Abstract:

This paper focuses on digital inequalities from a learning perspective for 21st century education. An interpretation of digital inequalities is developed through use of the ‘frictions’ concept as an analytic lens. This enables the analysis of affordances and abilities, and attunements to constraints in technology-rich learning environments to elucidate insights and understandings. As such, this article enhances a proposed frictionless learning environment innovation (FLE) in describing an approach to addressing existing and emerging digital inequalities in 21st century education. Further, this article points to how the FLE, combined with activity theory to form the FLEAT model, is extendable for use with the learning dimension of smart cities in addressing digital inequalities. This work is designed to enrich, challenge, and contribute additional suggestions to the research questions, intended outcomes, and assessment indicators for a proposed research study to investigate the FLEAT innovation with smart teams of educators, learners and community partners.

Keywords:

Abilities, activity theory, affordances, attunements, constraints, digital divide, digital inequalities, frictionless learning, frictions, learning cities.