part B: critical reflection

The integration of digital technologies in the classroom has long been presented as an inevitable progression toward modernised teaching and learning. However, educational innovation reveals that technologies often promise transformation without sufficient consideration of their pedagogical intention. Haran (2015) and Lim et al. (2013) demonstrate that even the blackboard was once regarded as revolutionary, while Selwyn (2016) argues that contemporary educational technologies frequently enter classrooms as unexamined solutions in search of problems. Effective use therefore requires a critical stance that situates technology as a means to achieve learning outcomes rather than an end in itself. Pedagogical intention and evaluative reflection must determine its role, ensuring that its application genuinely enhances knowledge construction and student engagement.

Within policy and curriculum contexts, digital literacy is positioned as essential for life and work in a digital society. The Australian Curriculum (ACARA, n.d.) and the NSW Technology syllabus articulate this through learning outcomes on safety, ethics, creativity, and technical fluency (Newhouse, 2013; Thomson, 2015). However, Jordan (2011) critiques policy narratives that assume the mere presence of technology equates to educational progress, while Littlejohn and Hunter (2016) emphasise that institutional leadership must cultivate reflective, evidence-based practice rather than compliance with innovation trends. Such perspectives reveal that educational technology should develop students’ capacity for critical and ethical digital participation rather than reinforce passive consumption or efficiency. In the context of Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) education, where students design and document artefacts, digital tools are most valuable when they deepen conceptual understanding of design processes and problem-solving rather than when they function as procedural record-keeping devices.

Constructivist learning theories provide a framework through which technology can support active, inquiry-based engagement. Harasim (2017) and Bower (2017) argue that technology becomes pedagogically meaningful when it enables learners to design, test, and refine ideas collaboratively. Starkey (2019) extends this view, asserting that student-centred pedagogies empower learners to generate and share knowledge within authentic contexts. Collaboration, as defined by Smith and MacGregor (1992), represents a “joint intellectual effort” that transforms learning into a socially mediated process. Henderson et al. (2013) further demonstrate that digital platforms enhance such collaboration by making individual thinking visible and open to negotiation. For TAS subjects, this is realised when students use design and programming technologies to co-construct solutions and critically evaluate outcomes, rather than merely complete discrete digital tasks.

Critical perspectives also caution against the overuse and misapplication of technology. Sanders and George (2017) emphasise that digital tools “cannot be used all the time, in all situations,” highlighting the importance of discernment and pedagogical balance. O’Brien (2017) and Hutcheon (2025) show that technological optimism, often seen in educational discourse, tends to frame innovation as a solution for systemic challenges such as declining outcomes or teacher shortages. Such narratives risk eroding teacher autonomy and pedagogical expertise by positioning technology as a substitute for professional judgement. A reflective approach demands that educators evaluate not only whether a technology enhances engagement but also whether it cultivates deeper cognitive and creative processes. Ethical and social implications further complicate the digital landscape of schooling, and Buchanan (2019) identifies how surveillance and datafication practices have become normalised, while Loble and Stephens (2024) draw attention to insufficient consent surrounding the collection and use of children’s data. These findings underscore the importance for digital ethics to be embedded within teacher training and pedagogy, ensuring transparency and trust across a school.

Across these perspectives, a coherent view is present: digital technologies should be incorporated intentionally, critically, and ethically. Their value lies not in constant use but in their capacity to enable creativity, collaboration, and conceptual understanding. As a future TAS teacher, there is work for me to ensure purposeful integration transforms technology into a medium for reflective practice and innovation, cultivating students who are capable, discerning, and ethical contributors in an increasingly digital world.