• Age: 18
• Grade: 12

Never before has technology played such a central role in education. In 2020, seemingly over night, technology took centre stage in the delivery of not just some education, but all education and the metaphors to describe this time leaned heavily on catastrophic terms of revolution, tsunami, and disruption. But why do apocalyptic metaphors abound in the field of ed tech and what purpose do they serve? As author Martin Weller explores, there is significant potential for the use of metaphor in ed tech. He demonstrates that metaphors can enable educators to move beyond pragmatic concerns into more imaginative and playful uses of technology while he cautions against many of the existing metaphors that play into the adoption of technology that damages and limits the learner experience. Metaphors of Ed Tech is essential reading for anyone involved in education, but particularly those still determining the impact and potential of the unprecedented pivot to online learning in 2020.

Martin Weller is the director of The Open Education Research Hub and the director of the GO-GN network. Weller chaired the Open University’s first major online e-learning course in 1999, which attracted 15,000 students, and was the OU’s first LMS Director. His popular blog, edtechie.net features his writings on aspects of educational technology. He is the author of The Battle for Open (2014) and The Digital Scholar (2011).

Martin Weller's profile page