New Publication: How Dominant Digital Technologies in Schools Influence the Enactment of Curriculum Change

Research Impact

This paper shows how dominant, taken-for-granted digital tools in schools can influence the enactment of curriculum reforms. Drawing on a case of curriculum change at lower-secondary education in Ireland, the paper argues that the widespread use and availability of slideware technology (e.g., PowerPoint) can influence how Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) are understood, produced, and presented. The study highlights the “backwash” effect of this dominance, including pressures toward linear, bullet-pointed representations of learning and an instrumental focus on “workplace-ready” digital skills. The paper’s contribution is to make visible what is often overlooked: curriculum reforms are mediated by existing technological infrastructures, which can both enable change and lock-out alternative forms of expression and learning.

Citation

McGarr, O., McCormack, O., & Calderón, A. (2026). How dominant digital technologies in schools influence the enactment of curriculum change. Cogent Education, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2026.2676153