Happy New Year from everyone here at EdTech Hub. This month, we look back on the achievements we made at the end of 2020, and highlight upcoming events and research:

• Our first two research articles published in peer-reviewed journals: one on educational TV and another on EdTech’s role in the response to Covid-19 school closures.
• Takeaways from the launch of ‘Education for the most marginalised post‑Covid-19’.
• Running a Sandbox and piloting a teacher training programme to test the most suitable ways technology might provide distance learning for deaf children.

Don’t forget to share this newsletter with your colleagues and networks using this sign-up link.

In 2020 we started supporting Sandboxes in six countries. One of these is with Deaf Reach in Pakistan where we are testing the most suitable ways technology might provide distance learning for deaf children - see our first sprint here. Nidhi Singal, Paul Lynch and Gill Francis are also conducting a systematic review on the use of EdTech for primary-age learners with disabilities. Both studies are due to finish in February 2021. Here are three emerging insights that stood out for the team across both pieces of work:

• Deaf learners can benefit from distance learning in particular scenarios. In the Deaf Reach Sandbox, 225 deaf learners (across seven Deaf Reach special schools) were provided with laptops and pre-loaded content in the form of Pakistan Sign Language video stories. End-line scores in post-tests showed a 68% improvement in scores. 

• In the systematic review, nearly all studies were published in combined engineering, science, and technology journals with an emphasis on testing a software programme for acceptability and usability. There is little reference to pedagogy or national curriculums. This points towards a significant evidence gap. In the Sandbox, Deaf Reach are using content they have developed and iterated themselves. It was developed with teachers and tested in the classroom. This content, rather than the technology product through which it is delivered, is a crucial factor in learning gains.  

• Very few studies talk about the role of parents in EdTech interventions for deaf learners. In the Deaf Reach Sandbox, 87% of parents assisted their deaf children, for example by talking about the lessons, asking how they felt, or encouraging communication through sign language. We believe this parental engagement is a crucial reason for children remaining engaged over the course of the month. However, only 47% of parents self-reported as feeling capable of assisting their children. Over the next month, the Sandbox will focus on connecting deaf children and their parents with teachers to address this ‘capability-enthusiasm’ gap.