Learning, Media, and Technology

Readings

For every class period, there will be a set of core readings that we will all complete, and then an additional set of “rabbit hole” readings for your continued exploration. Graduate students will be required to do at least one of these additional readings. 

[FTD] = Reich, Justin (2020). Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education. Harvard University Press. ISBN: 9780674089044.

[Iterate] = Reich, Justin (2020). Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools. Wiley. ISBN: 9781119913528.

Session 1: Introduction and Welcome

No assigned readings.

Session 2: How People Learn: Cognitive Load Theory

Readings 

• John Sweller, Jeroen J. G. van Merrienboer, and Fred G. W. C. Paas (1998). “Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design.” Educational Psychology Review 10(3): 251–296.
• Michael Pershan (2016). “Not a Theory of Everything: On Cognitive Load Theory and the Complexity of Learning.” WordPress blog.
• John Sweller (2016). “Story of a Research Program.” In S. Tobias, J. D. Fletcher, and D. C. Berliner (series eds.), Acquired Wisdom Series. Education Review 23.

Rabbit Hole

• Bror Saxberg (2023). “Learning Engineering: What We Know, What We Can Do.” MIT Festival of Learning keynote. MIT xTalks (YouTube).
• National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
• Deans for Impact (2015). The Science of Learning (PDF).
• Jeroen J. G. van Merrienboer and John Sweller (2005). “Cognitive Load Theory and Complex Learning: Recent Developments and Future Directions.” Educational Psychology Review 17(2): 147–177.

Session 3: How People Learn: Situated Learning

Readings

• Jean Lave (1991). “Situated Learning in Communities of Practice.” In L. B. Resnick, J. M. Levine, & S. D. Teasley (eds.), Perspectives on Socially Shared Cognition (pp. 63–82). American Psychological Association.
• Mitch Resnick (2014). “Give P’s a Chance: Projects, Peers, Passion, Play” (PDF). Constructionism 2014.

Rabbit Hole

• Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller, and Richard E. Clark (2006). “Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching.” Educational Psychologist 41(2): 75–86.
• Ken Koedinger (2016). “Practical Learning at Scale.” Association for Computing Machinery (YouTube).(Start at 9:30, end around 1:00:00)
• Ken Koedinger, Julie Booth, and David Khlar (2013). “Instructional Complexity and the Science to Explain It” (PDF). Science 342: 935–937.

Session 4: Generative AI (MIT Museum Field Trip)

Readings

An excellent introduction to LLMs: 

• Stephen Wolfram (2023). “What Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work?” 

On the exhibits at the museum:

• Keith Holyoak (2022). “Can AI Write Authentic Poetry?” The MIT Press Reader. 
• Francesca Panetta, Pakinam Amer, and Fox Harrell (2020). “We Made a Realistic Deepfake, and Here’s Why We Are Worried.” Boston Globe, October 12, 2020. 

On teaching writing and ChatGPT:

• Edward Schiappa and Nick Montfort (2023). “Advice Concerning AI-Assisted Writing.” Post Position blog, January 10, 2023.
• Eric Klopfer and Justin Reich (2023). “Calculating the Future of Writing in the Face of AI.”

Rabbit Hole

• Code.org (2023). “How AI Works: Chatbots and Large Language Models.” 

Session 5: Supporting Equitable Computer Science Instruction

Readings

• Manee Ngozi M Nnamani, Salome Otero, Julie M. Smith, Josh Sheldon, Deborah Boisvert, and Justin Reich (2024). “CATCHing CS Equity: Counselors, Administrators, and Teachers Collaborating Holistically.” In Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1 (SIGCSE 2024).
• Mike Tissenbaum, Josh Sheldon, and Hal Abelson (2019). “From Computational Thinking to Computational Action.” Communications of the ACM 62(3): 34–36.
• Carol L. Fletcher and Jayce R. Warner (2021). “CAPE: A Framework for Assessing Equity throughout the Computer Science Education Ecosystem.” Communications of the ACM 64(2): 23–25.

Rabbit Hole

No provided readings.

