High school teachers from Cowra to Condobolin crowded into the school hall at the start of the day to listen to keynote speaker Chris Betcher from EdTechTeam discuss where technology in the classroom was at, before heading back to the classroom for some lessons of their own.

Organiser Geoff Childs said the teachers could select one of a number of workshops to attend, including online products such as Google Classroom.

“One of the sessions was about differentiation and how having work that is structured for each learner can be created with some of these programs,” he said.

By differentiation, Mr Childs explained, in a mixed-ability class, rather than there being one worksheet, the level of each sheet is adjusted according to the student’s abilities.

Technology in the classroom is not without its critics, and some teachers, including Sydney Grammar principal John Vallance, have openly criticised the use of devices by students, warning that technology distracts from old-school quality teaching.

“What is important in classrooms is to develop a culture of learning,” Mr Childs said,

“Yes, they can be distracting, but if kids are engaged in what they’re doing, they can get around that.”

Mr Childs acknowledged every school and every teacher has differing policies and views on how technology in schools should be, and is, used.

 “Each school has their own policies on the use of devices, some don’t allow them at all, others are quite open in their use, others are open to the discretion of the teacher,” he said.

What Mr Childs is certain of though, is that with high-speed internet and Bring Your Own Device policies in place in schools, the world of teaching is an environment rich in opportunity.

“Technology makes it incredibly efficient to get content across to students who have grown up as digital champions,” he said.