Commenting on Bridget Phillipson’s speech to The Bett Show on ‘a digital revolution in education’, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“The positives around digital technology are obvious, including access to a wealth of online resources. However, no screen can replicate the human connection between teachers and students. That is how young people engage best with education. Tech should be a tool in education, but it’s vital that that the interests of children are kept centre-stage when it comes to questions of privacy, mental health and data.
“We are pleased to see the focus on training for teachers in the use of digital tools. The Government's ambitions must also be matched by significant investment in technology and IT infrastructure for schools. We need to be mindful, however, of the workload implications of introducing new technology and the training that goes with it. Teacher workload is already unacceptably high. Tech in itself must not be seen as the solution nor a distraction from the urgent talks that are needed to address it.
“Support for schools around commissioning and quality assurance of products and their value for money is welcome. Partnership with the tech giants should not however blind the government to risks associated with their commercial interests and desire to dominate the education sector.”