Session 6: Making Educational Media in the Teaching Systems Lab

Readings

• Justin Reich and H. Richard Milner IV (2020). 0.503x: Becoming a More Equitable Educator. MIT Open Learning Library course. Intro and choose one other unit.

Rabbit Hole

• Justin Reich and Teaching Systems Lab (2019). “TSL MOOCs in Review.” Read 3 of 6.

Session 7: EdTech Before the Internet

Readings

• Cuban, Larry (1986). Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920. Teachers College Press. ISBN: 9780807727928.
• Audrey Watters (2018). Teaching Machines, or How the Automation of Education Became “Personalized Learning.” Hack Education blog post, April 26, 2018.

Rabbit Hole

• Tony Bates (2014). Chapter 6.2, “A Short History of Education Technology.” Teaching in a Digital Age.
• Audrey Watters blog posts:
  • Audrey Watters (2017). Driverless Ed-Tech. Hack Education.
  • —— (2017). Education Technology as the “New Normal.” Hack Education.
  • —— (2017). The Histories of Personalized Learning. Hack Education.
  • —— (2014). The Myth and the Millennialism of “Disruptive Innovation.” Hack Education.
• Audrey Watters (2021). Teaching Machines. MIT Press. 
• Failure to Disrupt Book Club: Intro with Audrey Watters and Chris Gilliard. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, October 30, 2020.

Session 8: Intro to Iterate and Part I Wrap-Up

Familiarize yourself with:

• International Society for Technology in Education (2023). Transforming Teacher Education White Paper (PDF). 
• US Department of Education (2024). “A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides: 2024 National Education Technology Plan” (PDF). Office of Educational Technology.

Read: 

• [Iterate] Intro through chapter 2

Rabbit Hole

No provided readings.

Session 9: Massive Online Open Courses

Readings

• [FTD] Prologue, Introduction, chapter 1

Rabbit Hole

• René F. Kizilcec and Christopher Brooks (2017). “Diverse Big Data and Randomized Experiments in Massive Open Online Courses” (PDF). Chapter 18 in C. Lang, G. Siemens, A. Wise, and D. Gašević (eds.), Handbook of Learning Analytics (pp. 211–222). Society for Learning Analytics Research.
• Fiona M. Hollands and Devayani Tirthali (2014). “MOOCs: Expectations and Reality” (PDF). Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education, Columbia University.
• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with George Siemens and Liz Losh. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, November 13, 2020.

Session 10: Intelligent Tutors

Readings

• [FTD] chapter 2
• Go to Khan Academy. Create a log in. Play around with the math problems and see if you can detect responsive and adaptive activity in the system. 

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Neil and Cristina Heffernan. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, November 27, 2020.

Session 11: Intelligent Tutors (cont.)

Readings

• John F. Pane, Beth Ann Griffin, Daniel F. McCaffrey, Rita T. Karam, Lindsay Daugherty, and Andrea Phillips. (2013). “Does an Algebra Course with Tutoring Software Improve Student Learning?” Research summary, RAND Corporation.
• Neil T. Heffernan and Cristina Lindquist Heffernan. (2014). “The ASSISTments Ecosystem: Building a Platform that Brings Scientists and Teachers Together for Minimally Invasive Research on Human Learning and Teaching.” International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education 24: 470–497.
• Jeremy Roschelle, Mingyu Feng, Robert F. Murphy, and Craig A. Mason (2016). “Online Mathematics Homework Increases Student Achievement” AERA Open 2(4).
• Eric Taylor (2015). “New Technology and Teacher Productivity” (PDF).

Rabbit Hole

• James R. Ghesquiere et al. (1975). Introduction to TUTOR (PDF). Computer-Based Education Research Lab, University of Illinois.
• Alejandro Redy Companioni (2012). “The Mismeasure of Students: Using Item Response Theory Instead of Traditional Grading to Assess Student Proficiency.” Knewton blog, Medium, June 7, 2012.
• Clayton Christensen, Michael B. Horn, and Heather Staker (2013). “Is K-12 Blended Learning Disruptive?” Clayton Christensen Institute.
• R. C. Atkinson and H. A. Wilson (1968). “Computer-Assisted Instruction” (PDF). Science 162(3849): 73–77.
• Kenneth R. Koedinger and Albert Corbett (2006). “Cognitive Tutors: Technology Bringing Learning Sciences to the Classroom” (PDF). In R. K. Sawyer (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 61–77). Cambridge University Press.
• Matthew A. Kraft (2019). Interpreting Effect Sizes of Educational Intervention (PDF). EdWorkingPaper No. 19-10.

