Educational behaviours are shifting as digital technologies become increasingly accessible. The behaviours exemplified in the book demonstrate that there is need for a widening of educational concern; learners can benefit from more personalised and individually-focused support, teachers can benefit from regular professional development and maintaining inquisitive approaches, parents and guardians can benefit from educational advice that is specific to their children’s needs, and educational advisers and policy makers can benefit from regular updating and widening consultation. Through appropriate uses of digital technologies, communities now have the possibility to engage more effectively and to focus on their needs more specifically. In this way, digital technologies bring forward additional choices; decisions about possible educational approaches are increased through widened choices; questioning and critical approaches are seen to become all the more important for all involved, for children from early ages, for teachers and tutors, for parents and guardians, and for educational advisors and policy makers.
Don Passey (PhD, MBCS, MA, PGCE, BSc (Hons)) is Professor Emeritus of Technology Enhanced Learning at Lancaster University, UK, and is an Honorary Professor at Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India. Don has held positions as Director of International Strategy and Director of the Doctoral Programme in e-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University, UK. His research interests have focused on how emerging technologies are applied and integrated into educational practice and policy, and how digital technologies can support inclusive learning and teaching (particularly in blended, online and hybrid contexts), innovative and inclusive practices in onsite and offsite settings, in home and community settings for learners across the lifespan. He has published widely, and his findings have informed research, policy and practice, for government departments and agencies, regional and local authorities, companies and corporations. Don has been the guest editor of a number of journal special issues on contemporary topics concerned with emerging digital technologies and their potential for supporting educational practices. Don is currently the Chair of the Technical Assembly (TA) and Chair of the Activity Management Board (AMB) of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and previously held the positions of Chair of the Technical Committee on Education (TC3) and Vice-Chair of the Technical Assembly. He has recently chaired an IFIP Task Force on “Sustaining relevant digital inclusive education for young people (5-18 years of age)”, has completed an in-depth case study of how one nation has succeeded in this endeavour for the past 35 years, and is developing two further national case studies on this topic. He has been honoured with the IFIP Outstanding Service and Silver Core Awards.