Minimal Computing & EdTech Chapter

Critical Framework: Interrogating Educational Technology Through Minimal Computing Principles

Theoretical Foundation: The Intersection of Critical EdTech and Minimal Computing

Challenging Big Ed-tech Narratives
Minimal computing principles offer a valuable framework for critically examining educational technology and imagining alternatives to the futures presented as inevitable by large educational technology corporations. This approach provides tools for seeing beyond "the seductive rhetoric of freedom through platformization in education" and developing more equitable and just approaches to digital pedagogy.

Three Dimensions of Critical EdTech Studies
Felicitas Macgilchrist (2021) identifies three essential areas for critical educational technology research that align with minimal computing approaches:

1. Technology Assessment and Hype Critique: Observing emerging educational technologies with skepticism, questioning promotional rhetoric, and reflecting critically on sociopolitical implications of technological adoption in educational contexts.

2. Inequality and Justice Analysis: Examining how educational technologies contribute to reproducing existing inequalities or exacerbating injustices, particularly regarding access, representation, and power dynamics in educational settings.

3. Alternative Futures Imagination: Critiquing contemporary educational systems and imagining different possibilities for technology's role in education that prioritize justice, equity, and community empowerment over corporate profit and control.

The Minimal Computing Framework for Educational Technology

Four Essential Questions for EdTech Evaluation
Risam and Gil (2022) propose four key questions that can transform how we approach educational technology implementation and assessment:

1. What do we need?

• Identifying genuine educational needs rather than technology-driven solutions
• Prioritizing pedagogical goals over technological capabilities
• Centering community-defined needs rather than industry-imposed requirements
• Questioning assumptions about what constitutes necessary technology in education

2. What do we have?

• Inventory of existing resources, infrastructure, and capabilities
• Assessment of community assets and local knowledge
• Recognition of human expertise and relationships as technological resources
• Understanding limitations and constraints as design opportunities

3. What must we prioritize?

• Focusing on most essential functions and capabilities
• Balancing multiple needs and constraints within available resources
• Prioritizing equity and access over feature richness or technological sophistication
• Emphasizing sustainability and maintainability over novelty

4. What are we willing to give up?

• Questioning technological maximalism and feature creep
• Accepting trade-offs between functionality and other values
• Resisting pressure to adopt technologies that compromise core educational values
• Simplifying systems to focus on essential educational purposes

Alternative Approaches: Decentralized and Community-Controlled EdTech

IndieWeb and Educational Autonomy
The IndieWeb movement provides models for educational technology that prioritizes individual and institutional autonomy over platform dependence. This includes personal websites and domains that students and educators control, distributed rather than centralized educational technology systems, and protocols and standards that enable interoperability without platform lock-in.

Domain of One's Own Philosophy
Educational initiatives that provide students and educators with their own web domains and hosting create opportunities for authentic digital citizenship and technological literacy, ownership and control over digital identity and content creation, and experimentation with diverse tools and platforms based on pedagogical rather than commercial priorities.

Federated Educational Spaces
Federated approaches to educational technology create networks of interconnected but independently controlled educational environments including distributed social networks for educational communication and collaboration, shared resources and tools that don't require centralized platform control, and community governance models that prioritize educational rather than commercial interests.

Resistance Strategies and Alternative Implementations

Platform Resistance in Educational Contexts
Minimal computing approaches enable resistance to Big Ed-tech platformization through development of lightweight, sustainable educational technology solutions, creation of educational resources and tools that can be maintained by educators and students, and building community capacity for technological decision-making and implementation.

Open Source Educational Technology
Prioritizing open source solutions aligns with minimal computing principles by ensuring transparency and community control over educational technology, enabling local adaptation and customization based on specific educational contexts, and reducing dependence on commercial vendors and their changing business priorities.

Low-Resource Educational Technology
Minimal computing emphasizes solutions that work within resource constraints including technologies that function effectively with limited bandwidth and older hardware, approaches that prioritize accessibility across diverse technological capabilities, and solutions that can be maintained and supported by local communities rather than requiring external technical expertise.

Pedagogical Implications and Applications

Critical Digital Literacy Development
Minimal computing approaches to educational technology support development of critical digital literacy by teaching students to question technological assumptions and industry narratives, providing hands-on experience with alternative approaches to common technological tasks, and developing capacity for technological decision-making based on values rather than marketing.

Community-Centered Educational Technology
Prioritizing community needs and values in educational technology decisions involves participatory design processes that include all stakeholders in technology planning, local adaptation of educational technologies to reflect community priorities and contexts, and ongoing evaluation and adjustment based on community feedback and changing needs.

Sustainable Educational Technology Practices
Minimal computing principles support long-term sustainability in educational technology through emphasis on maintainable and repairable technological solutions, reduced dependence on external vendors and cloud-based services, and development of local expertise and capacity for ongoing technology support and adaptation.

Implementation Framework and Practical Strategies

Assessment and Planning Process
Implementing minimal computing approaches in educational contexts requires systematic assessment of current technological dependencies and their alignment with educational values, identification of opportunities for simplification and community control, and development of transition strategies that minimize disruption while increasing autonomy.

Community Capacity Building
Building local capacity for educational technology involves training educators and students in fundamental technological skills and concepts, creating support networks for ongoing learning and problem-solving, and developing policies and procedures that prioritize community control and decision-making.

Pilot Projects and Experimentation
Starting with small-scale experiments allows for learning and refinement including identification of specific educational technology challenges that can be addressed through minimal computing approaches, development of alternative solutions in low-risk contexts, and documentation and sharing of lessons learned for broader community benefit.

Research and Development Priorities

Critical Investigation of Educational Technology
Research priorities aligned with minimal computing principles include longitudinal studies of the impact of different educational technology approaches on equity and justice outcomes, comparative analysis of centralized versus decentralized educational technology implementations, and documentation of community-led educational technology initiatives and their outcomes.

Alternative Development and Innovation
Innovation priorities should focus on development of educational technology tools and platforms that embody minimal computing principles, creation of resources and guides for implementing alternative approaches to common educational technology needs, and building networks and communities of practice around critical educational technology development.

Policy and Advocacy Implications
Minimal computing approaches to educational technology have important policy implications including advocacy for educational technology policies that prioritize community control and equity over efficiency and standardization, development of funding and support mechanisms for alternative educational technology approaches, and resistance to policies that mandate dependence on commercial educational technology platforms.

The integration of minimal computing principles with critical educational technology studies provides a powerful framework for developing more equitable, sustainable, and community-controlled approaches to technology in education that resist the dominance of Big Ed-tech and create space for educational technology that truly serves learning and community empowerment.