ABSTRACT
The increasing use of digital tools and environments signals a new era of technology in schools. This signals the first of the side effects, which comes from uncritically accepting the claims and assumptions about learner agency and teaching. Various commentaries on digital environments, both popular and more scientific, emphasise one feature of how children learn. The effect the most reviewers found on behavioural outcomes may reflect a more general finding in the literature on use of digital technology and programmes which provide 1:1 devices. There certainly is evidence that the widespread take-up of digital learning initiatives has the potential to further marginalise groups who are already not well-served by schools through differential access. More worrying than the side effect of inconsistent outcomes or a waste of valuable productive learning time is the potential for some features of the new tools to have a negative effect to undermine learning.
