The Young People Index
What Do You Think The Main EdTech Challenges Will Be In 2018?
The use of technology in the classroom is often a double edged sword. On the one hand we are trying to prepare children for a world where technology will dominate their lives to an extent we can only guess at in the present, while on the other hand current technology can be more of a distraction than an aid to learning, and is the source of most of the bullying cases we see at schools.
Technology when used correctly can be all that is needed to provide up to date knowledge and understanding across nearly all subject areas, but trying to sift through the tidal wave of data to find the best information often takes more time than using a text book. Technology and the internet can provide breath-taking simulations and other learning opportunities while exposing young people to unprecedented dangers that they’re often not mature enough to handle.
With technology parents are also strongly divided; one group wants their children to learn all there is about technology, computers and the internet to prepare them for their future, while another group fears for over exposure to screen time, Wi-Fi radiation and poor personal interaction to demand restrictions on the use of technology in schools. One thing both groups have in common is very little understanding of the dangers associated with the internet and the use of social media that their children are being exposed to mostly in the home environment on a daily basis.
Andrew Roberts-Wray - Education Advisor, at The Young People Index.