The education secretaries of both major UK parties have discussed their visions for the digital future of the UK’s education system.
The two politicians were speaking at BETT in London, alongside Bob Geldof and keynote speaker Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia.
Nicky Morgan of the Conservatives used the platform to discuss some of her party’s policies in the last five years of government, such as the expansion of the academies programme. She also expanded on three key areas where technology might be used in education in the future.
"The first is accountability. We need to reform the way schools are held to account. We have an analogue system in a digital age. League tables are important and an Ofsted report will always be an essential part of the service, but there is much more we can do.
"The second area I would like to look at is assessment and reporting…If we can find a way for all schools to use technology to improve the flow of information – ensuring the information parents need is there when and where they need it – this will help to ease some of this pressure.
"Finally, I believe technology can play a critical role in helping to deliver one of my major priorities: reducing teacher workload."
Tristram Hunt, shadow secretary of state for education, claiming that the advent of digital represented "nothing less than a full-bloated industrial revolution", added that "Britain has the potential to become the technological, industrial and intellectual leader of this brave new digital world."
"As we’re seeing here today, right across the globe, thousands of schools are already experimenting with new technologies that can improve teacher quality and raise standards of achievement."
However, Hunt was reticent in heralding technology as a cure-all for education, instead insisting that investment in technology in schools would be meaningless unless there was a corresponding investment in teacher training.
"Our excitement at this new world of possibility must also be tempered by a sober realisation that we’re still very much working out what all of this means in terms of pupil achievement.
"We now know that investment in new technology only works when you are also producing extra investment in teacher training."
