Edtech UK Magazine / Issue 1 / 2021

EdtechUK ISSUE 1 I SUMMER 2021 I EDTECHUK.ORG

CELEBRATION | AMBITION | INSPIRATION

What are the COVID Keepers?

Celebrate Edtech Times, C’Mon! Focus supplement: Products Digital Learning Investment Soars The Future of Edtech Policy Roundtable The Back Bedroom Startup Success Story: OneFile Words of Wisdom Interview with Claire Price

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Contents Editors’ Letter

Tragedy and the Triumph

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The impact on young 09 children’s language skills The Edtech Business 09 ‘No Covid Plan’ from 09 Department for Education Scottish National Party’s 10 Winning Manifesto Online - not just for 10 lockdown?

Recruit, Recover and 10 Raise Standards Accessible Technology, 10 Accessible Curriculum Planning for the Hybrid 11 World

Roundtable

Edtech; More to do

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Edtech Vision 2025

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Words of Wisdom; Interview Claire Price

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Seven Deadly Sins

by Caz Keep

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There is only One; 32 Interview with Susanna Lawson

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Young People’s Mental 08 and Emotional Health,’ Report Evidence over time is 08 a work in progress and needs bigger data Safeguarding 08 Different lockdowns; 08 same digital divides:

Features

Business

Research to Note

News highlights

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The Future of Edtech 28

Feature FE Sector Research Children’s Media Lives Statistics that Matter Celebration, Ambition Inspiration

Feedback

What are the ‘Covid Keepers?’

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Celebrate Edtech Times C’Mon

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Focus Supplement Edtech50 Awards 19 2020 Products Supplement

Rising Stars in London 33 Ear to the Ground 33

Edtech UK. Ambition. Celebration. Inspiration.

Edtech UK supports the UK’s #Edtech sector, building communities of practice, leading independent policy advocacy and guidance. Our national network supports educators and businesses creating education technology.

Edtech

Celebration is at the heart of our work, providing a voice for everyone in the sector. Underpinning our work is vibrant and inclusive advocacy for a growing sector. Our research, educator guides and events advance edtech opportunities and help close digital gaps for all.

50 2021

Nominations for 2021 now open at edtechuk.org

The Edtech UK Community Magazine: The Voice of the Sector www.edtechuk.org www.edtechuk.org

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Editors’ letter

Tragedy and the triumph Dear Colleague, Welcome to this first edition of the Edtech UK Community Magazine.

The Edtech UK magazine seeks to celebrate, inspire and be ambitious about the role digital learning can play across education.

Edtech supports effective teaching and learners to consolidate knowledge, practice their learning and explore new worlds.

Edtech; Ignored for too long Edtech as a tool for school and college improvement had been ignored by policy-makers for too long.

Covid taught us all so much about what is important across our communities and public services. Schools stayed open, teachers used new tools for teaching adopted by many overnight.

We had never seen such spend, investment or adoption of education technology across our education estate.

We need to reflect whether all this investment was timely, understood and 4

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an investment for the long or short term?

The House of Lords and the Public Accounts Committee ask hard questions of policy development, focus and co-ordination of England’s DfE. All governments needed to move at speed, with sensitivity and a clarity of focus and communication. Leaders and teachers deserved praise not snarky commentators, directed to divide rather than celebrate the profession.

During the education lockdowns we also moved a system on-line, when needed, but faced barriers in terms of an out- dated web infrastructure, lack of devices, inconsistent broadband and capabilities.

We all learned that you cannot ignore digital infrastructure, digital poverty and the role technology plays in supporting education professionals and learners and will continue in the future.

We are learning that assisitive technology can benefit eveybody.

www.edtechuk.org

Education did the best, with what it had available. That in itself was an everyday triumph.

There are different approaches to digital learning across the United Kingdom.

It is time for England to celebrate what it does well; but also learn about national collaboration, open access education resources platforms and digital pedagogy from the work of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. And we all need to push for more support for a world-class education system in the UK. Our education nations will grow and thrive if we all understand the need for the inclusion of digital learning in initial teacher training, national professional qualifications and the urgent need for inspectorates to have deep reserves of expertise that can support educators with their own professional digital journeys.

Too often, edtech has been conflated with real worry over social media use and the wider changing nature of childhoods.

We need to prioritise safety and security - and need up to date systems. The

House of Lords report which we cover in page 36 looked aghast at comments that suggested that the computing curriculum was the same as digital literacy.

