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
o 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.”
