Mark Anderson

It has to be said, the controversy that still rages over whether the use of technology in our classrooms can improve teaching and learning is all a bit of a red herring. After all, as Mark Anderson, the self-styled ICT Evangelist, will show you, it’s not what you’ve got that’s the issue but what you do with what you’ve got.

At its heart, the debate boils down to one question – what does teaching look like in the 21^st century?

It’s through answering such a question in way that combines classroom experience, practical common sense and a breath-taking awareness of what’s possible - all the more so now that AI such as ChatGPT is on everyone's minds - that has helped make Mark such an important figure on the world stage.

He first came to our attention when he was working with former Independent Thinking Associate Jim – The Lazy Teacher - Smith and was involved in the introduction of various technological innovations and projects across the school.

It wasn’t an easy task and Mark soon learned that the challenge isn’t so much in teaching teachers how to use the new technology as in teaching them how to challenge the classroom habits that have been with us since a teacher from Scotland started writing on a large piece of slate hung on the wall where everyone could see it in 1801.

Which is where Mark is in his element – showing classroom practitioners the many benefits of learning technologies once they have started to reflect on the very nature of what teaching and learning looks like.

Which makes the work of the technologically-savvy 21^st century teacher very exciting indeed.