Dewey to Digital Age: How Pragmatism Shapes EdTech Today

Abstract

Introduction:
The prevalent use of educational technologies (edtech) in classrooms has revolutionized the way educators teach and support students. This study builds on the tradition of John Dewey's pragmatism to investigate how experiences, student-centered approaches, and activity-centered democratic experiences continue and evolve in tech-mediated spaces.
With a qualitative narrative inquiry stance, the research collected verbal stories from five educators that included experienced and novice teachers using semi-structured interviews. The stories were analyzed through the lens of the philosophical paradigm of Dewey's pragmatism and were contextualized within larger psychological and sociological frameworks.
Results:
The stories illustrated how teachers actively wrestled with the integration of technology while also trying to uphold Deweyan principles. Educators discussed how they wanted to successfully promote inquiry-based and reflective learning using digital tools, while also facing hindrances like access issues, bureaucratic demands, and overly standardized systems. The results indicated a persistent tension between progressive pedagogy and technocentric educational practice.
Conclusions:
The stories revealed how teachers purposefully grappled with using technology while working to uphold the Deweyan ideals. Teachers identified benefits such as the ability to engage in inquiry and reflective, fluid learning using digital platforms, while they also identified challenges such as inequality, mandated procedures, and over-standardized learning environments. The results displayed persistent tension in the educational landscape between progressive pedagogy and technocentric tendencies.