TY - CHAP

T1 - Politics of Digital Resources in Mathematics Education

AU - Misfeldt, Morten

AU - Aguilar, Mario Sánchez

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - In this chapter, we ask whether digital resources in the mathematics classroom can be said to have a political agenda or political consequences. Of course, resources can be used for political purposes – but do they serve a political goal? We theoretically explore this question by relating to mainstream trends in mathematics education literature as political, the literature on digital resources in the mathematical classroom, and recent broad concerns about the political consequences of technology. Then we introduce a framework from science studies that describe the political influences of artifacts as happening on three levels: (1) the use of artifacts to meet human decided ends, (2) unforeseen consequences by use of artifacts, and (3) larger changes to society and sociotechnical systems that are fertilized by the existence or broad use of an artifact. This framework discusses two types of digital resources and their political consequences, namely, the use of computer algebra systems in the teaching of mathematics and the use of Internet-based communication for mathematics instruction. We end the chapter by discussing what type of reflections the perspective of resources as political demands of mathematics educators.

AB - In this chapter, we ask whether digital resources in the mathematics classroom can be said to have a political agenda or political consequences. Of course, resources can be used for political purposes – but do they serve a political goal? We theoretically explore this question by relating to mainstream trends in mathematics education literature as political, the literature on digital resources in the mathematical classroom, and recent broad concerns about the political consequences of technology. Then we introduce a framework from science studies that describe the political influences of artifacts as happening on three levels: (1) the use of artifacts to meet human decided ends, (2) unforeseen consequences by use of artifacts, and (3) larger changes to society and sociotechnical systems that are fertilized by the existence or broad use of an artifact. This framework discusses two types of digital resources and their political consequences, namely, the use of computer algebra systems in the teaching of mathematics and the use of Internet-based communication for mathematics instruction. We end the chapter by discussing what type of reflections the perspective of resources as political demands of mathematics educators.

U2 - doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95060-6_51-1

DO - doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95060-6_51-1

M3 - Book chapter

T3 - Springer International Handbooks of Education

SP - 1

EP - 20

BT - Handbook of Digital Resources in Mathematics Education

PB - Springer Nature Switzerland

ER -