¨Learning is defined as students absorbing information and clicking right answers.¨ versus ¨I would prefer my own son to be creating videos¨ seems to represent a false dichotomy of recent educational progress. Schooling has always had formal & play based components, & now even the traditional Uni academic hierarchy appreciates the benefit of more interactivity but the rapid progress is being made lower down at Primary level. Here the ¨door closes & you’re in charge¨ is being replaced by more collegiate, accountable practice. Education, here in Scotland at least, changes in response to local circumstances & needs.

I would like to conclude by relating how ed-tech has influenced my own career. Having been lucky enough to have been involved in early CS (inc UNIX) in California I returned to the UK and was subsequently involved in mass teaching of IT in a room stacked full not of serried ranks of PCs but pods of 4 where students interacted, facilitated by staff. But within a decade the smartphone had somewhat made redundant such facilities and in general these cheap educational facilities are being mothballed, along with the staff. I wonder if the same might be said of the (ed)tech or maybe it was the lack of investment.