Digital technology

Steven Kolber is an experienced teacher and has been reflecting on his own practice in relation to the widespread usage of AI. In this reader submission, he explores the importance of human knowledge in the face of generative AI and shares some reflection techniques and tools he has to be found useful not only in this area, but also throughout his 12-year teaching career more broadly.

A new study from the Australian National University Tech Policy Design Centre and the Australian Computer Society has found more than two-thirds of teachers are struggling to effectively teach Digital Technologies. Today’s article explores some of the issues and how schools can better support teachers.

‘While AI holds the promise of personalised learning and improved educational outcomes, it also risks exacerbating existing inequities if not carefully managed.’ In a new column for Teacher, OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher uses the latest PISA data to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by integrating Artificial Intelligence into education.

In this episode, Editor Jo Earp sits down with Acting CEO of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Edmund Misson to talk about education technology, including the evidence on effective use, the critical role of professional learning, and possible challenges facing teachers and leaders now and in the future.

Jacaranda’s resource development team has been working to deliver an effective way for schools to branch into GenAI, all while keeping inside the established bounds of the curriculum. This exciting project has produced JacTutor – a new tool set to provide students and teachers with a safe, interactive, and responsive tutor integrated directly into their classroom resource.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University have recently highlighted the ongoing importance of explicitly teaching both handwriting and keyboarding skills to students, starting in the primary years. Dr Anabela Malpique joins Teacher editor Jo Earp to discuss findings of the meta-analysis and follow-up study, and tips for helping students become hybrid writers.

According to mathematics performance data from the OECD's PISA 2022 report, students that spend time at school learning on digital devices outperform students that don't. But how much time is too much time? In today’s infographic, we look at student mathematics scores across the OECD and Australia by hours spent on digital learning at school.

As education departments begin to integrate generative artificial intelligence into teaching and learning in schools, Rebecca Collie and Andrew Martin share findings from their research into how teachers value and integrate generative AI in their practice, and the role of school leaders in supporting or thwarting this.

How do you continue to innovate and adapt your teaching to best equip students for a fast-changing, digitally driven world? In Singapore, the Ministry of Education has implemented regular home-based learning days, where students are tasked with taking charge of their own learning.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become a major talking point in education and beyond. So, it’s crucial that students – who must navigate the growing impact of AI on their lives – have a fundamental understanding of how AI works, the elements that comprise it, and its responsible and ethical use. A new teacher resource, linking AI to the Australian Curriculum, aims to do just that.