The Evolving Role of Technology in Educational Psychology
31 Jul, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- About the evolving role of technology in educational psychology.
- How Educational Psychologists use technology to support students and ensure positive outcomes.
- The challenges of using technology in educational psychology.
- The future of technology in educational psychology.
- Where the latest Educational Psychologists jobs are and how to apply for them.
Like most sectors, educational psychology is moving with the times and embracing technological advancements to ensure a smooth process for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families.
The role of technology in educational psychology has changed throughout the years. From utilising digital softwares to embracing Artificial Intelligence, Educational Psychologists are accommodating twenty-first century skills and practices into their daily role.
We recently interviewed Trainee Educational Psychologist David Preston to learn more about the role technology plays in the field of educational psychology as well as the benefits. We also discovered how David uses technology in his daily work and examples of different technological practices to better understand children’s needs.
How has the role of technology in educational psychology evolved?
The role of technology in educational psychology has evolved significantly over the past few decades, transforming how parents, educators and mental health professionals understand and enhance learning processes.
Like most professionals, Educational Psychologists can use technology for professional development and to stay up to date with the latest research, updates and practices. There are a wide range of online courses, webinars and virtual conferences for Educational Psychologists to enhance their learning and development.
The evolving role of technology in educational psychology represents a significant shift towards more data-driven research to create a more personalised and accessible education process for students.
How do Educational Psychologists use technology to support students and ensure positive outcomes?
Ways Educational Psychologists use technology to support students and ensure positive outcomes:
- Improve and enhance communication.
- Perform accurate research and gather information.
- Use digital softwares to monitor development.
Improve and enhance communication
Technology provides Educational Psychologists with the ability to communicate with Teachers, parents, and students with greater ease, efficiency and immediacy. Greater accessibility ensures that students can seek support when needed and receive immediate feedback or guidance from Educational Psychologists.
Not only can using technology improve communication between Educational Psychologists and students, but it can also increase effectiveness, access to services and time.
Trainee Educational Psychologist David Preston said “I use technology every day in my work. There are the obvious uses, such as writing reports and emails on my computer.”
David added, “I also use Teams not only to communicate amongst my team and its various working groups, but also to provide peer supervision and seek advice from each other around complex cases.”
Information sharing and discussions like this can help foster a collaborative approach among mental health professionals to addressing students' needs.
Perform accurate research and gather information
There are many ways that Educational Psychologists can embrace and utilise technology to their advantage in order to save time and ensure accurate results.
A good Educational Psychologist aims to understand and enhance learning and development of individuals within the context of education. They can use technology to work with educators to monitor the progress and development of a child and ensure that they receive the best support.
Educational Psychologists perform research studies on the effectiveness of different learning and teaching strategies to understand the impact of factors such as curriculum, teaching styles and technology.
They use data and technology to drive insights and understand how students learn and what strategies are most effective. Educational Psychologists analyse data on student performance and behaviour to identify patterns, predict outcomes and develop interventions.
Use digital softwares to monitor development
Technology has provided advanced tools for psychological assessment and data collection for more complex and comprehensive analysis.
Trainee Educational Psychologist David said, “Technology has the capacity to help Educational Psychologists improve their assessment and understanding of child needs. One of the best examples of technology in my role is a platform called Q-Interactive.”
Q-Interactive is an iPad-based testing system ideal for Education and Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and SENCOs. It is used to help administer, score, and report 14 different clinical assessments, including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) or the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III).
Digital softwares like Q-Interactive can measure a child’s intellectual ability, cognitive behaviour and provide a reliable assessment of reading, language and numerical attainment. Digital assessments provide immediate feedback and analytics to support the wellbeing of a young person and help them reach their full potential.
David added, “Q-Interactive simplifies the process of running the test and makes it more engaging for children as they can interact with an iPad. It also saves time due to its capacity to produce a results report. The time and effort saved using Q-Interactive provides a compelling case for its use over the traditional paper-based version.”
The challenges of using technology in educational psychology
Like many sectors, educational psychology is developing an interest in Artificial Intelligence. AI-driven platforms facilitate personalised learning experiences by adapting content to meet the individual needs of students. Educational Psychologists can use data from these platforms to better understand student learning styles and needs.
Despite the untapped potential around various administrative tasks to using AI, there are some ethical issues around General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the use of which have yet to be fully resolved.
David agreed, “Further related Artificial Intelligence challenges include content output quality, which can sometimes be inaccurate. Educational Psychologists need to draw upon their expertise to critically evaluate content to ensure it is correct and appropriate.”
By ensuring accuracy and paying attention to detail, it is possible for Educational Psychologists to take advantage of the benefits of Artificial Intelligence.
How will technology continue to impact the educational psychology sector?
As technology continues to advance, it will likely further transform educational practices and enhance our understanding of the learning process. The integration of emerging technologies can create more engaging, effective, and inclusive learning environments for all students.
There are plenty of opportunities that technology presents for the future of educational technology. David said, “One area I plan to explore this coming year is wearable technology to track sleep patterns. This could provide a more accurate reporting and understanding of a child’s sleep patterns.”
David added, “Given the importance of sleep to physical and psychological wellbeing and performance, this could be really useful. However, as with Artificial intelligence, a range of GDPR issues need to be managed with this use of technology, although I don’t think these are insurmountable.”
Educational Psychologist jobs
If you’re searching for your next Educational Psychologist job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Struggling to recruit Educational Psychologists?
As specialist local authority SEND recruiters, we support local authorities nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent staffing needs.
If you’re struggling to recruit, we have exclusive access to some of the most experienced interim Educational Psychologists in the UK.
Simply contact Natalie Boaler on 01772 954200 to discover how we can help.
Share your experience
Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, thoughts, and insights to the table. We believe in giving a voice to a community of professionals to inspire positive change and champion reform in the healthcare sector.
If you work in the healthcare sector and would like to share your own personal and professional experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a different perspective, could offer a fresh angle, or want to challenge assumptions.
Simply reach out to our Head of Content, Nicole Sherwood, to discuss a collaboration which makes your voice count.
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