Media and digital literacies in Canadian teacher educators’ open educational practices: A post-intentional phenomenology

Philosophy of Technology

This research was influenced by the philosophy of technology and material engagement theory (Ihde, 2011; Ihde & Malafouris, 2019) in an effort to better understand the human–technology relationship. Although the conception of open education does not absolutely require the use of technology, for this research and its focus on digital literacies, the integration of technology was an essential consideration. Ihde and Malafouris (2019) suggested that "the difference that makes the difference is the recursive effect that the things we make and our skills in making seem to have on human becoming" (p. 195). I recognized that the everyday use of technology in education does not take place in a vacuum nor embody a neutral stance (Van Den Eede et al., 2015). Mediations of reality, as experienced and practiced, are shaped by the tools we use since “artifacts are able to exert influence as material things, not only as signs or carriers of meaning” (Verbeek, 2011).

          Although not foundational to this research, some understanding of actor network theory (ANT) was necessary (Blok et al., (2019) for this research since it offered some comparison to a philosophy of technology. Similarities included an inter-relational ontology, a material sensitivity, and a rejection of subject-object dichotomy (Ihde, 2015). While both were considerations for this research, it was the appeal of the philosophy of technology which focused on the human action and perception as embodied with/through technology, rather than the linguistic-textual semiotics of engagement offered by ANT, upon which I based this research (Ihde, 2015). My interest focused on understanding how technological mediations and artifacts influenced MDL considerations, and how the individual and socially negotiated actions lead to a teacher educator’s enacted OEPr.
 

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