Available now in a bookstore or on an Internet near you:
 
 
 
 
  • Publisher's Description:
    Whilst much has been written about the doors that technology can open for students, less has been said about its impact on teachers and professors. Although technology undoubtedly brings with it huge opportunities within higher education, there is also the fear that it will have a negative effect both on faculty and on teaching standards.

    Education Is Not an App offers a bold and provocative analysis of the economic context within which educational technology is being implemented, not least the financial problems currently facing higher education institutions around the world. The book emphasizes the issue of control as being a key factor in whether educational technology is used for good or bad purposes, arguing that technology has great potential if placed in caring hands. Whilst it is a guide to the newest developments in education technology, it is also a book for those faculty, technology professionals, and higher education policy-makers who want to understand the economic and pedagogical impact of technology on professors and students. It advocates a path into the future based on faculty autonomy, shared governance, and concentration on the university's traditional role of promoting the common good.

    Offering the first critical, in-depth assessment of the political economy of education technology, this book will serve as an invaluable guide to concerned faculty, as well as to anyone with an interest in the future of higher education.

  • Contents
    Preface
     
    Chapter 1:
    Introduction
    Chapter 2:
    Online Education: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    Chapter 3:
    MOOCs
    Chapter 4:
    Free/Libre/Open-Source Edtech
    Chapter 5:
    Unbundling
    Chapter 6:
    Electronic Taylorism
    Chapter 7:
    Social Media in the Classroom and Out
    Chapter 8:
    The Zero-Marginal-Cost Education
    Chapter 9:
    Conclusion: Higher Education in a Digital Age
    Appendix:
    Jonathans' Laws
    Bibliography
     
    Index
     
 
Early critical responses:
 
 
"This is a timely, and essential, book. The authors avoid the common trap of being firmly in a pro- or anti-technology camps and instead view the application of educational technology through a political economy lens. Your classrooms are no longer solely your own, they argue. Educational technology, often driven by Silicon Valley ideology, has particular aims in education. Examining the claims made and the implications for all educators allows us to make informed decisions. The control of education is at stake, and this book sets out the key areas with clarity and passion."
   — Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology,
       The Open University, UK

"Digital technologies can expand or contract freedom for faculty and students, depending on who's making the decisions. In Education is Not an App, Poritz and Rees describe both the threat and the opportunity, and issue a clear call for faculty control of our new digital tools."
     — Clay Shirky, Professor of Social Media,
         New York University, USA
 
Available now in a bookstore or on an Internet near you:
 
 
 
  • Publisher's Description:
    Whilst much has been written about the doors that technology can open for students, less has been said about its impact on teachers and professors. Although technology undoubtedly brings with it huge opportunities within higher education, there is also the fear that it will have a negative effect both on faculty and on teaching standards.

    Education Is Not an App offers a bold and provocative analysis of the economic context within which educational technology is being implemented, not least the financial problems currently facing higher education institutions around the world. The book emphasizes the issue of control as being a key factor in whether educational technology is used for good or bad purposes, arguing that technology has great potential if placed in caring hands. Whilst it is a guide to the newest developments in education technology, it is also a book for those faculty, technology professionals, and higher education policy-makers who want to understand the economic and pedagogical impact of technology on professors and students. It advocates a path into the future based on faculty autonomy, shared governance, and concentration on the university's traditional role of promoting the common good.

    Offering the first critical, in-depth assessment of the political economy of education technology, this book will serve as an invaluable guide to concerned faculty, as well as to anyone with an interest in the future of higher education.

  • Contents
    Preface
     
    Chapter 1:
    Introduction
    Chapter 2:
    Online Education: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    Chapter 3:
    MOOCs
    Chapter 4:
    Free/Libre/Open-Source Edtech
    Chapter 5:
    Unbundling
    Chapter 6:
    Electronic Taylorism
    Chapter 7:
    Social Media in the Classroom and Out
    Chapter 8:
    The Zero-Marginal-Cost Education
    Chapter 9:
    Conclusion: Higher Education in a Digital Age
    Appendix:
    Jonathans' Laws
    Bibliography
     
    Index
     
 
Early critical responses:
 
 
"This is a timely, and essential, book. The authors avoid the common trap of being firmly in a pro- or anti-technology camps and instead view the application of educational technology through a political economy lens. Your classrooms are no longer solely your own, they argue. Educational technology, often driven by Silicon Valley ideology, has particular aims in education. Examining the claims made and the implications for all educators allows us to make informed decisions. The control of education is at stake, and this book sets out the key areas with clarity and passion."
   — Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology, The Open University, UK

 
"Digital technologies can expand or contract freedom for faculty and students, depending on who's making the decisions. In Education is Not an App, Poritz and Rees describe both the threat and the opportunity, and issue a clear call for faculty control of our new digital tools."
     — Clay Shirky, Professor of Social Media, New York University, USA

 

Jonathan Poritz (jonathan@poritz.net)
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