Digitally empowered students?

Despite being thoroughly debunked by academics, anxieties around the harmful effects of ‘screen time’ continue to be an inescapable part of debates around children and digital technology. We talk to Dr. Kate Mannell (Deakin University) about her new book ‘Screen time and the impossibility of modern parenting’. Recommended reading >>> Mannell, K. (2026).  Screen time and the impossibility of modern parenting. Routledge  

The past few years have seen growing pushback against the presence of digital technology in schools. Sara Mörtsell (Lund University) talks about her research around the vulnerabilities and fragilities of digital technology use in Swedish schools.  Recommended reading >>> Kaun, A., Arnelid, M., Falk, P., Enlund, D., Johnson, E., Mörtsell, S., Sundin, O. & Stiernstedt, F.   (2026).  Digital vulnerabilities, Media, Culture & Society, 01634437261446790

Estonia’s ‘AI Leap’ initiative is being praised as a world-leading attempt to integrate AI into schools. Emanuele Bardone (University of Tartu) talks about how the Estonian government has been able to take this approach … and why their efforts might not be easy to replicate in other countries. Recommended reading >>> Bardone, E. &  Forsler, I. (2026). The Estonian AI leap: navigating uncertainty through the production of education futures, Learning, Media and Technology, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2026.2720813

Audrey Watters is a legendary critical voice in the world of education and technology.We rewind back to 2020 when Audrey caught up with Neil Selwyn to discuss the release of her (now much-praised) book with MIT Press – ‘Teaching Machines: The History of Personalised Learning’.Recommended reading >>> Audrey Watters (2021).  Teaching Machines: The History of Personalised Learning. MIT Press

Learning analytics dashboards and metrics are an increasing presence in higher education. We talk to Hannes Hautz (University of Innsbruck) about his research on students’ mixed reactions to learning analytics, and how we can ensure more equitable and reflective use of student data. Recommended reading >>> Hautz, H. & Lipp, S. (2026). Algorithmic governmentality and student subjectivities: a critical examination of learning analytics in higher education. Learning, Media and Technology, 1-17.

Schools now make extensive use of social media for communication and self-promotion.   We talk to Tiffani Apps (University of Wollongong) about the data justice implications of school social media feeds, and how rights-based approaches can help schools engage with platforms in less harmful ways.  Recommended reading >>> Apps, T., Beckman, K., Pawlicka, N. & Kidson, P. (2025). The nature of connection: parents’ experiences with school social media. Learning, Media and Technology, 1-16.

GenAI is changing the way that schools and universities think about student assessment. We talk to Thomas Corbin (Deakin University) about the future of the written essay in the era of AI, and how we need to rediscover the original spirit of essays as exploratory engagements with thinking. Recommended reading >>> Corbin, T., Walton, J., Bannister, P. & Deranty, J. (2026). On the essay in a time of GenAI. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 58(3):198-210

How can students and teachers be supported to get the most out of living with digital tech? Prof. Louise Mifsud (Oslo Met) is leading a new project supporting students’ critical digital literacy. We talk about the need to foster students’ ‘digital empowerment’, and the challenge of carrying out digital literacy projects in school systems facing growing calls to get screens out of classrooms. Accompanying reference >>>  Oslo Met ‘Empowered’ project

The environmental harms associated with our tech use are becoming increasingly apparent ... so how should the ed-tech community be responding? Colm O’Neill (South East Technological University) talks about the need to rethink ed-tech in light of its environmental costs, and introduces the intriguing alternative of ‘perma-computing’. Accompanying reference >>> O’Neill, C. (2026).  EdTech as climate criminal: Considering the excesses of the ITC sector, and Higher Education’s complicity. Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning. 

Education and technology in the US is currently mired in the volatile politics of the second Trump administration. Dr. Morgan Anderson (University of Northern Iowa) reflects on the state of EdTech in the US in 2026, and highlights emerging issues that need our urgent attention. Accompanying reference >>> Anderson, M. (2022). Public education in the digital age: neoliberalism, EdTech, and the future of our schools.  Routledge