Digital technology and networked spaces in outdoor education: reflections upon presenting at an international webinar

Kraalingen, Imre van; Hills, D.A.; Reed, Jack; Beames, Simon; Munge, Brendon

doi:10.1080/14729679.2022.2127112

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Given the prevalence of mobile technology and social media in society, and its salience in the lives of young people (Ofcom, 2022), narratives of choice to embrace or not to embrace technology may become an oversimplification of reality. As outlined in a paper following an international webinar, “no matter how hard we try, outdoor education experiences may be considered as bookended by the technological architectures that shape society” (van Kraalingen et al, 2022, p. 9). This bookending of outdoor education experiences by both social media and broader sociotechnical infrastructures now represents a pressing question which centers on the effectiveness of technology removal in outdoor education and whether such experiences resonate with learners’ networked realities.…”

Section: The Present Literature: a Dichotomy In Theory And Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Instructor Perspectives on Mobile Technologies and Social Media in Practice: Findings From the United Kingdom's Outward Bound Trust

Reed

2023

Journal of Experiential Education

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Background: The use or non-use of mobile technologies and social media in residential outdoor adventurous education (OAE) remains contested and generates an often-cited for-and-against argument in both theory and practice. Purpose: This qualitative study explored instructor perceptions of mobile technologies and social media in their practice as members of instructional staff at the United Kingdom's Outward Bound Trust. Methodology/Approach: Grounded within a multiple-case study design, 20 members of instructional staff were interviewed online from three Outward Bound Trust centers across Wales, England, and Scotland. Findings/Conclusions: Two major themes are shared as statements: (1) phone-free outdoor experiences are more impactful for young people in contemporary society; (2) social media is fake, outdoor adventurous education necessitates in-person and in-place interaction. These findings are presented within a postdigital conceptual lens which questions whether any residential outdoor experience can be truly “technology free.” Implications: The study consolidates perspectives on mobile technologies and social media in the practices of residential OAE instructors. These perspectives are considered important in the framing and delivery of contemporary OAE practice.

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Section: The Present Literature: a Dichotomy In Theory And Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Instructor Perspectives on Mobile Technologies and Social Media in Practice: Findings From the United Kingdom's Outward Bound Trust

Reed

2023

Journal of Experiential Education

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“…It depends on how that digital technology is used, and the way it is managed. If we accept Reed's position on accepting the omnipresence of digital technology and the inevitable arrival of these new devices (van Kraalingen et al, 2022), further research is required to explore the impact that these wearable, externally connected, smart devices may have on outdoor learning pedagogies. In doing so, we can hopefully monitor how digital technologies impact our abilities to be present with places, ourselves, and other people in outdoor education experiences.…”

Section: Future Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Technology on Presence in Outdoor Education

Hills,

van Kraalingen,

Thomas

2023

Journal of Experiential Education

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Background: The ability of outdoor educators and their participants to be present with each other and the natural and cultural histories of places can impact the realisation of learning outcomes and safety. Purpose: In this paper, we combine the findings of two separate research studies regarding the potential for digital technology to both distract and enhance the presence that both facilitators and their learners may experience in outdoor education programs. Methodology/Approach: Research Study One used a naturalistic inquiry to collect data via surveys and online interviews with 185 outdoor educators from 14 different countries. Research Study Two used a collective case study involving undergraduate outdoor education programs in Norway. Data were collected from 12 educators and 12 learners using semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. Findings/Conclusions: Decisions on inclusion or exclusion of digital technology in outdoor education should be intentional, systematic, and evidence-based. The use of mobile technologies can pose barriers to learners’ and educators’ presence, their social interactions, and their experience of place. Implications: Digital technology can enhance or detract the experience of presence in outdoor education programs depending on how that technology is used, and the way the technology is managed.

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“…In the field of outdoor education and outdoor studies, researchers have raised specific concerns about the potential negative impacts of the use of mobile technologies on outdoor learning. Some primary concerns include distracting students from the learning experience and natural environment (Smith et al, 2016;Hills and Thomas, 2020), disrupting social interactions among students, fueling a technologydriven false sense of safety (van Kraalingen et al, 2022;van Kraalingen, 2023), and possibly limiting the development of certain skills (Smith et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presence and (dis)connectedness – the influence of smartphones usage on human–nature and human–human interactions in outdoor studies

van Kraalingen,

Beames

2024

Front. Educ.

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Interactions between students and nature and students and their peers are central to learning processes in outdoor studies programs. This paper draws on symbolic interactionist social theory to interpret participants’ experiences of smartphone usage and its impact on human–nature and human–human interactions. The findings are derived from a collective case study using semi-structured interviews with educators and focus group interviews with students enrolled in outdoor studies programs in Norway. Two primary themes were identified through reflexive thematic analysis: perceptions of nature and attentiveness to peers. Each of these themes illustrates the fluctuating presence and (dis) connectedness of students and the implications of this for learning out-of-doors. On the one hand, the findings suggest that the use of smartphones reduces students’ sensory perception of nature and their attentiveness to interactions with their peers. On the other hand, smartphones and their access to online networks can contribute to the continuity of learning experiences between indoor and outdoor learning, as well as beyond the formal learning environment. Taken together, this inquiry offers new insights into the challenges of tertiary level teaching and learning outdoors in spaces that are mediated (at times) by interactions with smartphones and associated media infrastructures.

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Digital technology and networked spaces in outdoor education: reflections upon presenting at an international webinar

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Instructor Perspectives on Mobile Technologies and Social Media in Practice: Findings From the United Kingdom's Outward Bound Trust

Instructor Perspectives on Mobile Technologies and Social Media in Practice: Findings From the United Kingdom's Outward Bound Trust

The Impact of Technology on Presence in Outdoor Education

Presence and (dis)connectedness – the influence of smartphones usage on human–nature and human–human interactions in outdoor studies

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