In the last three decades, digital technologies have become an integral part of our lives, societies and education systems worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns since early 2020 have accelerated the incorporation of technology in education. Web-mediated education has been introduced to replace or supplement traditional offline modes of teaching and learning. The willingness to adopt and experiment with digital technologies in education, including online learning software, video conferencing tools, virtual tutoring, and learning apps, continues to grow.

In this context, the eighth collection in the BERA Bites series offers a wide range of views, pedagogies and resources related to digital futures in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, and suggests further lines of inquiry for research and practice. The featured blog posts address important issues impacting education and offer ideas for developing a shared vision for the digital future of education.

The collection covers topics including:

• open educational resources and their potential to increase equity in education, encourage openness in the curriculum and promote co-construction of knowledge
• engaging children in learning using artificial intelligence programming
• the transition from physical classrooms to digital learning spaces and the need for teachers to rethink their teaching philosophies for this paradigm shift
• the negative impact of online teaching during the pandemic on children with special educational needs
• how high-quality maths apps can improve early learning experiences and achievement outcomes, particularly for young children with English as an additional language
• using complex video games to support ‘at-risk’ students who may not be engaged in their learning
• the role of artificial intelligence in large-scale educational assessment.