College of Reviewers
Digital technologies targeting children and their education (EdTech) should, at the most fundamental level, observe children’s rights and freedoms and promote quality and diversity; benefit children by providing opportunities for their participation and agency in the educational process; protect the independent and sacred nature of their environments; and support their physical, social and emotional development as healthy, independent, and resilient individuals, who can develop original thought, personhood and apply their knowledge in the real world in ways that is fulfilling to them and contributing to self and societies.
EDDS calls for EdTech that benefits and prioritises children’s wellbeing and can distinguish between what is desirable for them to use in their education.
Our drive is expressed through a systematic, comprehensive and agile methodology of assessment and verification of EdTech products. Together with EdTech Impact and Education Alliance Finland, an independent pedagogical review platform, EDDS conducts comprehensive assessment and verification of EdTech products across several verticals including data privacy and responsibility, socio-ethical impacts, age appropriate designs and accessibility, algorithmic fairness and transparency.
To ensure excellence in our systematic assessments and that we provide the right guidance to EdTech companies, we have created a unique, interdisciplinary College of Reviewers. The College is made of independent experts in their fields who review our evaluations, provide external feedback and further assess and support the assessment process.
We welcome interdisciplinary and diverse community of academics and practitioners to join the College of Reviewers.
This winter (2024), EDDS is launching an exciting new networking initiative to expand collaboration across a diverse range of professionals and interested folks in the education space — researchers, teachers, legal experts, psychologists, designers, AI and data scientists, child rights advocates and even those who have experienced EdTech ambassadorships, worked with NGOs and large platforms of all kinds and across different geo-regions — all of whom are passionate about understanding, driving, building and discussing AI and EdTech which prioritise the well-being of children. Through this initiative, we aim to:
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bring together diverse expertise and experiences all connected by a similar interest around education, children and digital technologies in one virtual space;
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to share, discuss, read, write (!), and collaborate along ongoing challenges relating to digitising education;
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to support participants' own work in a collaborative space;
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to build an agenda and a public curriculum on Safety & Trust EdTech;
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to strengthen from a community of practice networks and amplify voices that are not heard or heard enough;
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to find novel means to inform policy, the education community;
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to impact with positive change.
These sessions are limited in space. To ensure that all voices are heard and the network that we build is strong. The sessions will focus on a range of topics around Trust & Safety EdTech including AI, quality, evidence, governance, teachers' and students' experiences, policy, pedagogy and more. We will aim to engage with specific subjects, literature, and research questions that aren't addressed yet. We will directly address key stakeholders in the space including educational communities (students, teachers, school leaders), the EdTech sector and policymakers.
This collaborative effort is a stepping stone towards building a more comprehensive support network for evaluating EdTech products with the involvement of dedicated community members. To express your interest, reach out with your contact and your field of work.