Creative Learning in Digital and Virtual Environments - Informed

In this review of Creative Learning in Digital and Virtual Environments, the book is presented as a thoughtful, research-led resource for educators and researchers seeking a reflective account of how technology shapes creativity and learning. The volume, originally a special issue of the Creativity Research Journal, offers both conceptual perspectives and empirical studies, and its single biggest reason to buy is the balanced treatment of contemporary challenges-including the specific impact of the Coronavirus-paired with practical discussion of digital resources and online collaboration.

Key Features

• Balanced perspective: The book combines conceptual reflections with empirical evidence to give a nuanced view of technology-enabled creative learning.
• Contemporary relevance: Several chapters address the challenges posed by the Coronavirus to online education, making the content timely for current practice.
• Range of contexts: Discussions cover school achievement, digital educational resources, online collaboration, and virtual working, useful for multiple settings.
• Focus on creativity: The volume examines how individual and collective creativity are affected by digital tools, offering insight for curriculum design and pedagogy.
• Risk awareness: It considers how creative uses of technology can also pose risks to learning through accidental or deliberate dissemination of content.

Who It's For

This collection is best suited for education researchers, graduate students, and school leaders who want a research-informed look at how digital and virtual environments shape creative learning. The book is useful for those designing digital resources or studying online collaboration and virtual working patterns.

Practicing classroom teachers seeking ready-to-use lesson plans may find it less practical, as the volume leans toward conceptual and empirical analysis rather than step-by-step classroom activities. Readers seeking a how-to manual for technology integration should look elsewhere.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides a comprehensive, research-based discussion of technology and creativity that supports informed decision making for policy and curriculum.
• Addresses urgent, real-world issues such as the Coronavirus impact on online education, increasing its immediate applicability.
• Explores multiple educational contexts, from school achievement to virtual working, making it relevant across sectors.
• Highlights potential risks of digital creativity, encouraging cautious and reflective use of technology.

Cons

• The book is oriented toward research and reflection, so it offers limited practical classroom-ready activities for day-to-day teaching.
• As an edited volume adapted from a journal issue, some chapters vary in style and depth, which may feel uneven to some readers.

Specifications

Title	Creative Learning in Digital and Virtual Environments
Series	Routledge Research in Education
Editors / Authors	Vlad Glaveanu, Ingunn Ness, Constance de Saint Laurent
Origin	Originally published as a special issue of the Creativity Research Journal
Topics covered	Technology-enabled learning, creativity, online collaboration, digital resources
Context emphasis	School achievement, virtual working, impact of the Coronavirus

Our Verdict

For researchers, school leaders, and graduate students who want a measured, evidence-rich examination of how digital environments shape creativity, this volume is a strong value. Its timely chapters on the Coronavirus and its attention to both benefits and risks make it a useful reference for shaping policy and informing digital resource development, even if it is not a practical lesson-planning guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this volume include empirical studies?
Yes. The book contains empirically informed chapters alongside conceptual reflections to support its conclusions.

Is the book practical for classroom teachers?
It is more research- and theory-oriented than a hands-on teacher manual, so classroom teachers seeking immediate lesson plans may prefer other resources.

Does it address the impact of the Coronavirus?
Yes. Several chapters provide a current and updated account of the challenges the Coronavirus posed to online education.