Abstract
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Research into learning technology has developed a reputation for being driven
by rhetoric about the revolutionary nature of new developments, for paying
scant attention to theories that might be used to frame and inform research, and
for producing shallow analyses that do little to inform the practice of education.
Although there is theoretically-informed research in learning technology, this is
in the minority, and has been actively marginalised by calls for applied design
work. This limits opportunities to advance knowledge in the field. Using three
examples, alternative ways to engage with theory are identified. The paper concludes
by calling for greater engagement with theory, and the development of a
scholarship of learning technology, in order to enrich practice within the field
and demonstrate its relevance to other fields of work.