The discourse on educational technology before, during, and after the COVID-19 outbreak
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has unprecedently affected education, pushing institutions to quickly adapt to the emergency through the use of digital technologies. In this forced and hectic transition, a technocentric aura started permeating the educational discourse, along with a frantic search for the right technology that could fix instructional problems exacerbated by the pandemic. At the same time, from corporate advertisements to government speeches, the incorporation of digital technologies in education became a space for disputes in which different players kept reframing the role of technology according to their needs, interests, and worldviews. Seeking to better understand the discourses used to depict digital technology in education, this study focuses on how technology has been presented in a major yearly publication in three consecutive years – before, during, and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering that corporations, media, and organizations can influence their audiences’ perceptions and expectations about technology, a critical approach to their discourses (and how they have evolved during the pivotal years of the pandemic) can help teachers, parents, and other stakeholders make more informed decisions when reviewing, selecting, and implementing educational technologies.