Technology with a purpose We understand that people who use edtech can also love books. It is about using technology to support or enhance tasks. Using technology to encourage teacher collaboration; lessen workload and encourage family involvement and support in schools.

A binary world view may provide solace; but it undermines the real value of blended learning and the increasingly hybrid world we all may experience.

We just need to listen.

Pioneering colleges in the Further Education sector can teach us much already about ‘catch up’ and so-called recovery.

Our Colleges already lead work around the changing nature of the workplace with Virtual Reality and Augmented

Reality. High level skills can be practised using technology, without humans being put at risk.

Edtech supports mastery, joy of making and learning Ignoring the positive role that digital can play for our education institutions makes no economic sense in this day and age.

Ignoring digital skills in our schools, in any meaningful way, is neglectful of the future. But to ignore digital learning for consolidating knowledge, practice of new skills, the joy of making and learning in new ways verges on the bizarre.

And we share the stories of education leaders, teachers and edtech business leaders who contribute so much to this vibrant, vital and growing sector for UK plc.

There are growing edtech clusters across the UK, employing many, offering opportunities to a new diverse and inclusive workforce, attracting investment to create jobs and growth.

www.edtechuk.org

It was a time of tragedy; but a triumph of everyday heroes.

We celebrate the whole profession on pages 14 we want to thank the everyday heroes that kept the school day going for millions of families across the UK. We are optimistic, but also realistic about how far we all have to go to inspire confidence, support teachers’ professionalism, well-being and better understand and articulate those real areas of edtech promise.

Come and join us.

Ty & Nic Co-editors, Edtech UK Magazine www.edtechuk.org June 2021

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Research to Note

FE Sector Research A decade of substantial under-investment in the FE Sector had clearly contributed to the failure of technology as the great leveller, argues the Association of Colleges report, ‘Creating a post-Covid19 EdTech Strategy’, which brings together the lessons learnt from lockdown learning. Funded by Ufi, the eBook, uses a series of articles, tackling the biggest issues for lecturers, students and college leaders during lockdown.

First published last year, it is set to lay the groundwork for strategic discussions going forward and makes the case for serious investment into digital infrastructure to enable an education system fit for the ‘new normal’.

Children’s Media lives, 2020/21 One year of lockdowns and a global pandemic has resulted in everyone spending a lot more time at home and on their devices. This impact has been felt by all - and particularly by most children who had several months of at-home learning.

IThis is the seventh wave of the Children’s Media Lives the Communicatons Act study, conducted by Ofcom, charged under The Communications Act 2003 to promote and to carry out research in media literacy across the UK. This longitudinal study of children’s digital media use started in 2014. Since then, each year Ofcom tracked the online behaviours and experiences of 18 children aged between eight and 18. Interviewing these children annually has allowed insight into how different factors affect children’s media use, including age, family, social life and society as a whole.

STATISTICS THAT MATTER

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20% of children did not always have access to a device for online learning while schools were closed.

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Ofcom said in total 6% of the homes had no internet access at all, at the time the study was carried out in Feb’21

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Among children, tablets were the most popular device for five to 15-year-olds in 2020, although 91% of 12 to

15-year-olds had their own smartphones. It was also found that 48% of three to four-year-old pre-schoolers had

their own tablets.

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Just over half of 12 to 15-year-olds said they had had a negative experience online in the past year, with the most

common being someone they didn’t know trying to befriend them.

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Six out of 10 five to 15-year-olds said they made their own videos online and nearly half said they watched

content on TikTok.

Source: Ofcom / BBC

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Celebration Ambition Inspiration Welcome to this first edition of the Edtech UK Community Magazine.

Edtech UK magazine seeks to celebrate, inspire and be ambitious about the role digital learning can play across education.

Edtech UK Magazine is for everyone in the world of Edtech across the UK, whether practised in edtech or new to using technology to support teaching and learning.

From teachers and learning support assistants, to leadership and technicians in schools. To hear from charities and grassroot groups, to individuals and teams. Supporting edtech start-ups and app entrepreneurs to working with and understanding the global companies in this space.

Edtech UK Magazine is a bridge between the different faces of our sector and a voice for us all.

We’re learning too and want to listen and shine a spotlight on the success of this vibrant and diverse sector.

Our first issue has been guided by the input of leaders, teachers and businesses who wanted to reflect on what happened and what we learned during the pandemic.

