Trials of the rhizomatic learner

Long, Fiachra

Trials of the rhizomatic learner

Files

TRIALS OF THE RHIZOMATIC LEARNER edited following review.pdf(253.43 KB)

Accepted Version

Date

2014-06

Authors

Long, Fiachra

Publisher

Edizioni Erikson, Trento

Abstract

How should educators respond to the whole phenomenon of ‘digital learning’? This question has been in vogue for the past twenty years or more and there is a need for a regular renewal of this question as societies change. This article will draw on some post-structuralist writing, particularly Deleuze and Guattari, to try to understand better the divide between the optimistic account and the pessimistic account of the effect of ICT on teaching and learning. It argues in particular 1) that ICT in its current form signals a paradigm shift in education—but this thesis is difficult either to prove or disprove; 2) that Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizome provides us with a theoretical tool for understanding the pedagogical nature of this shift; 3) that this change is wider than literacy itself and announces posthuman elements in the socio-cultural environment of learning.

Keywords

Digital literacy , Rhizome , Social media , Posthumanism

Citation

Long, F. (2014) 'Trials of the rhizomatic learner', RicercAzione, 6(1), pp. 85-97.