In August of this year, Education Secretary Damien Hinds put forth a challenge to the tech industry to ‘launch an education revolution’.1 Along with promise of funds to get more schools connected to ultrafast broadband, he placed a call for educators, government and technology innovators to forge a strong partnership which will ‘ultimately support and inspire the learners of today and tomorrow’.
Hinds’ desire to improve educational access and inclusion, create efficient assessment practices, reduce the burden of administrative work on teachers and to help those outside of the formal education system access online learning systems is reasonably laudable, but his ultimate aim of allowing teachers to ‘focus their time and effort on the pupils in the classroom’ is hardly revolutionary. His examples and his vision for the future lack all sign of inspiration and creativity, and leave us to wonder which of the technology leaders could possibly be interested in taking up such a mundane challenge.
This is yet another example of how the extremes of the positions held by policy leaders and technology leaders are growing further and further apart. Tech companies like Microsoft and Google are developing incredible educational initiatives worldwide, from inexpensive AI wearables to ‘mixed reality’ initiatives and a comprehensive Digital Skills Programme. They have also become the leaders in funding and promoting evidence-based research on the impact of technology on learning. The UK government, meanwhile, is barely registering the developmental potential of educational technology and is instead focusing on safeguarding regulations and administrative efficiency.
What does it mean to educate students effectively in 2018 and beyond? We know that technology permeates all areas of existence, yet its role in the classroom is not clearly defined. Should schools spend their budgets on technology infrastructure and take on all the headaches that go along with regular upgrading, troubleshooting and safeguarding issues? Or do we need to protect our children from digital overload and the increasing levels of mental anguish young people are experiencing as a result of digital connectivity? Is technology proving to be a time-consuming distraction to students or is it bringing new depth to the curriculum that is expanding their minds and future possibilities?
With these questions in mind and the understanding that the complexities of modern education cannot be easily resolved, we decided it was time for a rebrand and reconfiguration of our e-Learning Update magazine to better align with our strengths and the needs of our readership.