Affectibility in Educational Technologies: A Socio-Technical Perspective for Design

Introduction There seems to be a common sense--not always agreed--that refers to that takes place inside the school; and outside the school (Eshach, 2007). Non-formal is often seen as that also takes place outside the school, like in informal learning, but still has the same deliberate instructional and programmatic as in (La Belle, 1982). Similarly, Looi et al. (2010) define as the one is based on fixed curricula enacted in classroom environments (p.156). Coombs and Ahmed (apud La Belle, 1982) characterized as the institutionalized, chronologically graded and hierarchically structured educational system, spanning lower primary school and the upper reaches of the university (p.162). Still with the emphasis on the physical space occurs, Looi et al. (2010) define informal as the type of system where learners are participating in intentional or unintentional experiences outside school (p.156); and learning, referring to learning that happens in settings but not tested or assessed in traditional ways. Other aspects taken into consideration while differentiating formal, informal and include: the control learners have over the situation (Mocker & Spear, 1982); and the presence or not of a mediator and his role (Eshach, 2007). Another important aspect refers to the intentionality of learning: in and non-formal, the intention of seems to always be present, in varied degrees (Eraut, 2000; Schugurensky, 2000). In informal learning, the intention of may or may not be present (Schugurensky, 2000). In spite of divergences that might be found among these definitions, informal, formal and non-formal seemed appropriate to describe practices in the traditional educational models so far. The act of teaching (actually, the act of guiding processes) demands reasoning and comprehension of reality, in a dialogical approach. Paulo Freire, one of the most influential educators in Brazil, had always criticized the way educational approaches are often detached from learner's real life contexts (Freire, 1968). As the digital culture is sculpturing a new reality to which school's practices need to be adapted, this fact calls for a transformation in schools. In a dialogue about Education and Technology between Paulo Freire and Seymour Papert--the creator of LOGO language, who proposed the Constructionism theory (Papert, 1993)--, Freire stated that the purpose is not to discontinue the school, but to change it entirely, in a way that it can be reborn into a new, updated being (Freire & Papert, 1996). In order for the school to catch up with its own time, it needs to incorporate technological advances in a critical and democratic manner. Even though technology is integrated in our lives, the ways it appears in education do not seem to be connected to the contemporary style of life. Moreover, while many children are being born in cultures technology is naturally part of the environment, in Brazil, part of the population still has limited or no access to it. However, simply bringing a foreign technology inside the walls of a school might not solve the problem, as such technology might seem detached from the school's reality. Reviewing the meanings of and informal might help unraveling the new possibilities presented by digital technology, towards more seamless scenarios. Making sense of technology, in the context of children's education, demands a socio-technical perspective that might contribute to the dialogical approach proposed by Freire (1968). Dialogue involves carefully listening to and understanding one another; it also includes the awareness of each other's values, emotions and interests. …