The Connected Classroom project has examined teaching quality in the context of the digitalisation of education.
Marie Nilsberth explains that while digital technology creates new opportunities in the classroom there are also pitfalls.
Digital technology allows teachers to be creative with how they present material, but it is a creativity that often stays with the teach. Teachers should try to invite students into these creative processes, says Nilsberth. It's also important that students not be presented with too much information during pre-planned presentations.
Students often have their own screen in the classroom, and it is important that the teacher is able to help students contextualise what they find on the internet into their school work. To do this, teachers need to be able to know what the students are doing on their screens.
For some, digitalisation brought with it the promise of greater equality and democracy in the classroom, but research shows that it is actually increasing differences between students. High-achieving students benefit most from technology in the classroom, while lower-achieving students often need more help than they can get. Classroom dialogue about what students find on their screens is a key way in which teachers can mitigate this problem.
