The global and the local: taking account of context in the push for the technologization of education

Education in Australia, it could be argued, has undergone a "digital turn"(Buchanan, 2011). That is to say, digital technologies are no longer simply something that students learn "about," but are now something that they increasingly learn "with." It is a common expectation that digital competencies are embedded in all areas of teaching across all years of education. The push for the increased use of technology in education can be understood as a product of the globalization of education, evident not only in the Australian education system, but in education systems worldwide. Within this global context, the nature of research into educational technology is also undergoing a shift and an expansion in focus. Selwyn highlights the need for researchers in this area to be "looking beyond learning" (2010, p. 65). He calls for a critical research approach, one that incorporates a richer account of the contexts in which educational technologies are employed; one that examines wider political, social, and cultural contexts of the use of digital technologies, and one that queries the implications for social justice and democracy