Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

What are the key questions that educators should ask when assessing new edtech?

One of the great myths the edtech industry tries to sell us is that it invented personalised learning.

Edtech companies trumpet the promise of using computers to teach, with students able to move at their own pace through the material in an individualised way, seeing exactly the content that they need to learn at precisely the right level for them, at just the moment they need to see it. 

The problem is, it’s not new – and it’s not really personalised.  

There was a thought provoking article about educational technology in a recent edition of The Economist called ‘Together, technology and teachers can revamp schools’.

The article suggested that up until recently the relationship between technology and education has been tenuous. And that technological advancements, programmes and innovations, which seemed at first to be an exciting leap forward, often became a disappointment in practice. This has mainly been because of professionals’ reservation about using it and lack of necessary skills, as well as scepticism about its benefits.

Things are about to get very interesting. These four disruptive digital technologies aren't mainstream, but they will change the very fabric of learning.