The technology in education landscape is evolving at a pace that often feels dizzying. One look at the last few years and Artificial Intelligence (AI) development alone and this is pretty evident, never mind the pair of smart glasses I am currently experimenting with and what they might mean for students with English as a second language or with special educations needs, not to mention the challenges around academic integrity. New tools, both hardware and software, emerge almost daily. For schools these new tools offer such potential but adopting is complex and takes time, and relies on teachers having space to trial, experiment, and build confidence before these tools become part of everyday practice.
The Challenge of Adoption
Introducing new tools often means rethinking lesson plans, learning new interfaces, and managing technical hiccups, all while maintaining the core responsibility of delivering quality education. This all takes time. With time and workload being such an issue, as has been identified by successive teacher workload surveys, it is often a case of comparing possible benefit versus the cost of exploring and testing new tools, where such exploring and testing may identify tools that aren’t fit for purpose. When this happens the time appears wasted, leading to some being reluctant to invest the time in the first place. For those who do invest the time, it is either at the expense of other things or at the expense of themselves in exploring in their own time. And I note I have seen many a teacher present at webinars and conferences as to how they have used one amazing tool after another, which is great at an individual level and based on their personal investment in exploring and experimenting, but the question is how we scale this up to become the norm across all teachers.
Some years ago I presented at a conference in Dubai in relation to the need for teachers to build confidence where they wish to fully embed technology tools in their practice, however building such confidence is difficult when there isn’t the time and where platforms and solutions move on so quickly. So, what is the solution?
Democratising Creativity: Let Students Lead
Perhaps the solution lies in shifting the focus. Instead of expecting teachers to master every new tool, why not empower students to experiment? In the words of David Weinberger, “the smartest person in the room is the room” so what if we count the students in our classrooms? There is only so much experimenting a single teacher can do, but a class full of students can do much more experimenting and sharing, with this facilitated and directed by the teacher. The teacher doesn’t need to know every app or tool as long as they understand possible risks and pitfalls.
Coursework and project-based learning offer ideal opportunities for pupils to explore emerging technologies, whether that’s creating multimedia presentations, using AI to generate ideas, or leveraging coding platforms to build prototypes. AI tools in particular mean that really impressive products, be these images, presentations, videos, or more, can be put together by any student able to type prompts into an AI, and then able to review and refine their prompts and resulting output. We can truly allow students to be expressive and exploratory in their learning and in how they evidence their learning. It is very much the “democratising creativity” which I have heard Dan Fitzpatrick refer to on many occasions.
Safety First: Privacy and Data Protection
Of course, this freedom must come with guardrails. Schools have a duty to protect students’ welfare, their data and their privacy, so need to ensure that experimentation happens within safe, ethical frameworks. This means clear policies on what tools can be used, vetting and risk-based consideration of platforms, and ongoing education about digital responsibility.
Data protection isn’t just a legal requirement; it’s a trust issue. Parents, staff, and students need confidence that personal information is secure and that applications and tools which teachers introduce or recommend have this security at their heart. I note that nothing is without risk but that doesn’t absolve us of responsibility to do what is reasonably possible, to do due diligence, put mitigation measures in place and protect our students where possible.
Cybersecurity incidents, such as phishing attempts or data breaches, underscore the importance of vigilance. Even seemingly minor lapses can erode trust and expose vulnerabilities. I myself have seen how data incidents can have an impact years after the initial incident and where the initial incident was deemed to have been low risk. We therefore need to ensure we have processes in place to manage and minimise such risk.
But, things going wrong, error and failure are part of the learning experience, and allowing students to experience such things, along with supporting them on the road beyond, and in building their resilience, are important parts of preparing for the world beyond education. Supporting students to develop the skills so they can evaluate what they have done, refine and improve is likely to become more and more important in a world where information and knowledge is so widely available.
Balancing Innovation and Responsibility
The path forward requires balance. Schools must embrace innovation to remain relevant and prepare students for a digital future, but they cannot do so at the expense of privacy, security, safety or equity. In considering new tools and technologies this therefore gets me thinking about the below:
- Data Protection: Does the technology introduce data protection risks in terms of data sharing, including with AI tools for training, or with advertisers or other third parties? How long is data held for? Is the use of data limited to a clearly stated purpose? Where is the data geographically stored?
- Cyber Security: Does the technology vendor put in place basic measures for security such as MFA and requirements for breach and vulnerability notification?
- Ethics and transparency: Is the tool ethical and “right” in its planned use?
- Age limitations and T&Cs: Does the planned use align with the terms and conditions, including any terms which limit the age of users? Also is the tool designed for and appropriate to the age of planned student users?
- Intellectual Property: Who owns the product of the given technology? Is it the user, be they student or staff, or is it the technology vendor?
- Sustainability: Is the solution financially viable into the future, if there is a cost, as well as environmentally sustainable?
I note the above aren’t all the possible considerations but they are a good starting point. I also note that, for older students, it may be appropriate to get the students themselves thinking and investigating the above before seeking to use or explore a given tool.
Looking Ahead
Technology will continue to reshape education, but its success depends on thoughtful integration. By empowering students to lead experimentation, schools can harness creativity while giving teachers the time and support they need. Teachers could be the tech guide on the side although there may be work required to help them build the confidence to act as such. Coupled with strong privacy safeguards, this approach ensures that innovation enhances learning without compromising safety.
Technology and Learning