Saara Nissinen, Henriikka Vartiainen, Petteri Vanninen and Sinikka Pöllänen
The digital age has provided new possibilities for the connected learning. To better understand these opportunities in the school context, the purpose of this paper is to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The digital age has provided new possibilities for the connected learning. To better understand these opportunities in the school context, the purpose of this paper is to examine what kinds of learning communities emerge in international learning projects and how tools and technologies support students’ inquiries and peer connections.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants in this study were one Finnish 6th-grade class (n=17) and one American 7th–8th-grade class (n=16) who communicated through blogs and Skype. The main sources of deductive content analysis are transcribed Skype meetings, the students’ digital artifacts and a supplementary e-questionnaire.
Findings
The results of the study indicated that during the academic learning project, a voluntary, friendship-driven peer community emerged. The interaction in the formal contexts focused on sharing the results of local inquiries through Skype and blogs, whereas the friendship-driven community centered on the creation of social bonds through students’ personal devices and social media applications.
Originality/value
The paper models a hybrid learning system that connected academically oriented and friendship-driven participation.
Details
Keywords
Henriikka Vartiainen, Teemu Valtonen, Juho Kahila and Matti Tedre
In 2022 generative AI took the Internet world by storm. Free access to tools that can generate text and images that pass for human creations triggered fiery debates about the…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2022 generative AI took the Internet world by storm. Free access to tools that can generate text and images that pass for human creations triggered fiery debates about the potential uses and misuses of generative AI in education. There has risen a need to check the popular utopian and dystopian narratives about AI against the diversity of hopes, concerns and future imaginaries that educators themselves associate with generative AI. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perspectives of Finnish teacher educators on the use of AI in education.
Design/methodology/approach
This article reports findings from a hands-on workshop in teacher training, where participants learned about how generative AI works, collaboratively explored generative AI and then reflected on its potential and challenges.
Findings
The results reveal nuanced, calm and thoughtful imaginaries rooted in deep understanding of educational policy, evaluation and the sociocultural context of education. The results cover teachers’ views on the impact of AI on learners’ agency, metacognition, self-regulation and more.
Originality/value
This article offers a unique exploration into the perceptions and imaginaries of educators regarding generative AI in specific (instead of “monolithic AI”), moving beyond dystopian views and instead focusing on the potential of AI to align with existing pedagogical practices. The educators contrasted the common techno-deterministic narratives and perceived AI as an avenue to support formative assessment practices and development of metacognition, self-regulation, responsibility and well-being. The novel insights also include the need for AI education that critically incorporates social and ethical viewpoints and fosters visions for a future with culturally, socially and environmentally sustainable AI.