Digital Education Ecosystem to Achieve Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adoption is central in the transition to remote teaching and learning. While ICT commands considerable attention in this transition, the demand for digital competences cannot be underestimated in education systems that are largely teacher centric. This work explores the theoretical contours to teaching and learning as a relational property of the three-way interaction posited by Anderson (International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 4(2):126-141, 2003) consisting of students, content and educators to enable greater engagement and ultimately create cognitive justice. In recognition of epistemic diversity, this chapter-through a meta-analysis approach-explores digital learning as well as the interplay between technological advancement and instructional delivery, all of which are disrupting the incumbent techniques. While there is a lot of literature on ICT affordances, the main contribution of this chapter is the mapping of digital technology affordances against the four key principles for learning: autonomy, connectedness, diversity and openness. The inherent potential benefit of this mapping is the prospective of the creation of new enabling learning environments while also improving access to education. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the pedagogy of personalisation gives students the choice of what, when and how they engage with digital education resources for cognitive development. Finally, this chapter documents the key digital competences necessary in technology-integrated contexts in order to facilitate learning in an informal and self-regulated environment.