After a shift to online learning during COVID-19, EdTech – everything from digital whiteboards and eBooks to Google Classroom and virtual reality equipment – is an industry that’s gone from strength to strength in terms of size, scope and profitability.

But as the UK is beginning to see a narrative form around the virtues of a ‘screen free’ childhood and, further abroad, countries like Sweden move back to more ‘traditional’ methods of teaching, many parents are left questioning the current use of EdTech and its effect on their children.

To help understand how we should approach the growing presence of EdTech, as well as what ‘good’ EdTech might look like, Vicki is joined by Natalia Kucirkova, Professor of Early Childhood and Development at the University of Stavanger, Norway, and Director of the International Centre for EdTech Impact.

Talking points:

• Could possible harms warrant us taking the ‘precautionary principle’ when it comes to EdTech in schools?
  
  
• How exactly does ‘transparency’, ‘accountability’, and ‘fairness’ play into principles of ‘ethical’ EdTech?
  
  
• Is independent research and evaluation really enough to keep Big Tech accountable?

Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.

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Easily accessed tech like generative AI can facilitate the nudification of another's images, platforms’ hate speech policies around gender are suddenly being watered-down, and misogynistic content remains amplified (and deeply profitable) for those that peddle it.

The need to respond to online violence against women and girls is obvious. But where does the solution lie? Can cyberflashing and deepfake offences dissuade people who think it's ‘fine’ to objectify women? Should victims be expected to endlessly use online safety tools to deal with harassment? And can increasing the media literacy levels of some young men really unravel a wider culture where, for many, abuse is the norm?

In this episode, Vicki is joined by psychology professors and co-leads at the Centre for Protecting Women Online, Rose Capdevila and Lisa Lazard. Together, they’ll be undertaking a difficult discussion of how we might actually begin tackling violence against women and girls.

Talking points:

• Given their experiences and often ear-to-the-ground knowledge of online culture, how do we bring more young voices into the conversation?
• As issues seem to increase in severity and scale, are parents left feeling like abstinence from tech is the answer to keeping children safe?
• Is there too much emphasis on dealing with online violence only after the fact? If so, how do we adopt a preventative approach that works more upstream?

Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.

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In the ‘information age’ it’s easy to find any number of resources and strong opinions. This makes it more crucial than ever that we're able to filter out the noise and access evidence and information that's of a high standard and digestible.

As heated debates around tech continue – including its impact on attention spans and social media ‘addiction’ – what does the research actually say, and how can we best access it?

In this episode, Vicki is joined by researcher, popular science author and Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Utrecht University, Stefan Van der Stigchel to help answer these questions. They’ll also be discussing why robust, accessible science can help minimise easy answers, flimsy claims and viewing things through a binary lens.

Talking points:

• What do we really mean when we talk of ‘attention’ and ‘concentration’ and just how do they differ?
• Why is the ‘Like’ button – among other features – so problematic, and how could insights from cognitive psychology guide positive design choices?
• How should consumers go about separating the good popular science from the not-so-good popular science?

Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.

www
Twitter
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Instagram