The potential of digital technology in education and its impact on approaches to online teaching

In March 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic left thousands of children to carry on with their learning outside of school. This changed the educational landscape dramatically and gave the world a glimpse into how teaching and learning could change for better, or for worse, in the long term. Partial school closures as a result of the lockdown engendered various responses in the effort to continue learning. Some schools offered printed paper-based packs to their families, whilst others interacted through email or via school-based virtual learning environments. Some tried to recreate the school setting using online video conferencing tools, whilst others sought to achieve continuity of learning by offering pre-recorded or live lessons through remote learning models. While technology in education has never been the priority for the government or indeed for many schools, it is now at the forefront as a way to enable learning to continue in order to avoid the already growing gap of inequality