This first issue is also supported by a diverse range of advertisers prepared to invest in this community magazine.

We thank them for their faith in building the sector.

We’d thought about a magazine when the 2021 Edtech50 first appeared as a full-on glossy production last February, and like many, delayed plans for another time.

It was a time of tragedy; but a triumph of everyday heroes We want to reflect the hope and optimism across education.

But we’re also realistic about the many pressures we all face.

The growing edtech sector has to continue to inspire confidence, support teachers’ well-being and explain those real areas of promise and impact. We have to work and behave as the crucial sector we already are. Really listening to teachers and pupils is a good starting point.

It’s been a pleasure and a challenge to work on this production over a matter of weeks, with the new Edtech UK team Nic Ponsford, Joy Voysey and Michael Pearce. We hope it’s a good and informative read.

I’d welcome your comments, feedback and input.

Ty Goddard, Chair, Edtech UK Ty@ednfoundation.org www.edtechuk.org www.edtechuk.org

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News highlights

‘Young People’s Mental and Emotional Health,’ Report Writing in the forward of the report, ‘Jonathan Townsend , CEO, Prince’s Trust comments; “Young people continue to be among the hardest hit by the pandemic, so it is more important than ever that they can access support with their mental health during this critical time in their lives. In particular, the decline in young people’s wellbeing and self-esteem as they go into their mid-late teens, shows the need for early intervention and ongoing support to prevent future harm and potential mental health crises.”

A new £500m funding package focused on children and young people’s mental health services, amounts to less than £250 per young person with a diagnosable disorder and is unlikely to make a ‘significant difference’, warns the author.

Evidence over time is a work in progress and needs bigger data The Oxford Institute, published in journal, Clinical Psychological Science, in May, urges caution with ‘little evidence for increases in the associations between adolescents’ technology engagement and mental health.

The research underlines that Information about new digital media has been collected for a relatively short time and drawing firm conclusions about changes in their associations with mental health may be premature.

Urging transparent and credible collaborations between scientists and technology companies, the report highlights the importance of access to ‘data accrued by internet-based and social-media platforms’ to more rigorously examine these issues are needed.

Here’s the BBC’s take on the research:

Safeguarding The Ofsted report showed some shocking statistics surrounding the extent of sexual harassment on and offline along with some key safeguarding concerns around reporting. It was seen that sexual harassment was now considered a commonplace or ‘normalised’ amongst children and young people. So much so, the UK Safer Internet Centre says, that pupils didn’t feel it was necessary to report incidents to the school.

Is it widespread? Of the schools that were reviewed it was shown that: ‘Nearly 90% of girls, and nearly 50% of boys, said being sent explicit pictures or videos of things they did not want to see happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.’ ‘92% of girls, and 74% of boys, said sexist name-calling happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.’ The helpline will be run by the NSPCC with CEO, Sir Peter Wanless, saying; ‘The testimonies being shared through Everyone’s Invited are extremely upsetting, and underline the urgent need to tackle violence against girls.’

Different lockdowns; same digital divides: Sutton Trust polling in March 2020 found that there was a significant divide between children attending private schools and those attending state schools in terms of digital access. Updated polling, conducted

by TeacherTapp, found that this situation had not substantially improved in the first week of the January 2021 lockdown.

NSPCC Helpline

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The impact on young children’s language skills The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) research suggests that there is growing evidence that the past year of lockdowns has had an impact on young children’s language skills. Data from 50,000 pupils and a survey of schools across England have shown an increased number of four- and five-year-olds needing help with language.

The Edtech Business Covid-19 has created huge challenges for learning, and EdTech is stepping up with solutions. EdTech is a global growth sector, with investment on track to grow by 15% in 2020. With world-renowned education institutions and a leading tech sector, important edtech clusters across the UK, London leads European EdTech. (continued on page 33)

Here’s what BBC news said:

No Covid plan” from Department for Education and few lessons-learned In a report published, late May, the Public Accounts Committee, says that despite being involved in a 2016 cross-government exercise on dealing with a pandemic, the Department for Education (DfE) had ‘no plan’ and was ‘unprepared’ for the challenges of Covid-19.

When schools were closed to most pupils in early 2020 the “DfE set no standards for in-school or remote learning during the rest of the school year ”meaning“ children had very unequal experiences”. DfE has still not properly assessed its early response in order to learn lessons for the future.

