”Focus on the educational benefits”

Digital learning resources can be highly effective if used thoughtfully, but this requires that teachers receive proper training, researchers argue.

More distractions, fewer textbooks, and worse learning outcomes. This is the result of all the costly investments in school computers and tablets – at least if you believe recent criticism, which led the Swedish government to abandon its new digitalisation strategy for schools for 2023–2027.

However, Stefan Hrastinski, Professor of Digital Learning at KTH, believes the debate has been characterised by extremes. He finds it hard to understand how one can be for or against digital technology – just as one cannot be for or against pens and paper – as it can be used for a multitude of purposes.

“It would benefit schools if we adopted a critical approach to digital tools but also agreed they should be used where they are beneficial. A digitalisation strategy doesn’t mean schools should become as digital as possible,” he says.

He believes that studies show that digital learning resources work well when teachers have a clear idea of their educational purpose in the classroom.

However, he has seen municipalities replacing textbooks with iPads, school leaders mandating digital learning resources without understanding their benefits, and teachers spending more time on technical troubleshooting than teaching.

“If you don’t know how, when, and for what purpose digital tools should be used, it might be better to put them aside. It’s about finding a balance and not being digital just for the sake of it.”

To find that balance and see a return on investments, he suggests schools should focus more on professional development. And the best way to do this, according to Stefan Hrastinski, is through collaborative learning, where teachers test and critically reflect on digital learning resources.

Key elements are curiosity, systematic approaches, and continuity. He believes that projects like Swedish Edtest which, with support from Ifous, allow teachers to test edtech products in their classrooms and can significantly contribute to this process.

“The risk with collaborative learning is that it can become informal groups where people confirm rather than challenge each other. Achieving critical reflection is crucial,” he says.

Johanna Karlén, Acting Project Manager for Swedish Edtest, emphasises that the questionnaire, which both teachers and edtech companies use when exploring products in Swedish Edtest, is developed by researchers based on learning theories.

“The questions raise awareness of how different technical functions can be used pedagogically and help teachers evaluate the outcome: Did it lead to increased learning? This helps them decide whether to continue using the resource or not,” she explains.

The goal is for teachers to spread what they have learnt within their schools, like ripples on water. This, along with the final evaluation reports, will encourage school leaders and administrators to only purchase the products that teachers genuinely need.

“Hopefully, this knowledge will be ingrained when a new product comes along, so that you don’t get distracted by all the flashy features but think: ‘Wait a minute, we need to review it from these perspectives!’”

However, Johanna Karlén notes the challenge of Swedish schools having much lower budgets for teaching materials compared to neighbouring countries, despite the EU’s significant investment in digital learning resources through projects like EmpowerED and the Digital Education Action Plan.

“The EU Commission is concerned about Sweden abandoning its national digitalisation strategy. We need a broader, interdisciplinary perspective and should not focus solely on research that shows the negative effects,” she states.

Stefan Hrastinski questions how to interpret research findings showing increased distraction and poorer memory when reading on screens. He argues that while these findings may be valid, digital technology has other advantages and is already pervasive in society. Therefore, pupils need to learn how to manage it.

He compares it to how a workplace study would be handled that showed that employees are distracted by computers due to checking news websites several times a day.

“Does that mean computers should be banned, or should we learn to manage them? I believe pupils need to practice focused reading on screens. There may be benefits, like responding to questions after reading something to help you remember the content better. But if there’s no advantage to using a screen, then yes, it’s better to read books instead.”

More about EmpowerED and Swedish Edtest:

• EmpowerED runs from 2023 to 2025. The project is funded by the European Commission and coordinated by European Schoolnet (EUN), a network of 34 European education ministries and authorities.
• Swedish Edtest started as a Vinnova project in 2020 and was taken over by Ifous two years later. It is a national platform where teachers and edtech companies meet to explore and evaluate digital learning resources using a scientifically grounded method.

Author: Staffan Eng
Translation from Swedish to English: Helen Garrison

This is part two in a series about Ifous and Swedish Edtest’s participation in EmpowerED. The first article, “Don’t forget the benefits of digitalisation,” can be found here. and the third, ”Just dare to give it a go” here.