Effective and ineffective uses of emerging technologies: Towards a transformative pedagogical model

Abstract

Abstract Although there is an increasing use of emerging technologies ( ETs ) in higher education internationally and in S outh A frica in particular, there is little evidence that their use is transforming teaching and learning practice. Anecdotal evidence shows that there is a dichotomy between the technologies supported and used in higher education institutions ( HEIs ) on one hand, and technologies owned and predominately in use among students. Thus, the gulf between technologies supported and used for teaching and the technologies used by students for learning has created pressure for educators to “play catch‐up,” resulting in a continuum of pedagogically ineffective to effective uses of ETs . This paper argues that pedagogically sound uses of ETs leverage the broader context of existing practices (cultural‐historical context) to design learning activities that transform both the teaching and learning practices. The paper draws data from a national survey on uses of ETs among educators in higher education to propose a pedagogical model of use that has the potential to transform practice.