May’s round up edited by Cat contains some of the things the Digital Practice team at Jisc have been reading, writing, recording, watching and pondering this month. There’s some links from Chris Thomson (CT), Kathryn Woodhead (KW) and me (CB). Don’t forget to let us know what has been getting you thinking and talking this month too…
Digital tools and spaces
‘RAMageddon’: is the era of cheap phones and laptops over?
This has deep implications for technology in education, both from the point of view of organisations’ expenditure on tech and infrastructure, and also exacerbating problems of digital poverty. The cost of compute is rising and I wonder what the knock on effects will be on technology enhanced learning and how we use and upgrade hardware. (CT)
The Canvas Hack Is a New Kind of Ransomware Debacle
The big ed tech news last month was the security disruption to Instructure’s Canvas platform. The upheaval and uncertainty couldn’t really come at a worse time in the academic year for students and teachers and it’s a timely reminder of the vulnerabilities of mission critical platforms such as VLEs. (CT)
Digital backlash or just a rethink?
In this talk, Ingrid Forsler explores why there’s growing scepticism about digital technology in education, from screen time worries to debates about AI. Rather than taking a side, she looks at where these concerns come from and what they mean for teaching and learning. It’s a useful reminder to move past simple ‘for or against’ positions and focus on what works in practice. (CB)
Google Search as you know it is over
Changes like this profoundly affect the way the web works and consequently the practice of creating content for it. Many of the skills people have built up around writing for the web have revolved around making it discoverable by search engines that behave a particular way. Generative search results are different in important ways and this will have an impact for people, especially if their role depends on it. (CT)
YouTube will now automatically label AI videos
An interesting development which has implications for information literacy across some key platforms. It remains to be seen how effective it will be or what sort of impact it will have, but it’s significant that YouTube is taking this step before any regulation has come to bear on it. Is this a step to head off any changes but on their terms or do they perceive strong consumer demand that makes this worthwhile? And who will follow suit? (CT)
Skills and capabilities
The hidden digital skills in the construction industries
Compiled by Kathryn Woodhead in our team, this blog explores the often-overlooked reality that construction is no longer just about physical skills on site. Drawing on interviews with FE practitioners and an industry training board, it highlights how digital capability underpins everything from design software and simulations through to self-employment tasks like invoicing and tax returns. (KW)
Students hate AI, and they can’t stop using it
In the season of hostile receptions for some AI-themed commencement addresses in the US, Leon Furze takes a look at the complicated relationship young people have with the technology. This line stood out for me: “Schools responding to this moment with AI policies, tech licences, and AI literacy programs need to understand that they are not introducing a neutral technology into a receptive population. They are intervening in an emotionally charged, structurally complex situation where students’ dominant feelings are anxiety, guilt, and anger, not excitement.” (CT)
Collaboration and cooperation
Skills thrive, where communities grow
This practical guide from University of Lancashire and Jisc makes the case for a different approach to digital skills development, one that is built around peer support, recognition, and shared practice rather than top‑down training alone. It’s particularly useful in surfacing the realities many teams face, including limited time, patchy engagement, and the challenge of scaling provision, and offers a more sustainable model rooted in community. For me, the emphasis on motivation, informal learning, and cultural change is key, along with the reminder that people, not platforms, are often the real drivers of digital confidence.
Wellbeing and online safety
What does it mean to be a hopeful technologist?
Technology in society has always been a complex thing to navigate but it seems especially true now. There’s a growing community of people working in tech who want to come together to develop and share positive visions for human-centred technology. At the moment, there’s a newsletter but membership to the group will be opening up soon if you want to engage. It’s led by Rachel Coldicutt, amongst others. (CT)
Sustainable by design, not just by intention?
This spotlight on the ALT Digital Sustainability SIG shares how the University of Leeds is turning ambition into action through its Sustainability Blueprint. It’s a helpful, concrete example of what digital sustainability can look like in practice, from staff engagement and cross-team ownership to embedding environmental and social impact into everyday digital education work. Particularly useful is the emphasis on collective responsibility and small, local actions, alongside the challenge of surfacing and mitigating the hidden footprint of digital technologies. Plenty here to prompt reflection on what’s realistic in our own contexts. (CT)
Expanding our horizons
‘When tech reflects us back’: lessons from a long career
Our colleague Lawrie Phipps reflects on career in education and technology as he turns 60. When technology seems like a fast moving torrent, it’s good to listen to the voices of people that have lived and worked through the long term trends and seen the patterns. There’s a really interesting line in here about AI not being a disruptor but a mirror – gets to the heart of tech that has existential implications for people and the jobs they do. (CT)