Critical Theory in Teaching and Technology (CTTT) SIG is community of scholars interested in studying critical theory in technology to question deep rooted beliefs, practices, and policies through anti-racist and anti-colonial research, teaching, and policies in education. Members of this SIG share an interest in critiquing systemic inequities and the role of technology in continuing, supporting, and recreating a culture of white supremacy, eurocentrism, and neoliberal colonialism through education.
The goal of this SIG is to weave in political, cultural, and social narratives that help contextualize how technology is more than a neutral tool with affordances and constraints. We concentrate specifically on critical theory, including critical race theory, anti-racist and anti-colonial practices which intersect with other systems of oppression through education. Critical theory helps reveal and critique power differential in existing systems. We agree with Benjamin (2019) that racism is encoded within the technologies themselves, and training historically marginalized populations with racist technologies that afford systems of violence is not a path to social liberation. We see an important need to move away from technology-neutral approaches that assume justice and equity could be achieved through increased access to tools that are immersed in neoliberal expansionism.
To achieve these goals, the SIG proposes to do the following:
- Create a social media presence to facilitate the conversation about critical approaches in educational technology
- Sponsor round table discussions with practice-based approaches to critical theory in teacher education and technology
- Create a panel about new possibilities for schools and community-based education at the SITE conference
- Establish research collaborative activities across institutions
- Explore the possibility of a special issue in one of the SITE journals
- Explore the possibility of developing a journal for critical theory in teaching and technology
