Last year, education secretary Damien Hinds released the government’s strategy for technology in education. It finally acknowledged that digital technology has the power to impact on education, but was somewhat unimaginative in its vision. It focused on worthy goals like cutting down the burden of marking for teachers, improving CPD opportunities, providing assistance to those with special educational needs and, of course, improving anti-cheating software. It also put out a call for industry to take the lead in creating the possibility for achieving these goals.
And so, here we are nearly a year later, and certainly big improvements have been made in all these areas. Last month I attended Bett, London’s major international education technology show, and, as usual, the offerings were diverse, awe inspiring and enlightening. It is clear that big changes are being made on every front and that there is a great deal of progress being made.
However, as I spoke to more people, listening to their pitches for why their product or service is changing the face of education, it became clear that there are a lot of assumptions being made that are not necessarily grounded in fact.
Does computer-based learning really improve engagement for everyone or is that only the case for a certain type of student? Is the data being collected necessary, or is it creating metrics that will incriminate students and teachers who differ from the average in some way? Do the anecdotal improvements in behaviour reflect actual improvements in learning and engagement, or are these students simply being mollified by the comforts of screen time and the passive engagement that it can entail? There are a lot of claims being made and not a lot of rigour to be found in the data-collection processes.
I have no doubt that the technological solutions being offered and the attempts by companies to make the lives of teachers and students better are genuine. What is problematic and concerning is that the beliefs underlying the problems being addressed are not being questioned.
One major area of advancement in edtech is in the area of curriculum-mapped content packages. Typically these resources replace textbooks, allowing students to access content in a variety of formats, including video, audio and text. They are often linked to assignments, quizzes, etc. which can be graded in real time, taking the burden off the teacher and giving the student immediate feedback that lets them know where they’re at. In some cases, the content delivery is powered with AI technology, making the process adaptable to the student and offering a truly individualised experience.