Abstract:

One significant limitation in critical pedagogy and its translation into practice is that it rarely looks back at itself theoretically and practically for corrective actions as was recommended by Freire’s initial outline (Kincheloe, 2007). Because evidence is strong that this re[visioning] is not a consistent step in critical pedagogy’s development over these last 50 some odd years (it has largely remain unchanged conceptually Kellner, 2000), this paper takes up this essential process by extending Freire’s (2000) pedagogy both conceptually and practically. In particular, we want to focus on trying to point out a number of overlooked possibilities that can emerge when critical theory is used with technology.

While technology is clearly shaping current society as well as schooling, it is as if critical pedagogy has nothing to say about the changing nature of our global society. (Bruelle, 2000). Additionally, marginalized groups (as well as young people in general) have readily adopted the new hardware and have used and contributed to the informal and partial languages that reconfigure words, phrases and sentences, while also mixing visual symbols with written letters (Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & Macgill, 2008). In Freirian terminology young people in general including marginalized youth have started naming the world (Freire, 2000). Instead of using technology to build on these possibilities associated with being a critical subject, academics have largely ignored or overlooked the opportunity to establish or reestablish a vision of critical pedagogy linked to technology (Giroux, 2011) Instead, these academics, in an almost religious fervor, have tried to silence even the mention of a possible union between technology and critical pedagogy (Suoranta & Vadén, 2007). Now, this is not to say that technology can’t have some reproductive and limiting effects for both progressive and conservative groups. It can and it does. However, without trying out a linkage of technology with critical pedagogy we will never know. And yet, at the least there can be no doubt that one potential positive force of technology is its ability to cheaply and consistently allow for connections as well as create virtual spaces that would not be possible without it (Stager, 2007).

Keywords:

Critical pedagogy, transformation, technology.