DECODING PROMISES: The hundreds of millions of pounds spent in UK classrooms on edtech each year "[have] not yet resulted in the radical improvements to learning experiences and educational attainment," according to a well-argued report, "Decoding Learning," from UK charity, Nesta. And so the 89-page study offers useful frameworks for doing critical research on edtech's role and potential in a variety of settings, whether it involves learning from experts, fellow peers, or through the process of making. The numerous examples in the report--involving games, robotic tutors, Wii controllers, Arduino kits, and electronic blocks--represent just a small sample of the many opportunities for the industry, researchers, and teachers to better illuminate technology's impact on learning. The report concludes with a rally cry for more substantive analysis and less pomp and circumstance:
Over recent decades, many efforts to realise the potential of digital technology in education have made two key errors. Collectively, they have put the technology above teaching and excitement above evidence. This means they have spent more time, effort and money looking to find the digital silver bullet that will transform learning than they have into evolving teaching practice to make the most of technology....."
