How critical thinking should be at the heart of digital interactions?

Abstract

In this paper, we study how to teach critical thinking at the digital era, in order to promote practitioners autonomy. A theory of interactions is proposed to identify constraints that structure digital creativity. This model helps to design a critical pedagogy, by connecting without opposing a procedural approach to a reflexive one. The paper presents an implementation of this model into a course about writing on a social network. The study of activity diaries of students shows presence of objectivity forms and reflexivity forms, which reflects the development of a critical thinking. This approach offers a way to develop critical thinking not from outside, in a course of argumentation or media analysis, but within the practice itself, in order to become aware of how interfaces structure our expression and thought.