Phenomenology: The human science research method that is at the core of this project. It involves empirical, comparative, reductive, reflective and formulative (writing) components or moments (van Manen). These are all intended to guide the researcher from theoretical and computational abstraction towards experiential concretion. These methods are closely related to ethnographic and ethnomethodological research techniques that are familiar in usability and design research. As a category in this blog, phenomenology (image) is used to cover the methodological topics of all kinds related to "learning spaces" research.
Cognitivism: Cognitive science is in many ways the apotheosis of a way of understanding knowledge, learning, and perception that began with Rene Descartes' radical separation of mind and body. It is in some senses diametrically opposed to the project of phenomenology as conceived by Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and others. Because cognitivism is pervasive in understandings of educational technology, critical consideration of its characteristics and limitations are an important theme in this blog.
Breakdown: Heidegger uses the example of a broken hammer to explain how the "breakdown" of a piece of technology makes it present to the user in a radically different way. Accounts of technology use in that focus on breakdown, rather than on proper functioning of technology are indispensable for bringing the researcher from the abstract and conceptual (i.e. how things "should" work) to the experiential and concrete (i.e. how they "do" work --or do not work). As such, the "breakdown" category will be used to designate any and all consideration of concrete experience of engagement with technology, including anecdotes or stories of computer use, language reflecting this use, and the informal, unplanned culture that arises around the everyday use of (educational) technology artifacts.
Simulating Technology: These technologies include game environments, and especially experimental manipulations and conversational simulation (e.g. chatterbots). These will be compared to their "mediating" counterparts.
Mediating Technology: These include text-based and video conferencing, but especially remote experiments and text chat.