014 Learning Analytics 143
C HAPTER 22 2015 Digital Badges 151
C HAPTER 23 2016 The Return of Artificial Intelligence 155
C HAPTER 24 2017 Blockchain 161
CHAPTER 25 2018 Ed Tech’s Dystopian Turn 169
Conclusions: Reclaiming Ed Tech 179
References 191
About the Author 211

AC K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
One of the themes of this book is the emergence of a critical voice
in educational technology, which emphasizes the human and social
role of ed tech. Histories of technology are often dominated by male
inventor stories, and as a counter to this, I would like to acknowledge
the important work of many women in educational technology. The
following writers and researchers have all had a significant impact
on my own thinking and more broadly helped shift the dialogue in
educational technology away from an unquestioning technological solu-
tionism and male culture. Educational technology is at a key juncture
in its development, and if it is to continue to benefit learners, educators,
and society more generally, then the presence of such voices will be
essential. I would like to thank Maha Bali, Sian Bayne, Helen Beetham,
Frances Bell, Kate Bowles, Lorna Campbell, Amanda Coolidge, Catherine
Cronin, Laura Czerniewicz, Maren Deepwell, Robin DeRosa, Josie Fraser,
Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams, Donna Lanclos, Diana Laurillard, Tressie
MacMillan Cottom, Sheila MacNeill, Tannis Morgan, Joyce Seitzinger,
Bonnie Stewart, and Audrey Watters, among many, many others. Their
work has made ed tech a better place for everyone.
In addition, I would like to offer my thanks to George Veletsianos,
Connor Houlihan, and all the staff at Athabasca University Press who
have provided such excellent advice and help in bringing this book
to publication and for making open access book publishing a reality.