The EdTech Equity Project

Last call! 📣 All teachers in the Bristol area are welcome at our interactive workshop on 6th November. Participants receive a £50 Amazon voucher!
@soebristol.bsky.social

@bdfi.bsky.social

More info here: edtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/workshops/wo... #Teachers #EdTech #Bristol

2/2 It is important, nevertheless, to remain alert to a very real danger that new knowledge and technique will define the nature of what is taught and how it is taught, rather than contribute to the realization of educational goals that are set on other grounds and in other terms." (Chomsky, 1968)

1/2 Chomsky's words from over 50 years ago remain pertinent: "There are strong pressures to make use of new educational technology and to design curriculum and teaching methods in the light of the latest scientific advances...

Parents Fell in Love With Alpha School’s Promise. Then They Wanted Out In Brownsville, Texas, some families found a buzzy new school’s methods—surveillance of kids, software in lieu of teachers—to be an education in and of itself.

Wired has just published an in-depth piece on Alpha Schools ... giving us a deep-dive on the realities of AI-driven schools sold on the promise of students plugged into personalised learning systems and doing ('crushing') a full day's schoolwork in only 2 hours: www.wired.com/story/ai-tea...

What's at stake? Young people's take on AI and education This zine represents the messages young people wanted to share with decision-makers and educators, to help you make responsible AI a reality in education.

'What's At Stake? Young People's Take on AI and Education' - brilliant looking zine produced by young people in the UK telling education leaders & teachers what they want 'responsible AI' to look like in their classrooms.

ai-and-education.shorthandstories.com/zine/index.h...

Women are 19% less likely to use the internet and 8% less likely to own a mobile phone than men.

That’s 320 million fewer women online and 190 million fewer with phones globally 🌍

Smartphones in schools: Practice, policy and international perspectives Smartphone use among children has raised concerns about its potential effects on their focus and wellbeing. In response, some countries have implemented bans on smartphones in schools, prompting discu...

lordslibrary.parliament.uk/smartphones-...

The Progress of EdTech Depends on Our Tolerance for Error Tolerate tiny mistakes where they’re safe; architect systems so they never scale

profbeckyallen.substack.com/p/the-progre...

Platform bureaucratization as pedagogy in highly platformized classrooms This article examines the rise of platform bureaucratization in highly digitalized classrooms. Drawing on an ethnographic study in a Swedish lower secondary school, we examine how teachers and stud...

"...these platform-driven bureaucratic processes, although seemingly mundane, reconfigure teacher-student interactions, redistribute pedagogical authority, and introduce complex layers of administrative work into everyday schooling." #EdTech #schooling #platforms doi.org/10.1080/1743...

Making education manageable: school management systems and the discursive construction of data-driven classrooms This study investigates the growing influence of school management systems in U.K. schools, focusing on how these tools discursively conceptualise core aspects of classroom education. Through a dis...

"At stake [...] is not simply the use of new tools, but the redefinition of education through a datafied epistemology that prioritises visibility and calculability over dialogue and experience." Insightful new paper on data-driven classrooms by @lulushi.bsky.social doi.org/10.1080/1743...

When AI “Analyzes” Your Students: What Is Actually Happening? Gen AI analytics offer great descriptive content, but is it accurate and reliable? Can we explain to stakeholders how it arrived at particular conclusions? Nick Potkalitsky Oct 02, 2025 Here’s a piece...

One of the most dangerous things about generative AI in education is its lack of transparency and accountability, as many of us have said before. This is a very good post on edtech vendors flogging opaque genAI student analytics (from LinkedIn, sorry)
www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-a...

DfE to encourage AI tutors in schools But England’s largest education union warns against ‘tutoring on a shoestring’ and says many disadvantaged students need direct contact with teachers

"...England’s largest education union warns against ‘tutoring on a shoestring’ and says many disadvantaged students need direct contact with teachers." www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Technology and Classroom Practice: what needs to change In this webinar, John Gordon, David Lundie and Rebecca Eynon will discuss technology’s place in the secondary school classroom, why current practice needs to change and how that could happen.

Looking forward to sharing some our findings at this event in November! @erpioe.bsky.social #EdTech #equity #schools www.ucl.ac.uk/education-re...

📣 Calling all teachers in the Bristol area! Come to our interactive workshop and receive a £50 Amazon voucher!
@soebristol.bsky.social
@bdfi.bsky.social
More info here: edtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/workshops/wo... #Teachers #EdTech #Bristol

"Too many so-called human-centred EdTech tools arrive as closed-box, efficiency-driven products; automating tasks while neglecting educator empowerment, learner belonging and nurturing pedagogy." Karimi (2025) @unesco.org
#Education #AI #Schools #Teachers #EdTech

"we are now seeing the emergence of the single platform solution, notably from big tech companies like Microsoft, with apps to cover all aspects of school life—from precise monitoring of student learning through to expense management and human resources" - great paper by @lucipangrazio.bsky.social

Platform bureaucratization as pedagogy in highly platformized classrooms This article examines the rise of platform bureaucratization in highly digitalized classrooms. Drawing on an ethnographic study in a Swedish lower secondary school, we examine how teachers and stud...

