Education Technology gathered some education experts together to discuss the future of the digital generation and the challenges faced when assessing the gap in the digital divide between teachers and students. Included in the roundtable group was LapCabby’s Marketing Director, Lynsey Jenkins who joined the discussion alongside educators and industry experts.
Education Technology and the roundtable group focused the conversation around the digital generation of the future thinking about how we can minimise this digital divide, get the full roundtable article here.
Initially the roundtable debated if budget restrictions were a major factor as to why we are seeing a digital divide between teachers and students? They also considered the issues faced with respect to training provisions for staff to help them more effectively adopt new technologies.
“Technology alone does not solve a problem and it is not a replacement for teachers. But equally, teachers need to be equipped with the skills to get the most out of new technologies within their classroom. So when embracing a digital initiative or deployment, education establishments must consider the wider picture.“
Can social media help bridge the gap?
The group then went on to discuss the use of social media by teachers, and whether this could be a tool used to help bridge the gap between them and students, parents and external communities.
Lynsey highlighted that although social media can be beneficial for educators, she went on to add, “There is a growing concern over both student safety and data privacy within the parameters of education, which can galvanize technology resistance. Student safety should always be paramount when enabling online tools and access.”
Education Technology also featured some of Lynsey’s key insights from their article. Some of these highlights include her thoughts over the reluctance to integrate edtech into education, and the support available to alleviate these.
“I feel there is a massive appetite to embrace technology in schools. However, there is also immense pressure on IT departments and teachers to choose the best methods and tools to deliver and enrich the wider digital curriculum.
Knowledge sharing is critical between teachers, head teachers and school boards to enable the fastest route to best practice and the successful implementation of education technology across all age groups.” Read the full article here for Lynsey’s full responses and the original questions from Education Technology.
Have you experienced success in incorporating edtech into modern learning environments? Or, on the other hand were there hurdles faced when new technology was introduced? Let us know @LapCabby we love to hear your thoughts!
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