Beyond Digital Engagement

Look past clicks, novelty and visible activity to examine what students are actually thinking about when technology appears to make a lesson engaging.

• Engagement is not evidence — Separate attention, participation and enjoyment from evidence of understanding.
• Use ICAP to see the thinking — Apply Passive, Active, Constructive and Interactive modes to technology-rich learning activities.
• Recognise digital engagement traps — Notice when novelty, pace, competition or gamification create activity without enough thinking.
• Design for visible thinking — Move digital participation toward explanation, generation, comparison and dialogue.
• Judge engagement by what remains — Use learning evidence to decide whether technology-driven engagement is worth keeping.