Epistemology and conceptual resources for the development of learning technologies

our involvement with it in the context of social practice of which other humans are
party.

Every theory of education necessarily has epistemological foundations but, as
these are rarely spelt out, exploring their significance is far from a straightforward
exercise. But if anything, developing a theory of education on the basis of an
epistemology which was developed without education in mind is an ever difficult
task. However, simply to insist that such a theory can be developed is another matter
and this is as far as the claims made here go, that as the work of philosophers like
Sellars, McDowell and Brandom have compelling implications for understanding the
nature of knowledge so they offer grounds for conceptualising innovative ways of
communicating it. As this is occurring at exactly the same time as the practice of
communicating technology is undergoing radical transformation, an unexpected but
interesting possibility of convergence arises between the practical concerns of those
who design the technology which is to bring about this transformation and the most
abstract of all philosophic enquiries - what is knowledge and how do we know it?

References

Alrechtsen, H., Andersen H.H.K., Bodker, S. and Pejterson, A.M. (2001) Affordances
in Activity Theory and Cognitive Systems Engineering, Riso National Laboratory,
Roskilde, Denmark. Available online at: http://www.risoe.dk/rispubl/SYS/ris-r-
1287.htm

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