The disruption to schooling had particularly damaging effects on children who were already facing adversity. Although they could continue attending, the proportion of vulnerable children who attended school or college remained below 11% until late May 2020, and only ever reached an average 26%, by the end of the summer term. Referrals to children’s social care services fell by 15% and remain 10% lower year-on-year – raising concerns about ongoing ‘hidden harm’ to children.

Children with special educational needs and disabilities found remote learning especially difficult, and some lost access to specialist support and equipment, increasing risks to their health and welfare. Disadvantaged children also faced major barriers to effective home learning, widening the gap between them and their peers.

The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT equipment for vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

There is already evidence that the targeted elements of DfE’s catch-up programme to make up for lost learning may not be reaching the most disadvantaged children. The Department has “worthy aspirations but little specific detail” about how it will “build the school system back better”, including how it will secure value for money from the £400 million it’s spent on IT equipment, and the £1.7 billion it has committed to the catch-up programme.

Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The pandemic has further exposed a very ugly truth about the children living in poverty and disadvantage who have been hit particularly hard during the pandemic. On-line learning was inaccessible to many children even in later lockdowns and there is no commitment to ongoing additional funding for IT. Schools will be expected to fund laptops out of their existing, and already squeezed, budgets.

The committee was concerned that DfE appears uninterested in learning lessons from earlier in the pandemic, preferring to wait until the public enquiry which won’t report for years. It shows little energy and determination to ensure that its ‘catch-up’ offer is sufficient to undo the damage of the past 14 months.”

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News highlights

Scottish National Party’s winning manifesto The Scottish National Party’s winning manifesto in May’s Scottish Parliament elections declared: ‘ With the increased reliance on digital connectivity, the pandemic shone a light on the barriers of digital exclusion.’ The SNP promised to provide every primary and secondary school child in Scotland with a laptop or tablet to get online – including a free internet connection and the support to use it.

Establishing a National Digital Academy, the Party said, will allow learners to access the full higher curriculum – any day, any place, any age. This new approach would end the ‘postcode lottery’ of subject choice and enable people to study for their Highers whilst also being in work or fulfilling caring commitments.

The Party also recognised challenges with the Curriculum for Excellence, promising to take forward the recommendations of the OECD review of the design and flexibility of the CfE reforms, ‘to ensure that benefits of CfE are delivered for all pupils’.

Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards

Online - not just for lockdown?

Online platforms including Oak in England proved popular with teachers but it is student numbers at Scotland’s Glow and 11 million student hits that continue to impress. Glow is Scotland’s national digital learning platform, which allows students to work in a variety of ways, from online collaborating with peers to working as individuals. Figures in Wales, with Hwb’s depth and breadth of teacher content and digital professional development resonating.

Accessible Technology, Accessible Curriculum Accessible Technology can help all learners access the curriculum. TechAbility support learners with disabilities to access this tech. What have they been focusing on recently?

Texthelp’s EquatIO is a great way to make mathematical equations, graphs and much more accessible with text-to-speech and other tools. A free Google Chrome Extension makes this simple.

Colleges are increasingly using TechAbility Standards to give a wide-ranging guide on what excellent accessible tech looks like. You can find out what tools you can use with learners, or maybe you are looking for resources on Training or Assessment.

With the Welsh Government providing an additional £29 million to schools to boost support for learners at crucial stages in their education, these school leader interviews, are a part of the Blended Learning initiative on Hwb, The case studies capture plans for using this government funding. The resources provide examples of how schools across Wales intend to use this funding to recruit, recover and raise standards.

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Planning for the Hybrid world The House of Lords report, ‘Beyond Digital: Planning for a Hybrid World’ is a fascinating look to a future that has accelerated more rapidly than any could have imagined.

To a future, which “as a result of the pandemic...is here now”.

The Lords report, calls for a ‘hybrid strategy’ to plan for an approach to an online and offline world, digital inequalities, to potential future uses of technology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of digital technology across society in health, education and our work lives.

‘Hybrid’ the report describes as “an increasingly blurred mix of online and offline aspects of life.”

In a section on education, the Lords report, highlights that; ‘ the abrupt move to home schooling has had a detrimental impact on the education of children and young people who lack digital access, adequate digital devices and a quiet space to work at home.’ Which ‘will lead to an ever-widening inequality between them and their more advantaged peers.’

“Unless and until all children have access to the internet, and the skills they need to make use of digital technology, the Government cannot consider itself prepared for the hybrid world.”

