Irish Educational Technology
From Policy to Enterprise
Suppose a philosopher states, “None should fear death. None know what happens after death”. Her argument exemplifies two kinds of statements: the normative and descriptive. The normative statement is evaluative or prescriptive in nature—its meaning or content is found in what it implies ought to be done by some norms. The descriptive statement simply presents a state of affairs without commentary of what ought to be about such affairs. In sum, the philosopher’s first statement, “None should fear death” is normative; her second, “None know what happens after death”, is descriptive. The normativity of a thing amounts to its evaluative or prescriptive character.
Education and the philosophical and scientific research regarding it is normative: it is performed in light of statements characterizing what education ought to be, what it ought to be for, and who ought to receive it. Necessarily, such statements guide the direction and application of educational research and development. The mathematics professor teaches because her craft is evaluated as useful by some norm, and that education teaches “that which is useful” is itself a norm. Normativity structures the character of scientific research and moral inquiry: it gives force or weight to reasons. Therefore, when one inquires of the direction and structure of education, it seems appropriate to consider its norms. The importance is doubled for inquiries into new fields, such as educational technology, wherein the trajectory of their growth can be assessed and re-oriented.
The Republic of Ireland presents an opportunity to study the norms driving the educational technology sector, particularly in reference to the country’s position in the global economy as a center for technological innovation. Throughout its brief history as an independent state, Ireland directed its educational and economic policies towards meeting the needs of the global economy. Further, in recent history, Ireland has been attempting to situate itself as the site of technological research and innovation, further entrenching itself in the global knowledge economy. The nation’s commitment to these two goals has developed it into the global hub of technology it is today, but the norms driving this commitment are also responsible for the current state of Ireland’s educational technology sector. As will be discussed in the foregoing pages, the Irish educational technology industry has its historic roots in Ireland’s response to the global knowledge economy and has since become implicated in the country’s drive to become a global centre for technology and research—at the level of both educational and economic policy.
Review
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Map of Content
The exploration of the norms of Irish educational technology is divided into three parts: public policy, in-industry and academic research, and private enterprise. Policy surveys the history of Irish educational technology policy and its conception of such technologies, providing an in-culture foundation on which to evaluate projects in research and enterprise. Research examines selected institutions and organizations performing educational technology research in the Irish economy and academia, forecasting developments in the industry. Enterprise surveys a select few Irish enterprises in the Irish educational technology sector and examines them in light of the norms and research established in Policy.