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Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to discuss how a unified theory of technology could be forged philosophically, and suggest some implications for technology education. A post-phenomenological model of human-technology relations was employed as an analytical tool. It is concluded that both digital and analog technologies could be seen as technical artefacts with a dual nature and technologies of representation. The dual nature of technical artefacts, that is, the functional/intentional and physical dimensions of artefacts and systems, is reflected e.g. in the abstract programming language in conjunction with a specification, which relates to a physical configuration. Representational technologies could include everything from simple control systems to computers to AI systems, and it would be possible to conceive of the concrete and abstract parts of these technologies as different components of their representational capacity; a component could either be seen as representing (concrete) or represented (abstract), but part of the same representational system that makes up the technology. In both these “dual” perspectives on technology, artefacts and systems could be viewed from a common point of view and may consist of both digital, analog, concrete, and abstract components that together make up the technology. One important implication for technology education is that teaching needs to involve both abstract and concrete technological components. When programming, for instance, students need to learn not only about the code or software in itself, but also about what digital technology does in terms of solving real-world problems and achieving technical purposes.
Abstract
Knowledge linked to programming has been extensively strengthened in curricula and syllabi in Swedish compulsory school, mainly regarding the subjects of mathematics and technology. The introduction of this content requires that technology teachers be trained in programming and how to teach it. In this chapter, we present an observation study of a professional development course for practicing teachers in compulsory education, focusing on introductory programming. The whole professional development course context, including the teachers’ teaching practices and presentations of classroom projects, is explored as a discourse with the aim of finding governance steering strategies, normative values and knowledge content. The analysis shows that norms and values from the programming discourse within this professional development course become more important than the participating teachers´ professional view on how classroom teaching should be conducted. The code-content knowledge is taken for granted, but the artifacts tend to take away the focus from the specific code-content. A gender perspective is also highlighted, where coding is regarded as suitable for the stereotypical image of a female student. The overall aim seems to be that the students should find programming fun and interesting.
Abstract
Computational Thinking (CT) has developed as a worldwide priority area for compulsory school education since it was proposed as a central 21st century skill by Wing in 2006. CT and Digital Competence are highly visible parts of the European Union and Swedish discourse on strategic workforce development and the Swedish innovation agenda. This chapter explores the emerging role of CT and digital competence in the Swedish compulsory school curriculum. We focus on the subject of technology, its historical role in equipping generations of young Swedes for a career in the technology and engineering domains, and the development of the subject during the 20th century as a result of shifts in government policy, and under the influence of curricula reforms. We conclude that “Technology” is a natural home for CT and related skills such as systems design and development of programmed technical solutions in the current educational system, and propose that the relevance and identity of the technology subject be strengthened through systematic integration of a higher degree of CT into classroom practice.
Abstract
The current effort to establish computational thinking in compulsory school is not a new agenda. In Sweden, the history starts in the late 1960s with the introduction of computer technology in schools. This chapter explores how the arguments for this endeavour have varied over time and what preceded the initiation of the concepts of digital competence and programming in the subject of Technology and the Swedish national curriculum of 2017.
The foundation for this is, on one hand, a scrutiny of four large-scale national campaigns and, on the other hand a review of the Swedish curricula from 1969, 1980, 1994 and 2011. It was found that an underlying political agenda has tightly connected the introduction of “new” technology in schools with the competitiveness of Sweden as an industrial nation.
Abstract
In this chapter, we situate Sweden in an international context focusing on how programming and computational thinking have been introduced into primary and lower-secondary education (grades 1–9 in the Swedish system). Our review shows that the strategies used in different countries have their own pros and cons, and there is no clear evidence establishing that one method is preferable. Moreover, due to a lack of clear guidelines, decisions on how programming is taught, by whom, and when, are commonly made at school level, also in Sweden. This freedom, or burden, to locally decide on how to implement the curriculum has left teachers in a difficult position, where they are to fulfil the requirements of the curriculum without proper training, time, and competence needed. This has naturally had a negative impact on how programming and computational thinking have been and are introduced at schools. Based on the review we provide six recommendations, which posit that to succeed, a much more systematic and holistic approach is needed, addressing the needs of teachers, students, and schools.
Abstract
Since 2018, programming is a content in the technology subject in Sweden. Thus, teachers must develop new subject-specific competence to be able to realize their teaching in and about programming. This is especially challenging for primary teachers since primary technology education is a young subject and lacks a common professional base of proven experience. Research focusing on the classroom practices that are now taking form, and which are based on teachers’ use of tutorials provided from different resources, is scarce. Hence, our understanding of which programming-related knowledge is possible to develop through participation in these practices is very limited.
As a novice, understanding the meaning of programming assumes an understanding of what a computational device may—or may not— ‘understand’ in relation to a human. When it comes to introducing early primary pupils to the concept of programming, there are examples of tutorials describing activities that focus on this very issue. In the study reported in this chapter, we explore an activity during an introductory lesson in programming in an early primary classroom, where the teacher used such a tutorial aimed to prompt reflections about the differences between a human and a robot. The aim of the study was to explore what content is constituted and hence what knowledge pupils are enabled to develop during this introductory activity.
The results showed that the constituted content focused on a central difference between human and robot; humans, as opposed to robots, have own will and ability to think. However, the analysis also showed that the pupils had ideas beyond this rather narrow content, and that classroom conversations with the youngest pupils about the differences between a human and a robot are, in several ways, challenging to orchestrate.
Abstract
In recent years, digital technology, programming, and computational thinking have been incorporated on a larger scale as curriculum components in technology education in many countries across the globe. Technology education research about programming and computational thinking is needed, and this edited book, Programming and Computational Thinking in Technology Education: Swedish and International Perspectives, contributes with new research that has many international applications and grounds for comparison, both in schools and in the research community. This introduction not only serves as a background for the reader as s/he delves into the various chapters of the book, but also introduces some pertinent and sometimes longstanding issues in technology education and its relation to computers and computing. These issues are: 1. Programming and computational thinking in school curricula: the early 21st century wave; 2. Computational thinking and literacy; 3. Teacher competence in programming; and 4. Computational thinking, programming, and learning in technology education.