Educational Ecologies

Toward a Symbolic-Material Understanding of Discourse, Technology, and Education

By (author) John Dowd

Publication date:

27 April 2016

Length of book:

106 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739198971

This book elucidates how technology has impacted the discourse and practices of higher education. Dowd situates current educational movements centered on new technologies, such as the Do It Yourself (DIY) movement, within broader ideological concepts concerned with education, progress, technology, and work. Knowledge of how the discourse and practices of higher education have been impacted enables teachers to create learning environments that are conducive to the cultivation of ethically informed and engaged lives.

Chapter 1: Rhetorics of Neutrality
Chapter 2: MOOCs and the Entrepreneurial Spirit
Chapter 3: Singularity University
Chapter 4: Media and Educational Ecologies
Conclusion: Education and the Changing Meaning of Work

In this highly pertinent work, Dowd reveals how the organizational dynamics of our symbolic-material environments have gained a foothold in the intersection of discourse and technology. With great precision and clarity, he provides a robust systematic framework that details the technological changes that confront higher education and contemporary culture. This is a must read for anyone interested in the complex and nuanced relationships between discourse, technology, and culture.