Technological Innovation and the Commonplaces of Curriculum

Abstract

This paper reports on a case study of technological innovation, analyzed through the theoretical lens of the Schwab/Reid “commonplaces of curriculum.” The Watershed was an interactive geographical learning system targeted at secondary school students in southwestern Ontario, Canada. My main focus in this paper is not on the technical aspects of this software system, but on the political and organizational issues it confronted during its introduction, which ultimately led to its failure and disintegration. Through an examination of the various contexts surrounding this innovation, and through interviews with the participants, the paper attempts to draw out some understanding of the forces affecting such endeavors, and to suggest some lessons that can be learned from the experience.