House of Lords Report

Calling for more comprehensive data, the Lords highlighted insufficient evidence about the experiences of women, and that there was a striking gap in research on the experiences of Black and Asian communities. Calling for better use of research funds and more co-ordination, the Committee said:” These communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and we cannot allow people to be further marginalised because policies and interventions designed to prepare for the hybrid world have not been developed to meet their needs.”

And as Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, said in a speech in the Lords in 2017: “... if a 700-year-old institution can see the value of digital understanding, I have no doubt the rest of the British public can too. “

Planning for the Future The Government should work with local authorities and schools to fund a specific support programme to ensure that all children have an adequate internet connection and suitable digital devices to work effectively online from home.

Provide funding to ensure that teachers and schools can make the most of the benefits that an increasing role for online learning offers.

The Government should ensure that the curriculum reflects the increasing need for digital skills and provides all children and young people with the skills needed for our hybrid world.

In common with the other areas of life considered in this report, it will be important that those who have benefitted from the rapid shift to online - in this case, young disabled people in particular - do not find the option for more flexible, digital study withdrawn once schools are able to fully reopen.

The Committee also recognised that; ‘Our increasing reliance on digital technology has only underlined the importance of protecting those physical spaces in communities which provide people with opportunities to meet face-to-face and provide digital infrastructure for communities.

Source: ‘Beyond Digital: Planning for a Hybrid World’

Neighbourhoods need to have spaces for social interaction, where people can go about their daily activities in proximity to each other; the modern equivalent of the old ‘town square’.

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News feature

After months of lockdowns, emergency measures and remote learning, new Ofsted research, conducted during the pandemic suggests that this period of remote education will influence the education system in many ways.

What did we learn and what will we develop?

Three-fifths of the teachers responding to an Ofsted, You-Gov survey, were quite confident that they had provided a high-quality education through their school’s remote education solution when this was needed.

Did it also highlight the lack of expertise within England’s inspectorate when it came to digital learning?

An online focus group held in July 2020 with seven digital leaders underlined the important input of EdTech demonstrator schools in helping Ofsted decide on some of 12

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the core principles of quality digital remote education.

Did It also highlight the lack of expertise within England’s inspectorate when it came to digital learning?

Groundwork Where the transition to remote education was easiest, it built upon existing provision. Some leaders displayed a degree of foresight before the March 2020 lockdown- beginning preparations several weeks before official announcements were made.

Sensible changes to Pedagogy Pedagogy did change during remote teaching with positive adaptations cited by Ofsted, including: • a closer focus on verbal explanations and exposition, and presenting concepts in ‘bitesize’ segments, so that pupils

could concentrate for short bursts of time and teachers

could check pupils understood the learning points regularly • shortening the length of lessons to aid pupils’

concentration spans and to reduce screen time • using a variety of different ways of presenting information;

for example, modelling on a whiteboard, using videos,

teacher demonstrations of practical work to introduce

and reinforce key concepts, using dual coding to present

ideas and concepts • ensuring time for pupils to practise what they have

learned, independent work or pupil discussion • avoiding open-ended tasks that can potentially overwhelm

pupils but providing opportunities to scaffold concepts.

www.edtechuk.org

What are the ‘Covid Keepers?’

I’M KEEPING TH

ESE!

It was clear from each school’s remote education journey, that there was no one-size-fits-all approach with live lessons a much more common feature in secondary schools.

Did schools rediscover parents?

Leaders talked about how important parental involvement was in live or recorded remote education. Schools generally all expressed that relationships with parents had been bolstered and parents felt they were more involved in their child’s learning. Many schools stated that they felt remote learning had created or strengthened the ‘community’ or ‘team-like’ nature of their schools’ environment Creative flexibility was also a hallmark of schools activity with the most effective solutions for pupils with SEND being often bespoke, taking into account the specific needs and circumstances of each individual child.

What are the ‘Covid Keepers’ ?

There are numerous ‘covid- keepers’ with leaders identifying positive benefits, with a focus on Blended Learning or a more hybrid approach.

Although the Ofsted research was fully published in Feb 2021 there is much to learn from schools’ journey in remote teaching and learning; lessons for the wider system and the need for strategic thinking about the uses and benefits of digital.

To read the full report:

• Video lessons from subject expe rts to provide te cover - pote acher ntial workload be ne fit s?

