Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare and problematise technology and teaching reform initiatives in Australia and Singapore, demonstrating the importance of adopting a critical stance towards technology-rich education reform. In the Australian context, the tensions and challenges of the Digital Education Revolution and the Teaching Teachers for the Future programme are illustrated. In the Singapore context, the implications of the ways in which teachers exercise their agency over technological imperatives are examined. Design/methodology/approach The first section of the paper draws on interview and observational data generated during a microethnographic investigation into secondary school students’ use of iPads as a learning tool in an independent school in South-East Queensland. Data “snapshots” illustrate the lingering challenges of reform designed to achieve technology-rich learning environments. The second section of the paper draws on a retrospective study of current ICT initiatives in Singapore through case studies of two schools that are heavily involved in ongoing ICT integration programmes. Findings While reforms are usually borne out of careful studies among policy makers and politicians to develop solutions to problems, the final version often reflects compromise between various stakeholders championing their respective agendas. As such, problematisation is imperative to develop critical and nuanced understandings. In both Australia and Singapore, it is suggested that failing to account for such ontological matters as teacher and learner identity and agency prevents meaningful change. Originality/value Global reform to achieve technology-rich teaching and learning environments reflects the ubiquity of such initiatives across geographical and cultural boundaries. Such reforms have been driven and supported by a substantial body of research, much of which has uncritically accepted the view that technology-rich reform is inherently “good” or necessary. Learning technology research has thus tended to focus on epistemological matters such as learning design at the expense of ontology. This paper engages with emerging research into technology as an identity issue for learners and teachers to explore the implications of technology-driven education reform on educational institutions, policies and practices.

中文翻译：

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质疑技术和教学改革：澳大利亚和新加坡的观点

目的本文的目的是对澳大利亚和新加坡的技术和教学改革计划进行比较和提出问题，证明采取对技术含量高的教育改革持批判态度的重要性。在澳大利亚的背景下，说明了数字教育革命和未来教师计划的紧张和挑战。在新加坡的背景下，研究了教师行使其代理权对技术必要性的影响。设计/方法/方法本文的第一部分借鉴了微观民族志调查中产生的访谈和观察数据，这些调查是针对中学生在昆士兰州东南部的一所独立学校中使用iPad作为学习工具的。数据“快照”说明了旨在实现技术丰富的学习环境的改革所面临的长期挑战。本文的第二部分通过对两个正在积极参与正在进行的ICT整合计划的学校的案例研究，对新加坡当前的ICT计划进行了回顾性研究。研究发现尽管改革通常是出于决策者和政客的认真研究以寻求解决方案的目的，但最终版本通常反映了在支持各自议程的各个利益相关者之间的妥协。因此，问题化对于发展批判性和细微的理解是必不可少的。在澳大利亚和新加坡，建议不考虑诸如教师和学习者的身份和代理这样的本体论问题就可以防止有意义的变化。独创性/价值为实现技术含量高的教学环境而进行的全球改革反映了此类倡议在地理和文化边界上的普遍性。此类改革得到了大量研究的推动和支持，其中许多研究已不加批判地接受了以下观点：技术丰富的改革本质上是“好”或必要的。因此，学习技术研究倾向于集中于认识论问题，例如以本体为代价的学习设计。本文将对技术的新兴研究作为学习者和教师的身份问题进行探讨，以探讨技术驱动的教育改革对教育机构，政策和实践的影响。