1、Realising the potential of technology in education: A strategy for education providers and the technology industry This strategy covers the education sector in England only, although it includes commitments to support the UK-wide technology sector. Contents Foreword by the Secretary of State for Edu
2、cation.2 Section 1: Setting our vision for education technology .4 Section 2: Securing the digital infrastructure .11 Section 3: Developing digital capability and skills .15 Section 4: Supporting effective procurement .19 Section 5: Promoting digital safety .22 Section 6: Developing a dynamic EdTech
3、 business sector .26 Section 7: Supporting innovation through EdTech challenges.31 Section 8: Improving the Department for Educations digital services .36 Section 9: Conclusion Implementing, integrating and innovating .39 Annex A: Summary of commitments.41 1 Foreword by the Secretary of State for Ed
4、ucation England has a world-class education system. From teachers in early years settings supporting childrens cognitive, social and emotional development to universities preparing adults for active participation in further education, research and work, our teachers and lecturers are second to none.
5、 At the same time, we have a fourishing EdTech business sector, punching above our weight internationally and with a steadily growing export market. Technology is often associated with increased automation and reduced human interaction, although within the education sector it will never replace the
6、role of our great teachers. However, I believe technology can be an effective tool to help reduce workload, increase effciencies, engage students and communities, and provide tools to support excellent teaching and raise student attainment. I have seen frst-hand, the difference that good use of tech
7、nology can have in helping tackle some of the challenges we face in education. I visited Woodberry Down Primary School in London where teachers use cloud technology to share resources and collaborate, saving teachers hours of time a week. Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education uses virtua
8、l and augmented reality to better prepare students for vocational careers. Nottingham Trent University is using data to help understand their students engagement with their chosen degrees, allowing tutors to target interventions to better support their students. These institutions face their own dai
9、ly challenges, but they are all using technology for a purpose: to drive student engagement and attainment and to support effective working environments where staff can focus on teaching. Yet all too often technology initiatives have failed to deliver value for money and, crucially, failed to have a
10、 positive impact. We know that not all education settings beneft from the modern broadband infrastructure needed to capitalise on the use of technology. It can be hard for leaders to understand how technology can support positive change and teachers are often told to just fnd a way to integrate tech
11、nology or devices in the classroom. It can be diffcult for education leaders to separate evidence-based practice and products from a vast range of gimmicks. This strategy starts to address these challenges. We have a longstanding history of innovation in this country, and our brilliant education inn
12、ovators have the potential to have a transformational impact across our education system. Therefore, in addition to supporting teachers, lecturers and leaders, we will work in partnership with the EdTech business sector to ensure that businesses and investors access the wide-ranging offer set out in
13、 the governments 2 Foreword Industrial Strategy1 to start, scale and grow successful EdTech businesses and to help encourage innovation to meet specifc challenges facing the education sector. We are living in a digitally enabled world where technology is increasingly part of our society. We owe it t
14、o our young people, and to anyone who wants to upskill, to do more to explore and reap the benefts that technology can bring. This strategy is the frst step in helping us do just that across our education system. Damian Hinds, Secretary of State for Education April 2019 1 The Government published th
15、e Industrial Strategy in 2018 with the aim of boosting productivity by backing businesses to create good jobs and increase the earning power of people throughout the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure: https:/www.gov.uk/ government/publications/industrial-strategy-building-a
16、-britain-ft-for-the-future 3 1 Setting our vision for Education Technology EdTech is not a silver bullet. In the 21st century, it should be seen as an inseparable thread woven throughout the processes of teaching and learning. Its senseless to pretend it isnt something that every teacher and every l
17、earner uses, every day. What we should concentrate on is when and in which ways it is best deployed to support these processes. Dominic NorrishGroup Director of Technology, United Learning Trust 4Section 1: Setting our vision for Education Technology 5 What is education technology? 1. Education tech
18、nology (EdTech) refers to the practice of using technology to support teaching and the effective day-to-day management of education institutions. It includes hardware (such as tablets, laptops or other digital devices), and digital resources, software and services that help aid teaching, meet specif
19、c needs, and help the daily running of education institutions (such as management information systems, information sharing platforms and communication tools). Our aim 2. We aim to support and enable the education sector in England to help develop and embed technology in a way that cuts workload, fos
20、ters effciencies, removes barriers to education and ultimately drives improvements in educational outcomes. In parallel, we will support the development of a vibrant EdTech business sector in the UK to provide proven, high-quality products that meet the needs of educators and foster a pipeline of fr
21、esh ideas. 3. Whilst it would be wrong to assume that technology will always deliver improvements, when used and integrated well, technology has potential to help create world-class education, training and care for everyone, whatever their background. Technology in society 4. Technology has become e
22、mbedded throughout society and has transformed the way we expect to engage with services and consume content. This is especially true for young people, where 46% of 5-15-year olds have their own smartphone, and 49% have their own tablet2. Yet the use of technology in education is highly variable and
23、 is rarely fully integrated. 5. Other sectors have seen the positive benefts that widespread use of technology can bring, including simplifying and automating tasks and processes, improving collaboration and access to information, and remodelling data collection and analysis. The health sector for e
24、xample is using a broad range of technology to help improve services and increase effciency; from electronic staff rostering to the electronic prescription service and the use of Artifcial Intelligence to help identify diseases. Opportunities for the use of technology in education 6. There are pocke
25、ts of good practice across education too and the UK already has a growing, vibrant sector of EdTech businesses, providing a range of excellent and innovative products. There are many great and diverse examples across the country. Bolton College is using Ada, a virtual assistant that supports teachin
