Tech and resistance #3
Talks by Tendayi Dzinoreva and Marte Henningsen
Ubuntu-Inspired Pedagogy in the Digital Age: Decolonising Digital Culture in Higher Education by Tendayi Dzinoreva
Critical pedagogy in education is presented with challenges and opportunities as a result of the rapid development of digital culture in higher education. African education, which is deeply rooted in African philosophies, requires unique frameworks to reimagine AI-driven teaching and learning. Ubuntu pedagogy becomes critical, in these times of past-paced developments, for guiding positive digital culture in an era where knowledge is available at the click of a button. Exploring the intersection of Ubuntu philosophy and digital culture within the higher education landscape is central to this discussion, as I argue that digital culture must not be merely for efficiency but should align with Ubuntu by centring human-centred, ethical, and collective learning principles to promote deeper cognitive engagement. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of Ubuntu, which describes Ubuntu pedagogy as being guided by interconnectedness, shared knowledge, and ethical responsibility, I examine the concept of digital culture and how it intertwines with higher education teaching and learning to foster inclusive education, support diverse learners and develop deeper cognitive engagement. I also interrogate the role of digital culture in developing critical thinking, cautioning against passive learning while proposing digitally enhanced strategies such as inquiry-based learning, collaborative problem-solving, and ethical digital citizenship. In this presentation, my submission is that the principle of Ubuntu can be adopted to decolonise digital culture by advocating for Afrocentric strategies and indigenous knowledge systems that challenge Eurocentric epistemic hierarchies. Policy and pedagogical implications that front human interaction, ethical and responsible use of digital platforms, and culturally responsive learning frameworks are proposed. By engaging Ubuntu pedagogy and digital culture, I present a transformative vision for enhancing higher education teaching and learning through a digital culture that is inclusive, ethical, and critically engaging.
Bio
Dr Tendayi Dzinoreva holds a PhD in Education from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. She also holds a B.Ed. and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Arts Education from the University of Zimbabwe. She has worked in the NGO sector on programming that relates to teacher capacity building in technology-related skills. Currently, she is a post-doctoral fellow at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies within the Department of Education at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, focusing on educational transformation, teacher education, quality education, technology integration in education, diversity, inclusion and equity, Unhu/Ubuntu, education and AI ethics research.
Big Tech's marketing and the foreclosure of alternative imaginaries of education by Marte Henningsen
In my presentation, I will focus on Big Tech and the potential foreclosure of alternative educational futures. By pushing genAI tools into educational institutions, Big Tech companies presuppose and reinforce a specific understanding of education; one that fits the use cases of their products and thus makes genAI tools seemingly valuable for schools, learners, and teachers; one that is tech-centered and enabled with, by, and through technology; and one that is increasingly impacted and controlled by Big Tech. I argue that by pushing and reinforcing this self-serving version of education, the possibility of imagining and doing differently is more and more diminished. I will then present a framework through which to understand possible ways to counteract and resist this possibility of foreclosing alternative education futures.
Bio
Marte Henningsen is a PhD candidate with the Department of Philosophy at Maastricht University. In her research, she focuses on the political economy of educational technology and the translation of marketing promises to teacher realities. Her approach is informed by Critical Theory and Pragmatism as well as by her background in Computer Science, Cognitive Science and political activism.