Ei-iE

Educational technologies have become central to higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of emergency in tertiary systems worldwide has enabled private edtech companies, global tech businesses, and the networks of promoters backing them, to define the post-pandemic future of the university.

After many years of public sector underfunding, the private tech sector has made inroads into virtually all public services. With the self-proclaimed aim to enhance the quality of public services, at a reduced cost and with greater efficiency, especially two sectors are rapidly expanding: Education Technology and Health Technology.

In an interview with EI, Christina Colclough, future of work expert, discussed teacher adaptation to digitalisation, life-long learning, the digital divide, the relationship between virtual and physical learning, data, and related issues. She stressed that the use and abuse of data was a danger to worker and human rights.

The measures taken by most governments to try to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have been varied, and in some cases inadequate or too late. But almost everywhere in the world, cessation of face-to-face educational activities at all levels has been the rule.

Technological advances have an ever increasing impact on every aspect of the education system, from the provisioning of education to working conditions and administrative governance. Unfortunately, technology is too often dumped onto education institutions leaving behind a big ecological footprint but no educational improvement. However, there are also many examples...

Some employers in the UK are discriminating against employees and undermining education unions after the adoption of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). That’s according to the NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers).