An Inquiry into Educational Technologists’ Conceptions of Their Philosophies of Teaching and Technology - CJLT/RCAT Vol. 39(2) - Spring/printemps 2013

Oct 15, 2026

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The study examines whether educational technologists can accurately identify their own philosophical orientations toward teaching and technology. It evaluates the consistency between what participants express during collegial deliberations and how they self-identify their philosophies. Philosophies are defined as conceptual framings that embody values, attitudes, and ideologies shaping the multicontextual facets of educational practice. Results from this exploratory work clarify how such professionals construe their orientations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Philosophies of Teaching and Technology: The Necessity to Understand Further

Conclusions

| Volume 39(2) | Spring/printemps 2013 | | --- | --- | An Inquiry into Educational Technologists’ Conceptions of Their Philosophies of Teaching and Technology Enquête sur les conceptions philosophiques de l'enseignement et de la technologie élaborées par les technologues de l’éducation Heather Kanuka, University of Alberta Erika E. Smith, University of Alberta Jennifer H. Kelland, University of Alberta Abstract It has been suggested that when we know our philosophy of teaching and technology we then have the ability to articulate not only what we are doing as educational technologists, but what we want to achieve with the technologies, and why. And while most educational technologists would agree that knowing our philosophical orientations is important, do educational technologists actually know, or can they accurately identify, their teaching and technology philosophical orientations? We sought to answer these questions by assessing the consistency between what educational technologists say in collegial deliberations and how they self-identify their philosophical orientations. The results of this exploratory study provide us with insights on how educational technologists construe their philosophical orientations of teaching and technology. Philosophies of teaching and technology are defined in this study as a conceptual framing that embodies certain values, attitudes and ideologies from which we view the multicontextual facets of educational practice. Résumé Il a été suggéré que, lorsque nous avons conscience de notre philosophie de l'enseignement et dela technologie, nous sommes mieux en mesure d’exprimer non seulement ce que nous faisons entant que technologues de l'éducation, mais aussi ce que nous cherchons à réaliser avec les technologies et pourquoi. Si les technologues de l'éducation admettent pour la plupartl’importance de connaître nos orientations philosophiques, connaissent-ils pour autant oupeuvent-ils identifier avec précision, leurs orientations philosophiques de l’enseignement et de la technologie? Nous avons cherché à répondre à ces questions en évaluant la cohérence entre ce qu’affirment les technologues de l'éducation en contexte de débat professionnel et la manière Philosophies of Teaching and Technology 1 CJLT/RCAT Vol. 39(2) dont ils identifient eux-mêmes leurs propres orientations philosophiques. Les résultats de cette étude exploratoire nous donnent un aperçu de la façon dont les technologues de l'éducation interprètent leurs orientations philosophiques de l'enseignement et de la technologie. Les philosophies de l'enseignement et de la technologie sont définies dans cette étude comme un cadre conceptuel incarnant certaines valeurs, attitudes et idéologies à partir desquelles nous considérons les aspects multi-contextuels de la pratique éducative. Introduction There are a number of reasons why those who are in the field of educational technology today should understand how to situate themselves with respect to philosophies of teaching and philosophies of technology. While articulating one’s philosophy of teaching is, generally, an accepted practice in the field of education, articulating one’s philosophy of technology is not so widely practiced and/or understood (Chen, 2008) . As educational technologists work with technology in educational contexts, understanding and knowing philosophical orientations regarding technology is also important. The power of knowing our philosophical orientations lies in the ability to enable us to be reflective, or to better understand and appreciate our activities. Reflective practice is more than understanding the impact we are making; it is also knowing the impact we want to make (Elias & Merriam, 2005) . To know what impact we desire, we must ask ourselves what we believe the purpose of education is, in addition to knowing why we make the choices we do about the use of technologies in our everyday practices, and what we expect to achieve with thes

FAQs

What questions does the study aim to answer?

The study asks whether educational technologists know or can accurately identify their philosophical orientations toward teaching and technology, and whether their stated views align with their self-identified orientations.

How does the research evaluate philosophical orientations?

It assesses consistency between what educational technologists say in collegial deliberations and how they self-identify their philosophical orientations.

How are “philosophies of teaching and technology” defined in this study?

They are defined as conceptual framings embodying values, attitudes, and ideologies that influence how educational practitioners view the multicontextual facets of educational practice.

Oct 15, 2026

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