Edges, exponentials and education: Disenthralling the digital

Abstract

This chapter explores a range of perspectives on technology that can usefully inform attempts to move beyond traditional patterns concerning schools' engagement with computers and related technologies. After exploring some of the key features of contemporary life and highlight the need to develop more robust understandings of how technologies are (and are not) shaping contemporary life, the chapter explores the concept of education on the edge. This perspective is then illustrated through reference to a range of examples: each one of which highlights ways in which educators can move beyond a digital 'thrall' towards active engagement with some of the key features of contemporary society.