ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of dialogic space in education and its relationship with technology. We begin by tracing the history of communications technology and its intersection with education, leading up to the emergence of AI chatbots as dialogue partners, arguing that technology has an important role in fostering dialogic spaces. We explore the modern concept of dialogic space, which is rooted in educational research and emphasises the importance of creating a space for open and exploratory dialogue. Specifically, we revisit Martin Buber’s seminal notion of ‘the space between’ as a realm of possibilities within interpersonal relationships. We also highlight the limitations of this theory in not accounting for technology’s materiality in shaping dialogic spaces. Integrating Buber’s ‘space between’ with recent dialogic space theory, we demonstrate how combining pedagogical and technological design can open, widen and deepen dialogic spaces. Two case studies exemplify how designing technology in tandem with pedagogy can project students into an expanded dialogic space. We suggest that expanding dialogic space may be the essence of education and perhaps the most important function of educational technology.
