Creativity, embodiment and ensembles through technological interactions in critical-creative higher education

The global pandemic brought urgent challenges to societies in need of creative approaches to education. As a response to this crisis, technology has been used to provide steady educational offerings to individuals who could not meet in person. Adjustments to this need varied according to the institutions’ previous experience with technology-driven education. Those who had established online educational programs well ahead of lockdowns, turned to technology as a tool for surviving through the pandemic. The former case is documented through the development of attitudes towards technology in education, which goes from the understanding of technology as a mere tool for assisting groups in problem-solving, to rethinking technology’s entrepreneurial value. In the other response to the pandemic, where technology was not already an educational habit or mindset, problems were solved abruptly, often intuitively and with low technological skills. This research investigates this kind of experience. Looking at creativity literature and its development towards critical-relational perspectives, and the educators’ perception of technology, this chapter focuses on the collective side of creativity as mediated through digital education. The key concept investigated is that of critical-creativity in relational exchanges: what happens when educators engage communities of learners in critical-creative practices through technological platforms?