This chapter introduces a distinctive perspective at the confluence of sustainability, education, and technology, serving as a crucial bridge between sustainability innovations technology, design, and education. Education stands as a potential catalyst for change by promoting holistic understandings of sustainable systems that have potential to support sustainable behaviors beyond the classroom. With continued advances in modern technology that teachers might exploit for learning in the classroom, well-designed educational technology (EdTech) can provide meaningful learning opportunities in this domain. Yet, much EdTech designed to-date does not take sustainability-relevant theory into account, and—crucially—may in fact contribute to the climate crisis through its use of material resources and energy. The central contribution of this chapter lies in the creation of a novel conceptual framework, offering essential and practical guidance to EdTech designers/developers and researchers as they embark on crafting sustainable EdTech for sustainability (SETS).
TopIntroduction: Why Is This Chapter Needed?
The stakes are exceptionally high as the world grapples with pressing sustainability challenges. The future of our global community hinges upon our capacity to take meaningful steps toward sustainability. Education stands as a potential catalyst for change, yet the absence of a sustainable focus within education and technology jeopardizes the readiness of future generations to address urgent global issues. Scholars posit that digital technology can play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable development, especially within the field of education. Kioupi and Voulvoulis (2019, p.13) underscore this point by stating, “Education is the pathway to sustainability, and without adequate investment in it, reaching sustainable goals may remain elusive”. In light of the extensive integration of digital technologies in the creation and dissemination of knowledge in our society, numerous policymakers, industry leaders, and education experts champion the idea of the ‘digital transformation of education’ as a core element of sustainable development in the 2020s and beyond (OECD, 2021, p.5).
This chapter argues that discussions around sustainable development should move away from the automatic assumption that ongoing digitalization of education is inherently positive. Selwyn (2021) contends that a continued emphasis on intensive digital education methods could make the environmental problems associated with producing, using, and disposing of digital technology even worse. So, if we’re excited about using more digital technology in education, we need to be aware of how it affects our planet. We should think of computer resources as something valuable and limited. We should only use them when we really need to and use them efficiently. And, when we do create new ones, they should be durable, energy-efficient technology that follow a circular, cradle-to-cradle design approach. This entails creating modular components that are easily repairable or replaceable, ideally by users themselves, and employing sustainable materials, such as alternatives to plastics.
This approach of using less digital technology can make us rethink how we use technology in education. We should think about technology that’s good for the environment. The field of sustainable human-computer interaction (SHCI), which deals with this issue, posits that technology should aim to (i) “limit environmental consequences related to computing technology”, i.e., be designed sustainable, and (ii) “help promote pro-environmental behaviors”, which, if considering the field of education, might be accomplished through technologies that supporting learning and engagement in sustainability (Bremer et al., 2022).
The global EdTech market is anticipated to witness substantial growth from 2024 to 2030, building on the steady progress observed in 2022-2023, with prominent industry leaders implementing new strategies. Given this ongoing growth, it is evident that EdTech not a passing trend. Rather than outrightly rejecting the idea of digital education because of its environmental impact, a new approach is needed: one that focuses on exploiting green technology design and development strategies while promoting sustainable development through its content and pedagogy, following trends in SHCI. It’s been many years since Elshof (2008) argued that, to address the problem of sustainability, we need more than just ideas; we need a shared commitment. And, to achieve that in EdTech, we need to make sustainability a central theme.
However, guidance on how to design and integrate sustainability content and pedagogy into interactive tools—that are themselves designed sustainably—are unconsolidated, requiring those interested in this domain to access many different sources and to know where to look. In an effort to address this gap, we have crafted a conceptual framework. The framework comprises a central core of three interconnected components and an outer encompassing layer. The central core represents the design of EdTech that promotes sustainability learning (e.g., awareness, attitudes, and behaviors), while the outer layer represents the sustainable design of EdTech itself.