26、g and assessment to reduce workload. Ark Multi Academy Trust signifcantly cut costs by moving data and services to the cloud. The University of Wolverhampton is improving and increasing the fexibility and effciency of physician training by using virtual dissection technology. Highfurlong Special Sch
27、ool in Blackpool is using a range of assistive technology tools to enable their students, many of whom have high complex needs, to communicate and be active participants in their education. In these and many other settings, technology is supporting progress and leading to improved outcomes3. 2 Ofcom
28、: Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report (2017) https:/www.ofcom.org.uk/_data/assets/pdf_ fle/0020/108182/children-parents-media-use-attitudes-2017.pdf 3 EEFs teaching and learning toolkit reports that studies consistently fnd that the use of digital technologies are associated with mo
29、derate learning gains. They fnd on average an additional four months progress but with considerable variation in impact: https:/educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/digital-technology/ Realising the potential of technology in education: A strategy for educ
30、ation providers and the technology industry CASE STUDY Bolton College has used IBM Watson to build their virtual assistant, Ada, who helps deliver on-demand requests for information, advice and guidance to their 11,000+ students. As of February 2019, Ada is able to respond to 2,500+ questions on gen
31、eral college enquiries as well as specifc questions about students (e.g. attendance) and curriculum content across different IT systems. It is also available to staff and students via Amazon Alexa. Addressing student individual needs at scale in this way has saved staff many hours on administration
32、activities and out-of-hours teaching, whilst continuing to deliver quality content to students. CASE STUDY Highfurlong School in Blackpool is a great example of where simple assistive technologies can lead to signifcant impact on student outcomes. Highfurlong School is a special school accommodating
33、 children with a wide range of needs. The staff have gone above and beyond to provide tools for students to communicate and express themselves. From simple switches to eye-tracking technology, or student-controlled sensory rooms, almost everything Highfurlong does focusses on empowering students to
34、be active participants in their learning. Although the school recognises that excellent and passionate teachers drive this impact, they believe these methods of communication would be near-impossible without the technology to support it. CASE STUDY University of Wolverhampton is using a 3D visualisa
35、tion system to supplement more traditional laboratory-based lessons on anatomy and dissection. Touch screens have increased student participation by allowing them to explore the complex relationships between different parts of the body, which would not otherwise be possible. Across all phases of edu
36、cation, we are committed to supporting both the education sector and the EdTech industry to build on existing good practice and drive further innovation. We see fve key areas of opportunity where technology can drive a step change: Administration processes reducing the burden of non-teaching tasks.
37、Assessment processes making assessment more effective and effcient. Teaching practices supporting access, inclusion, and improved educational outcomes for all. Continuing professional development supporting teachers, lecturers and education leaders so they can develop more fexibly. Learning througho
38、ut life supporting decisions about work or further study and helping those who are not in the formal education system gain new skills. 7. Making the most of the opportunities afforded by EdTech will require a partnership approach that brings teachers, lecturers, leaders and experts from across the e
39、ducation sector together with businesses 6 Section 1: Setting our vision for Education Technology to tackle common challenges. The measures in this strategy are intended to help ensure education providers, teachers and leaders are better equipped to adopt EdTech tools, and to ensure that businesses
40、are better equipped to meet the needs of users and to measure impact. Addressing the barriers to the good use of technology 8. We recognise that teachers, lecturers and education leaders often face a range of barriers to capitalising on the opportunities presented by technology, including: 9. A need
41、 for modern infrastructure to address slow internet connections and outdated internal networking and devices. The need for greater digital capability and skills including: i. The skills and confdence to use technology effectively. ii. The leadership to instigate change and to empower teachers and le
42、ctures to be confdent users of EdTech. iii. The awareness of available tools and expertise needed to compare and contrast different technology options. The need for digital procurement capabilities to make the right choices in selecting and buying technology products. Concern about privacy, safety,
43、and data security and how education providers and students are being protected. 10. Government is committed to helping to tackle these barriers. Our aim is for all education institutions in England to reach a good minimum standard of digital maturity, which is an essential pre-cursor to the effectiv
44、e use of technology. Good use of technology often follows the framework for change detailed below (Diagram 1), requiring a tailored journey that starts with developing a vision (e.g. by choosing an area of importance that technology can help support), moves towards addressing the barriers, and ends
45、with implementation and an ongoing iteration and review process that ensures technology continues to meet needs. 11. This document sets our ambition and commitment to supporting the steps outlined in this framework for change as well as the importance of supporting the development of a fourishing Ed
46、Tech industry. Many of the actions focus on helping those schools and colleges who need the most support. 7 Realising the potential of technology in education: A strategy for education providers and the technology industry Diagram 1: EdTech Framework for Change 12. Outside of formal education, we se
47、e anincreasing role for digital technology insupporting adults to up-skill and re-skillthroughout their career, particularly as werespond to changes in the labour market.We know that adults can struggle to ftlearning around their busy lives, with lackof time, competing work and/or caringresponsibili
48、ties among the most commonbarriers, as well as a lack of appropriatelocal courses or having to travel too far tofnd suitable provision.4 13. Technology is playing an important rolein supporting adults to overcome theseobstacles. Online learning for example, canprovide adults with fexibility, enablin
49、g themto learn the skills they need at a time andplace that works for them5 without beingrestricted to geographical boundaries orprovision available locally. We are alreadypiloting new approaches to the delivery ofadult learning through the Flexible LearningFund, which has made available 11 milliont
50、o support a variety of projects acrossEngland. These projects are incorporatingtechnology and other innovations in delivery4 Government Offce for Science 2017, The Future of Skills and Lifelong Learning; Learning and Work Institute 2018, Adult Participation in Learning Survey. 5 DfE 2019, Review of