This book is about theorising technology and education and how we can theorise better. It will be particularly valuable for those interested in researching the ways in which technology has influenced teaching and learning – across different sectors and in both formal and informal settings. However, it will also have a more general appeal to those interested in, and perhaps flummoxed by, the idea of theory, in respect to education and social research in general.

The aim of the book is then to clarify the idea of theory and to encourage researchers to be more theoretical. I am interested in promoting discussion of theory and while I provide a clear agenda for how we can theorise better, this is not a ‘how to research’ guide. Moreover, my aim is to promote theorising, not a particular theoretical framework or theory. At this point, I do recognise that there are plenty of books on technology and digital tools in and beyond the classroom and for that matter several books on theory and theorising, so why another one? I have three main objectives.

First, I want to show that theory need not be so mystifying a concept if we think about it in broad and inclusive ways. Theory comes with many different associations, but at heart it is about providing an explanation, not any explanation but one that is backed up using concepts and ideas from a wider field of study. This is not difficult to understand even if discussion of theory is often emotionally charged. It is, after all, a major put-down to be told that our work is lacking theory or that we have misunderstood theory X or theory Y. Yet those who are so eager to critique the theoretical efforts of others often believe that theirs is the only legitimate version of theory and fail to set out what they mean by theory in the first place. We should not let that put us off offering theoretical claims of our own and doing so on our own terms.

Second, there have been strong criticisms of research into technology and education and a perceived lack of theoretical rigour within the field. Researchers have been criticised for superficiality, for being guided by novelty, and for offering romanticised accounts of technology.