“...we have come to recognise an innovation deficit at the intersection of technology and education; students today inhabit a rich digital environment, but it is insufficiently utilised to support learning.” (Decoding Learning) Nesta 2013
In its recent publication Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning: Evidence Review (December 2019) the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) reviewed the impact of digital technology on learning and although found positive benefits they also noted that how technology is used is key and that future research should focus on identifying the specific conditions under which a positive impact is found.
The report considers four aspects of digital technology use in learning:
1 - Consider how technology will improve teaching and learning before introducing it
Key points:
● Tech is not a solution looking for a problem
● There needs to be a clear pedagogical rationale
● A clear plan of support/training is vital
● Cost v benefits analysis is a must
We would add that the consideration of how the technology will be used to improve teaching and learning should be made before buying it.
Here schools should consider the pedagogy of technology -transforming digital technologies into learning technologies.
2 - Technology can be used to improve the quality of explanations and modelling
● How explanations and models are conveyed is less important than their clarity, relevance and accessibility (don’t assume the technology guarantees this!)
● New technology doesn’t guarantee new teaching methods (think Interactive whiteboards that are rarely used interactively)
● Tech can supplement modelling - perhaps showing how experts think and what they do
3 - Technology offers ways to improve the impact of pupil practice
Key points:
● Increase quality and quantity of practice (inside and outside classroom)
● Engagement factor of technology - but this is complex, if not careful it can widen gaps between successful and not
● AI can enable teachers to use tech to adapt practice by increasing the challenge as learners progress (could be new contexts)
● Tech can be used for retrieval practice and self-quizzing
4 - Technology can play a role in improving assessment and feedback
Key points:
● Tech has potential to improve assessment and feedback
● Can increase the accuracy of assessment (and speed/ease of collection)
● Direct feedback to pupils is possible -again supplemental to existing feedback mechanism
Often combined with practice (in aspect 3) and aligned with Underpinning Element: Assessment, this aspect of practice can provide significant savings in workload for teachers. As mentioned already, self-marking quizzes are a real timesaver and provide a wealth of data to support learning progress.
UE_LT6 TPCK_-_Technological_Pedagogical_Content_Knowledge (1).pdfUE_LT1decoding_learning_report.pdfUE_LT7 WebBooklet Extract.pdfUE_LT2 EEF_Digital_Technology_Guidance_Report P6-25 only.pdfUE_LT5 SAMR.pdfUE_LT3 Facebookguideforeducators1P6-9.pdf