New Patterns of Power and Participation? Designing ICT for Informal and Community Learning

Cook, J. and Light, A. (2006) New Patterns of Power and Participation? Designing ICT for Informal and Community Learning, E-Learning 3(1) pp51-61

The UK and other governments have demonstrated faith in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a means of achieving a participative and inclusive society through various high profile initiatives. It is also claimed that ICT or e-learning can bring about new patterns of power and participation for excluded learners. In this context, our paper will examine the following questions: What new patterns of power and participation are ICTs enabling through e-learning? And what else is needed for a participative and inclusive society? The paper will address the questions from two different perspectives. First, we will look at the small but growing empirical base in the area of informal and community learning, including the description of a previously unreported study in this area. Second, we discuss what is required to design digital media that plug into the motivations of ‘real people’ in a way that empowers them. It is this merging of interdisciplinary perspectives that, we argue, is needed if we are to enable true power and participation for e-learners. Specifically, we will illustrate how the careful design of ICTs can contribute to empowerment.