5 minute read
Edtech; more to do
In Autumn 2020, a group of leaders and teachers wrote the Edtech Vision 2025, in response to a House of Commons Committee call for evidence.
This group of education professionals concluded that:
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“COVID-19 magnified the uneven and patchy approach to digital learning in England. Even before COVID-19, schools’ use of EdTech varied widely. The virus highlighted, however, that schools and colleges need support and training.”
As remote learning was thrust to the forefront of education, these differences became magnified, leaving some schools and colleges, by default, better prepared than others as ‘closures’ forced most pupils to work from home. There are key urgent lessons for policy makers and governments.
DFE Response: Clear and Supportive?
Technology across education was essential in connecting school staff and students throughout the period of ‘remote education’ across the UK. However, in England edtech was having serious growing pains with only the very recent 2019 EdTech Strategy, amongst many well-intentioned initiatives. The DfE arose from that initial strategy - with a non-existent benchmark for schools during Covid-19.
England has arguably played catch up to its neighbouring countries, but the English-based Edtech Demonstrator programme provided agile professional development from March 2020, with a passionate network of forty-eight institutions acting as peer-to-peer crisis mentors. Basic access to devices and broadband were also key issues from the start for the Dfe. The procurement and purchase of laptops across the UK seemed tardy and was often mired in controversy.
Challenges regarding infrastructure, access to devices/reliable broadband and the lack of professional development opportunities were all recognised; but were the Department for Education’s attempts at addressing these timely, well-coordinated and ultimately supportive on the ground?
Nationally, too, there were differences with England being somewhat late in introducing a national EdTech Strategy compared to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Were the other education nations, therefore, perhaps able to respond in a more effective and agile way than England?
Kirsty Williams, former Welsh Education Secretary, speaking at a recent conference, acknowledged that the Hwb, the national digital platform in Wales, allowed an agile response across institutions.
Becki Bawler, who teaches in Wales said;
“Despite all that teachers, students and parents have learned about digital skills through our recent experiences of emergency remote education, it is apparent that there is still much to be done across the nations (some more than others) to reduce digital inequality and provide the most effective uses of digital technology for learning.”
1. Increased support for all schools and colleges for digital infrastructure and devices2. A new National EdTech strategy; an Office for EdTech & Digital Skills and investment in edtech firms, jobs and clusters3. Teacher training, professional qualifications and a national platform in England, like Hwb in Wales and Glow in Scotland, with open shared resources4. Increased investment and support for SEND and digital assistive technology that supports ALL pupils5. Real recognition of the future needs of our digital economy, clarity about digital skills in schools and EdTech as a national investment priority6. Computing and curriculum reform to include appropriate use of digital 7. A joined up, secure and respectful approach to data about children and young people CAMPAIGN AGENDA
Edtech; more to do
Digital Disadvantage Gap
The EdtechUK Advisory Forum called for Increased support and investment - for all schools and colleges - for digital infrastructure and devices; as well as an established set of ‘digital norms’ or a framework for digital capacity, capabilities and access across education institutions. Moreover, the group highlighted, we cannot allow a divide between ‘digitally rich’ institutions and the rest to persist - such a ‘digital disadvantage gap’ does not prepare our country, our schools, colleges, or learners for our future.
Parents and carers also played a fundamental role, supporting and helping young people to fully understand their increasingly digital environments. Again, they too need to be supported so they can help their children navigate these complexities; digital literacy has a major and abiding role to play for us all.
A strategic response is needed.
As John Sibbald, of the EdtechUK Advisory Forum says; “Prior to COVID many of those working in education were concerned that digital skills and investment in digital had become a low priority for schools. Digital didn’t appear in the Ofsted framework, teacher standards, early career framework or the national professional qualifications in middle and senior leaders or headteachers.”
Digital - Professional Development
It is clear that Initial Teacher Training, the Early Career Framework and a spectrum of national professional qualifications have little, if any, focus on digital learning and the positive support education technology can bring for teaching and learning. There needs to be urgent action to remedy this and provide a coherent national framework of support in these qualifications for the positive uses of digital and wider use of accredited bitesize courses and similar imaginative training opportunities.
Professional development can become more cost effective and easier to access across the country using virtual conferencing and recorded talks, giving teaching and support staff more opportunities to learn and develop. However, all of this depends on the will to change and the funding to support it – many teachers and students now see the benefits of providing blended learning – something the Open University has excelled at for years.
As John says: “ We have a unique opportunity to apply the pedagogical and digital learning from lockdown both back in the classroom and in home learning. To do this requires us to develop distributed, digital leadership throughout the system but many schools will need help and support to achieve this.”
The global pandemic also highlighted the urgent need to ensure equitable digital provision. Increases in home working may have personal and environmental benefits, but these need to be supported by national digital infrastructure.
As Caz Keep, one of the report’s authors said at the time about digital devices; “If you can’t reach them; you can’t teach them.”
