Expert Panel to advise on Early Language, Literacy and Communication Apps

Professor Jackie Marsh discusses her recent appointment by the Department for Education to chair an Expert Panel on Early Language, Literacy and Communication Apps.

There are hundreds of educational apps on the market for parents to choose from when supporting their children’s learning using mobile phones or tablets, but little advice about their quality. To help tackle this, the Department for Education is bringing together a new advisory panel to assess existing apps, producing tips and guidance for parents on how to use them to aid their child’s learning, and to help them make informed decisions about which have the most educational value.

Young children are immersed in a digital world from their earliest years and have access to many apps on tablets and smartphones and there is a need to identify the features of high quality apps that support their learning and to offer parents, carers and teachers guidance on how to select and use apps effectively.

The government has rightly identified this as a priority and I look forward to working with the members of the panel on undertaking this important task.

Find out more about the Expert Panel on Early Language, Literacy and Communication Apps.

Jackie Marsh is Professor of Education at The School of Sheffield, The University of Sheffield.