Digital technology

In a Teacher exclusive, Minister of Education and Research for Estonia Dr Kristina Kallas joins editor Jo Earp for this special podcast to talk about setting teachers and students up for success, the early years foundations for Estonia's impressive PISA performance, and the next big challenge – AI in education.

As the implementation of social media legislation for under-16s draws closer, many young people are feeling confused, anxious and unsettled. Here, Danni Rowlands from the Butterfly Foundation discusses what to expect from the incoming changes, the concerns already voiced by young people, how it all connects to body image, and why educators are uniquely positioned to support students through the changes.

We’ve called on 2 of our expert colleagues here at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) – Dr Tim Friedman and Bethany Davies – to look at what the latest Australian research says about teaching and learning with artificial intelligence, and what you can do in the classroom to address some of the challenges.

‘The feedback from students reflects a growing desire for partnership. They aren’t just asking for permission to use AI, they’re asking for guidance, collaboration, and trust.’ Georgia Wignall shares new insights from a Queensland school research partnership on why students are leaning on AI tools and how they want teachers to support them.

Last term, we shared the 2025 winners of the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge. Teacher aide David Jeffery was the mentor for one of the winning student teams. In today’s Q&A, he tells us about the benefits of the challenge for student learning, and shares advice for other schools wanting to have a crack in 2026.

What opportunities are available to your students to develop skills in data analysis, game theory and digital citizenship? eSports might be one vehicle for schools. In this article we speak to the eSport Coordinator at Ripley Valley State Secondary College to find out about its eSport Academy.

The Australian Council for Educational Research’s (ACER’s) Pru Mitchell was named winner of the inaugural Victorian Library and Information Award (VLIA). Teacher editor Jo Earp sat down with her to talk about teaching and teacher librarianship, sharing knowledge and expertise, and the role of AI, technology and digital literacy in the classroom.

Our latest edition of Teacher’s Bookshelf features the open-access resource Teaching Reading Comprehension in a Digital World: Evidence-Based Contributions Using PIRLS and Digital Texts – a collaboration between the IEA and researchers from the Dutch Centre for Language Education. This extract is from the chapter on good practices for teaching and shares an example from Talbot Senior National School, Ireland.

How are you engaging students in STEM subjects and empowering them to choose a career in STEM? These are the aims of the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge, and the 2025 winners have been announced today. Find out more in today’s article. 

‘Staff are integrating AI into their practice in ways that align with their readiness, confidence, and classroom context.’ In today’s article, Georgie Facci from Scotch College Junior School, Adelaide, shares how the school is embedding AI into the teaching and learning across the curriculum, and how staff are building their confidence and capabilities to foster a culture of empowered experimentation.