The war on learning : gaining ground in the digital university /

Losh (culture, art, and technology, Univ. of California, San Diego) applies a rhetorical, feminist perspective to analyze contemporary pushes for technology over traditional instructional approaches in higher education. She targets well-known technologies that were intended to render the learning process more cooperative, interactive, inclusive, and effective than traditional instructional methodologies. Citing failed higher education experiments with specific technologies (sometimes her own), Losh challenges unquestioned privileging of technology over other instructional methods; raises awareness of potential abuse with some technologies; and prompts readers to identify, promote, and select positive uses of instructional technologies to make the learning process more effective for more learners. Along with its nine chapters, this book also contains a rich and varied array of references: text-based, online, video, and television resources; explanatory comments; and sources for additional exploration. Losh's writing is scholarly and can seem conceptually abstract to readers uninitiated in instructional technologies and/or rhetorical analysis. However, Losh's use of narrative, case studies, and direct quotations enhances reader comprehension. Those interested in learning about the pros and cons of currently discussed instructional technologies will find this book particularly informative. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals and practitioners. --Daniela Truty, Northeastern Illinois University