Session 12: Interest-Driven Learning

Readings

• [FTD] chapter 3
• Ivan Illich (1971). “Learning Webs.” In Deschooling Society. Harper & Row.

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Natalie Rusk and Mitch Resnick. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, December 18, 2020.
• Mimi Ito et al. (2013). Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media. MIT Press. (summary (PDF))
• Stephen Downes (2011). "‘Connectivism’ and Connective Knowledge." Huffington Post, January 5, 2011.
• Jim Groom (2014). “A Domain of One’s Own.” Plenary address, 2014 Digital Media and Learning Conference (YouTube). (Start at 34:37, though the other two talks are great too.)
• Kim Jaxon. Ignite Talk on Epic Creative Writing Courses. Connected Learning Alliance (YouTube).
• Any of the publications at the Connected Learning Alliance.

Session 13: Interest-Driven Learning (cont.)

Readings

• Mizuko Ito et al. (2013). “Connected Learning: An Agenda for Research and Design” (PDF). Digital Media and Learning Research Hub.
• Mitch Resnick et al. (2009). “Scratch: Programming for All.” Communications of the ACM 52(11): 60–67. 

Rabbit Hole

Explore Connectivist sites:

• Do two Daily Creates from DS106 
• DS106
• Anth101.com 

Session 14: Learning Games

Readings

• [FTD] chapter 4

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Scot Osterweil and Constance Steinkuehler.  MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, January 8, 2021.
• Eric Klopfer et al. (2018). Resonant Games. MIT Press.
• Math Blaster Plus!
• Logical Journey of the Zoombinis
• Minecraft Education
• Duolingo

Session 15: Actor-Network Theory: How Does Technology Use Us?

Readings

• Bruno Latour (1992). “Where Are the Missing Masses? The Sociology of a Few Mundane Artifacts” (PDF). In E. Wiebe and J. Law (eds.), Shaping Technology. Building Society: Studies in Sociotechnical Change. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 225–258. 

Quick skim:

• Mark Chen (2011). “How a New Actor Was Temporarily Enrolled into the Network of Game Playing” (PDF). Computer Supported Collaborative Learning 2011: Conference Proceedings Volume II. pp 661–665.
• Justin Reich (2012). “Using Data to Kill Demons: Learning from World of Warcraft.” Education Week, August 24, 2012.

Rabbit Hole

• Darryl Cressman (2009). “A Brief Overview of Actor-Network Theory.”
• Derek Thomson (2014). “The Simple Technology That Ruined Baseball.” The Atlantic, September 4, 2014.
• Sonia Livingstone and Julian Sefton-Green (2016). The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age. NYU Press.

Session 16: Start-Up and the Curse of the Familiar

Readings

• [FTD] chapter 5
• Sign-up for Playlab accounts and play around. If you want to tinker, here are videos to help get started and more resources are on our learning hub (including stuff on prompt engineering).
• Eric Klopfer, Justin Reich, Hal Abelson, and Cynthia Breazeal (2024). “Generative AI and K-12 Education: An MIT Perspective.”
• Seymour Papert (1997). “Why School Reform Is Impossible (with Commentary on O’Shea’s and Koschmann’s Reviews of ‘The Children’s Machine’).” The Journal of the Learning Sciences 6(4): 417–427.