"platform-driven bureaucratic processes, although seemingly mundane, reconfigure teacher-student interactions, redistribute pedagogical authority, and introduce complex layers of administrative work into everyday schooling" doi.org/10.1080/1743...

📣 Calling all teachers in the Bristol area! Come to our interactive workshop and receive a £50 Amazon voucher! @soebristol.bsky.social @bdfi.bsky.social More info here: edtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/workshops/wo... #Teachers #EdTech #Bristol

Once again, there is a good history of critical research on AI in education which both pre-dates chatgpt and provides insights to inform how we should respond to AI in education now bsky.app/profile/benp...

A super helpful anthology on the philosophical, ethical and pedagogical dilemmas posed by disruptive influence of AI in education by @unesco.org #Education #AI #Schools #Teachers #EdTech

We’re proud to share our new Annual Report, showcasing the Department’s key activities and achievements from the past academic year💡

Discover highlights from our research, impact, and teaching, and explore our major new projects that are shaping the future of education.

Read report: bit.ly/479Fe8V

Join Professor Jason Arday (@cam.ac.uk) for our annual Equity, Diversity and Belonging Lecture on 29 October at 5.30pm.

Professor Arday will explore new ways of thinking together about equality, equity and diversity in education.

Register ➡️ bit.ly/48jJ5ST

Addressing key issues in teacher recruitment and retention: findings from two ERP projects In this webinar, Stephen Gorard, Rob Klassen and Rebecca Snell will discuss findings from their two very different projects designed to make a difference to teacher recruitment and retention. In conve...

📢 What matters in education?
Join the next event on 8 Oct, 5.30–7pm for key insights into teacher recruitment & retention from two ERP projects.

🎙️ Speakers from Oxford & Durham
🗣️ Respondents from UCL, Teach First & Birmingham

🔗 Book now:
www.ucl.ac.uk/education-re...

Smartphone use hitting struggling pupils hardest, major study finds | UWE Bristol Young people struggling at school are more likely to have negative experiences on their smartphones than their better performing peers, a study has found.

“This finding highlights an interesting paradox: the young people who are telling us that they are struggling academically are also reporting increased negative experiences on their smartphones, yet they are also the group most resistant to having their phone use restricted.” tinyurl.com/4xse4xsb

AI Is Coming for Parents Apps are promising to ease the job of child-rearing—but they’re missing something crucial.

“Apps may promise to optimize parenting, but ultimately, they threaten to sap its intimacy & humanness,” Miranda Rake writes. “Rather than dismantling families’ to-do lists, the apps tend to encourage a do-it-all model...that constantly demands more from parents.” www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

📣Calling all secondary school #teachers & #EdTech companies! Don't miss our latest workshop with
@soebristol.bsky.social
on designing and using more equitable EdTech. £50 Amazon voucher for all attendees! #EdTechEquity #UKEdu #UKedchat edtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/workshops/wo...

"To guard against overreliance on industry marketing and the amplified risks of emerging AI systems, schools must articulate their own needs and values first, adopt platforms selectively, and seek policy safeguards that protect their educational mission."

📣Calling all secondary school #teachers & #EdTech companies! Don't miss our latest workshop with
@soebristol.bsky.social
on designing and using more equitable EdTech. £50 Amazon voucher for all attendees! #EdTechEquity #UKEdu #UKedchat edtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/workshops/wo...

The nature of connection: parents’ experiences with school social media by Tiffani Apps, Karley Beckman, Nataszia Pawlicka and Paul Kidson ABSTRACT Contemporary schools have embraced the use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, to connect with parents, students, and the broader community. Despite an established body of critical research that highlights the power of platforms to shape social practice, there is a paucity of research that considers the impacts of school social media practice. This study employs a practice theory lens to examine school social media as practice with a focus on the platform together with the everyday situated experiences of parents. Through in-depth qualitative case studies, the paper aims to understand the experiences of six Australian parents as they manoeuvre within and across school, home and platform fields. Data were collected from an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and social media walkthroughs. Key findings highlighted tensions rather than connections at the intersection of home, school and social media. The obfuscated logic of the platform and limited space for parents to enact protective strategies within school structures amplified these tensions. The increasing concerns surrounding social media platforms and their impact on society, including the participants within this study, highlight the need for greater attention to the subtle ways in which schools, parents and children are implicated under the guise of connection.

🟨 New Publication in #LMT 🟪

In this paper Apps, Beckman, Pawlicka & @drpaulkidson.bsky.social conceptualise school’s social media platforms as a fields of practice, affecting home and school relations.

Read more (🔓): tinyurl.com/2pu7phhb

We can’t believe it’s been two weeks since we were at the 2nd International Children & Youth Perspectives conference! A great few days connecting with colleagues, learning about innovative approaches to research with children, and sharing findings on how #EdTech is reshaping literacy practices 🤖📚