| This dissertation examines the conceptual question "What does contemporary information technology mean for progressive education theories of learning?" The three types of data used are (1) scholarship from progressive educational philosophy, (2) scholarship from contemporary information technology ("IT"), and (3) teaching examples from the Apple Glen, California school district (a pseudonym), a school district that uses IT in its progressive pedagogy. The dissertation uses the Apple Glen school district not as a case study but as an example of how IT is used in pedagogy. The study asks the following three questions of Apple Glen's pedagogy to understand how classic progressive education theory may interpret the value of IT in pedagogy: (1) does IT foster a progressive view of natural goodness; (2) does IT kindle a progressive view of social awareness; and (3) does IT build a progressive view of citizenship? The dissertation concludes that IT has contingent meaning for progressive theories of learning because the context of how a learning environment employs progressive philosophy and IT usage varies. Consequently, policymakers interested in using IT toward educational improvement, particularly in progressive contexts, must articulate specific goals and activities for their policies and pedagogies that involve IT and then evaluate specific types of IT that may support those aims. |
