28599 - Technologies of Education

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - is familiar with the debate on the knowledge society and the development of information and communication technologies; - knows how to analyze new technological applications on the basis of problematic didactic models; - knows how to compare and choose educational mediation technologies appropriate to the contexts and interlocutors with whom he/she works; - knows theories and interpretative tools of telematics communication and knows how to insert them into educational intervention projects; - knows how to participate in learning communities and communities of practice to explore issues of professional interest; - knows how to use information technology tools to document and update his or her professional background; - knows how to situate the overall perspectives of social networking within the framework of the scenarios of an active and co-constructive education; - knows how to deal with the new tools from the perspective of a critical and aware media education.

Course contents

The course is in Italian and it will be in the first semester.

The course situates the issue of educational technologies within the contemporary debate on the profound transformation of educational communication tools and teaching mediation, in the context of a broader expansion and redefinition of the very concept of education. In today’s post-media society, media represent a deeply structural component across various dimensions of human existence, influencing both the processes of meaning-making and the construction of individual and social identities.

At the same time, digital environments can serve as enabling and agentic spaces, capable of fostering transformative learning processes and enhancing the critical and creative participation of students and citizens. Within this framework, the course explores the paradigm of transformative pedagogical agency as a key perspective for rethinking the relationship between technology, education, and subjectivity.

Starting from an overview of the main interpretative models of educational technologies, the course specifically aims to:

a) analyze the main developments in the pedagogical-didactic debate regarding the diffusion of digital and social media, as well as Generative Artificial Intelligence systems, in order to assess their impact on everyday life and elaborate a critical didactic model grounded in New Media Literacy;

b) identify new perspectives on professional teaching practices for social and cultural educators navigating the complex landscape of emerging technologies and AI;

c) understand and apply key frameworks for digital competence (DiGComp 2.2; DigCompEdu) aimed at fostering active and responsible citizenship, including the emerging frontiers of Artificial Intelligence;

d) design educational interventions and digital artifacts for diverse target groups, aimed at promoting the responsible and conscious use of media through the lens of New Media Literacy;

e) explore and apply the Trialogical Approach to Learning (Paavola & Hakkarainen, 2005), which emphasizes intentional, collaborative knowledge construction within digital environments oriented toward the creation of meaningful artifacts, as a way to develop the competences needed to meet the challenges of the knowledge society;

f) critically reflect on the pedagogical implications of transformative pedagogical agency in digital contexts, and on the role of technologies in activating processes of responsibility, autonomy, and transformation among learners.

 

Readings/Bibliography

For students participating in the Erasmus program at Unibo, the examination will be oral, subject to prior agreement with the professor regarding the exam contents.

Attending Students

• PDFs/slides uploaded on the Virtuale platform as support materials for in-class lessons;

• Rivoltella, P.C. (2020). Nuovi Alfabeti. Educazione e culture nella società post-mediale. Scholè, Brescia (only: Introduction, Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Conclusion);

• Cesareni, D., Ligorio, M.B., Sansone, N. (2018). Fare e collaborare. L'approccio trialogico nella didattica. Milano: FrancoAngeli (pp. 13–82: Chapters 1–5);

• Fabbri, M. (2020). Preadolescenti onlife: educare alla cittadinanza digitale, «METIS», 10, pp. 139–161. Available at: link [http://www.metisjournal.it/index.php/metis/article/view/370/277] ;

• Fabbri, M. (2025). Dall'empowerment all'agency pedagogico-trasformativa. Prospettive di ricerca e linee per l’azione didattica. Milano: FrancoAngeli (Open Access, available at: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/1374 ). Specific chapters to be indicated during the course.

Non-Attending Students
In addition to the above-mentioned materials, students must choose one of the following texts:

• Grossi, G., Nardone, R., Previtali, G. (2025). Postmedia Education: Visual Literacy e media digitali. McGraw Hill, Milano;

• Soriani, A. (2024). Vite Extra. Educare a una cultura del videogioco. Milano: Junior Edizioni;

• Ingrosso, P., Ferrari, L. (eds.) (2024). “COO.DE” Cooperative Digital Education. Erickson, Trento;

• Ranieri, M. (2020). Tecnologie per educatori socio-pedagogici. Metodi e strumenti. Carocci Faber, Roma;

• Jenkins, H. (2010). Culture partecipative e competenze digitali. Guerini Studio, Milano.

Note: Non-attending students are not required to study the slides uploaded on the Virtuale platform as support materials for in-class lectures.

Erasmus Students at Unibo
The exam will be oral, held on the same date and in the same classroom as the written exams. Required materials:

• Cesareni, D., Ligorio, M.B., Sansone, N. (2018). Fare e collaborare. L'approccio trialogico nella didattica. Milano: FrancoAngeli (pp. 13–82: Chapters 1–5);

• Fabbri, M. (2020). Preadolescenti onlife: educare alla cittadinanza digitale, «METIS», 10, pp. 139–161. Available at: link [http://www.metisjournal.it/index.php/metis/article/view/370/277] ;

• Fabbri, M. (2025). Dall'empowerment all'agency pedagogico-trasformativa. Prospettive di ricerca e linee per l’azione didattica. Milano: FrancoAngeli (Open Access, available at: https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa/catalog/book/1374 ). Specific chapters to be indicated during the course.

In addition, Erasmus students who are attending the course must also bring to the exam the individual and group activities completed, together with the slides presented in class and those available on the Virtuale platform and in their group folder.

 

Teaching methods

Participatory lectures, active learning approaches, and co-constructed learning through group work, discussions, and seminars on topics of interest to students.

Attending students will be divided into groups and engaged in collaborative activities starting from educational topics of their own interest. They will be asked to reflect on and design educational interventions and digital artefacts addressed to various target groups. During the first sessions, each student will choose their working group. Digital environments will be provided to support collaborative work, and the weight of practical group activities in the final grade will be clearly specified.

Assessment methods

The assessment consists of an oral exam in which students will have to test their knowledge of the bliography. Erasmus students will have a reduced exam program to be agreed with the teacher.

Attending students:
The exam will consist of a written test, including two short essay questions and one open-ended question, based on the required readings, lecture content, and topics addressed during group or individual activities. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes. Each answer will be graded on a 30-point scale according to the following criteria: adherence to the prompt, accuracy, relevance and completeness of content; argumentative and reflective ability, mastery of subject-specific vocabulary, clarity and coherence of exposition, reflection on cooperative work experience, and ability to collaborate effectively in a group.

Non-attending students:
The exam will consist of a written test including three short essay questions based on the required readings, with a duration of 60 minutes. Exams will be evaluated according to the following criteria: adherence to the prompt, accuracy, relevance and completeness of content; argumentative and reflective ability, mastery of subject-specific vocabulary, and clarity and coherence of exposition.

Teaching tools

Virtual Platform for delivery of textual, multimedia, audio-visual materials, presentation of individual and group activities; Web Forum; Google Suite for creation of a workbook for each group for material storage and collaborative writing (wiki); Microsoft Teams platform for plenary lecture and online group work through setting up a room for each group; use of interactive websites and applications such as Mentimeter, Padlet, etc.

Students with DSA or disabilities: it is recommended that they contact the responsible University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, considering the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Manuela Fabbri