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Dan Meyer. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, January 22, 2021.
• Justin Reich (2013). “Personalized Learning, Backpacks Full of Cash, Rockstar Teachers, and MOOC Madness.” Berkman Klein Center (YouTube).
• Jill Lepore (2014). “The Disruption Machine.” New Yorker, June 16, 2014.
• Office of Education Technology (2015). EdTech Developers Guide. U.S. Department of Education.
• Justin Reich (2013). “EdTech Start-Ups and the Curse of the Familiar.” EdTech Researcher.
• Justin Reich (2015). “A New Preface to the EdTech Developers Guide.” EdTech Researcher.
• Benjamin Mako Hill (2014). “Almost Wikipedia: Eight Early Encyclopedia Projects and the Mechanisms of Collective Action” (PDF). Dissertation chapter.
• Video & Multiple Choice: What Took Us So Long? Desmos blog, October 27, 2016.

Session 17: Equity

Readings

• [FTD] chapter 6
• Paul Attewell (2001). “Comment: The First and Second Digital Divides.” Sociology of Education 74(3): 252–259.

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Antero Garcia. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, February 1, 2021.
• Justin Reich, Mizuko Ito, et al. (2017). “From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes: Equity by Design in Learning Technologies” (PDF). Digital Media and Learning Research Hub.
• Annie Murphy Paul (2014). “Educational Technology Isn’t Leveling the Playing Field.” Hechinger Report, June 25, 2014.
• Laura Pappano (2013). “The Boy Genius of Ulan Bator.” New York Times, September 15, 2013.
• Di Xu and Shanna Smith-Jaggers (2013). “Adaptability to Online Learning.” Community College Research Center Working Paper No. 54. 
• Gayle Christensen et al. (2013). “The MOOC Phenomenon: Who Takes Massively Open Online Courses and Why?” 
• Tressie McMillan Cottom (2014). “Democratizing Ideologies and Inequality Regimes.” Berkman talk. 
• Shanna Smith-Jaggers (2014). “Democratization of Education For Whom? Online Learning and Educational Equity.” Diversity and Democracy 17(1).
• Matthew H. Rafalow (2018). “Disciplining Play: Digital Youth Culture as Capital at School.” American Journal of Sociology 123(5).
• Victoria Rideout and Vikki S. Katz (2016). “Opportunity for All? Technology and Learning for Lower-Income Families” (PDF). Report of the Families and Media Project. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
• John D. Hansen and Justin Reich (2015). “Democratizing Education? Examining Access and Usage Patterns in Massive Open Online Courses.” Science 350(6265).
• Roque et al. Family Creative Learning Guide. Creative Communities research group, University of Colorado.

Session 18: Trap of Routine Assessment

Readings

• [FTD] Chapter 7

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Courtney Bell. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, February 12, 2021.
• Robert J. Mislevy, Russell G. Almond, and Janice F. Lukas (2003). “A Brief Introduction to Evidence‐Centered Design.” ETS Research Report Series, 2003(1), pp. i–29.

Session 19: COVID and Schools

Readings

• Pick two things from the Teaching Systems Lab’s COVID Research, either the papers below or any of the webinars, etc.
  • Remote Learning Guidance from State Education Agency during COVID-19.
  • Imagining September: Principles and Design Elements for Ambitious Schools in COVID-19.
  • What’s Lost, What’s Left, What’s Next: Lessons Learns from Teachers and COVID 2020.
  • Healing, Community, and Humanity. How Students and Teachers Want to Reinvent Schools Post-COVID.
  • The Teachers Have Something to Say: Teachers and COVID in 2021.

Rabbit Hole

• Alec MacGillis (2024). “Skipping School: America’s Hidden Education Crisis.” ProPublica, January 8, 2024.

Session 20: The Toxic Power of Data and Experiment

Readings

• [FTD] chapter 8

Rabbit Hole

• Failure to Disrupt Book Club with Candace Thille. MIT Teaching Systems Lab podcast, February 26, 2021.
• Monica Bulger, Patrick McCormick, and Mikaela Pitcan (2017). “The Legacy of InBloom” (PDF). Data & Society Working Paper.

Session 21: Managing Change in Schools

Readings

• [FTD] Conclusion
• David Cohen and Jal Mehta (2017). “Why Reform Sometimes Succeeds.” AERJ 54(4).

Rabbit Hole

• Fiona M. Hollands (2017). “EdTech Decision Making in Higher Education Summary.”

Sessions 22–24: Final Project Presentations and Class Wrap-Up

No assigned readings.