The social psychology of learning

This chapter analyses the field of educational technology and presents three examples of technological innovations that are having a disruptive influence on the role of the learner, the role of the educator, and on education systems more generally. It explores practice, highlights concerns for the future and poses pertinent questions that need to be considered further in the field of Education Studies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is where computing science, psychology and educational research converge. AI is deemed to be one of the UK government’s ‘grand challenges’, alongside concerns about the ageing population, clean growth, and the future of mobility. Virtual, augmented and mixed-reality worlds specifically focus on the intersection between online and offline worlds. Technological developments are rapid and being able to understand their affordances for learning is of key importance to the field of Education Studies for the ongoing development and evolution of the discipline of education.