The Cruel Optimism of Educational Technology Teacher Ambassador Spaces
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| Title: | The Cruel Optimism of Educational Technology Teacher Ambassador Spaces |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Kali Thompson (ORCID |
| Source: | Power and Education. 2024 16(2):150-165. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Educational Technology, Neoliberalism, Teacher Leadership, Ideology, Teacher Exchange Programs, Teacher Empowerment, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Benefits |
| DOI: | 10.1177/17577438231164717 |
| ISSN: | 1757-7438 |
| Abstract: | In the last 20 years, neoliberal ideology has heavily influenced the U.S. education system, opening public education up to private corporations as a profitable business endeavor. In this paper, I inquire (Pierre, 2018, 2021) into educational technology (edtech) teacher ambassador programs through a blog post I wrote as a former second-grade teacher and ambassador for a prominent K-12 edtech company. I argue one way these exploitative spaces operate is through educators' attachment (Berlant, 2011) to the idea of being a "good enough woman teacher" (Pittard, 2015) fueled by neoliberal discourses of "keeping up" (Walkerdine, 2003). In other words, the material-discursive apparatus of these program spaces produces a "cruel optimism" for what we "could be," rather than what we "are," which in turn produces further profit for edtech companies. Overall, this paper grapples with how these programs may appear or "feel" mutually beneficial for educators, yet are often only monetarily beneficial for edtech companies and their investors. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1501027 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In the last 20 years, neoliberal ideology has heavily influenced the U.S. education system, opening public education up to private corporations as a profitable business endeavor. In this paper, I inquire (Pierre, 2018, 2021) into educational technology (edtech) teacher ambassador programs through a blog post I wrote as a former second-grade teacher and ambassador for a prominent K-12 edtech company. I argue one way these exploitative spaces operate is through educators' attachment (Berlant, 2011) to the idea of being a "good enough woman teacher" (Pittard, 2015) fueled by neoliberal discourses of "keeping up" (Walkerdine, 2003). In other words, the material-discursive apparatus of these program spaces produces a "cruel optimism" for what we "could be," rather than what we "are," which in turn produces further profit for edtech companies. Overall, this paper grapples with how these programs may appear or "feel" mutually beneficial for educators, yet are often only monetarily beneficial for edtech companies and their investors. |
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| ISSN: | 1757-7438 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/17577438231164717 |
