As Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Education Technology, Damian welcomes the publication of the APPG's 'lessons from lockdown' report:
"EdTech had been growing dramatically for some time but the pandemic brought a step-change in deployment. It will not revert to the status quo ante. There are limits to what can be said with confidence at this stage – but it is important that we consider, in this formative moment, the ‘Lessons from Lockdown’.
For children, for parents and for teachers, clearly this has been a very difficult time. The challenges of making up lost ground, re-narrowing the attainment gap and supporting young people with their mental and physical health and well-being, will need sustained attention and resource.
But the experience of education in lockdown has been uneven, and part of that is about technology. In public debate the focus has largely been on the availability of devices and connectivity. Determination to close the digital divide must surely be a lasting legacy of lockdown. However, there are lessons too in what uses of technology have been most effective for pupils, teachers and parents.
For this rapid assessment report, I am very grateful to the teachers, schools and tech providers who submitted evidence, the experts who addressed our meetings, and to my fellow officers of the APPG in both Houses of Parliament. A particular word of thanks goes to Caroline Wright, Nina Iles and Monica Thompson at the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), as well as Alexander Shea and Daniel Cohen, for their analysis and drafting of this report, and for enabling the operation of the APPG.
We as a group of parliamentarians and policy makers believe EdTech can enhance learning, ease teacher workloads, improve back-of-house processes, augment support for students with specific learning needs, facilitate parental engagement, open up access to lifelong learning, and support international development. British suppliers are very well positioned to deliver, domestically and around the world."
More information is available via the link below, together with a copy of the report:
https://www.besa.org.uk/edtech-appg-report-lessons-from-lockdown/