• Video lessons where there are subject specific te recruitment acher and retention iss ue s • Supporting an xious or exclude d students off sit other on-site e or in learning areas • Availability of pre-recorded les sons for revision purposes or where pupils miss lessons due to illn • Provision of ess teaching and lea rn ing during snow days extended pe , riods of pupil illn ess or absence, interventions holidays, for over and unde rachievement an potentially IN d SET days, to mini m ise learning loss • Improvemen ts to homework delivery • Giving pupils the means to man age aspects of th own learning eir . Several school lea ders felt their pu had gained ind pi ls ependence from their remote lea experiences rn ing

.

• For some pu pils with SEND, there were some positive oppo notable rtunities from re mote learning. Di platforms co fferent uld be used to ca ter for different and overcom ne eds e issues that may have previously excluded pu pils from parts or allof certain lesso • Pupils with ‘se ns. nsory overload’ iss ues, for example, could be taug

ht remotely for a portion of a lesso and then re n introduced to a class when the environment had ‘calmed down ’.

FFER

EO IMPROVE TH

n technology ca nisations and ga or ex s. pl nt m d pare Schools’ are co hers, pupils an the ‘offer’ teac e ov pr im lp he ining digital f and pupils ga af st of ed th bo g for an improv • Up-skillin the potential to d le d ha proficiency e future

perience in th particularly in learning ex e provisions, ot m

re ps of hi ct ns pe tio as la ication/re un • The social m m co g in t of improv pils. the contex families of pu to s, carers and nt re pa it was easier ith at w th

schools said e und m fo so : ve ng ha di cause they be • Safeguar n re ild ch vulnerable more regularly safeguard ate with them ic un m m co it easier to

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Above and beyond

Celebrate Edtech Times C’Mon The last year changed the education sector’s relationship with edtech - we went from playing with it, to depending on it. Edtech became central, enabling teachers to teach and students to learn.

From individual professional responses through the multiple lockdowns of 2020-21, to how edtech enabled us all overcome a global pandemic, we asked you what you thought:

“The teaching workforce was transformed overnight. Schools responded superbly to the challenge of home learning. I think we went over and above to meet the needs of our pupils. Providing care for key workers to leading learning for those at home. Teachers worked really hard. Capacity was grown and staff adapted quickly to blended learning.

The ability to present to a class via a digital platform has not just opened up our classrooms, it opened up a world of opportunities through edtech.”

Corrine Latham, Principal Seaview Primary School, Belfast

“I think teachers went ‘above, beyond and then some’ over this past year whilst the sand shifted continuously. We did years of training in a matter of months and ensured our students got the best education we could deliver in an online environment. Our Edtech confidence has improved and staff are using many of the new tools with the students now we are back face to face. A steep learning curve with many lessons learned for education now and beyond.”

Sarah Clark, Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline, MIE Fellow Scotland

“Overall I think teachers have become better teachers who are willing to take more risks and be better collaborators. I am hoping that as a result of this we will continue to work with more creative and efficient ways to deliver content to students; more effective ways to assess students, identify gaps in learning and address them; better ways to work collaboratively that are also more efficient.”

Nathan Ashman, Educator

“Cross-partnerships between community organisations, local authorities, national charities and technology companies have played a valuable role in addressing local digital divides. Camden Council funded many community organisations and schools so that young people facing barriers to online learning were provided with devices.”

Farida Danmeri, Educator & Learning Designer

“Edtech solved a lot of logistical issues and continues to provide an adequate curriculum remotely. However, the edtech tools and services that will have a great impact in the future are those that value people first. This means being transparent about how they use our data and making great efforts to ensure their teams reflect the communities they serve.”

Mark Martin, Teacher, @urbanteacher

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Independent School for Girls aged 3-18

Transforming teaching and learning with iPad “We’ve noticed a significant difference in the attitudes of the students and pupil engagement has definitely improved.

They love to be given autonomy and never cease to amaze me with the work they produce. The devices completely align with our Head’s vision of preparing

our students for the real world and complementing traditional academic skills and knowledge with other holistic skills to support their future lives.”

Jo Maule, E-Learning Manager at Talbot Heath School.

Enhancing teaching and learning through the effective use of technology.

Contact the Schools & Colleges team at Academia.

Academia.co.uk info@academia.co.uk 01992 703900

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Helping every student achieve with technology Our EdTech tools give students extra support with reading, writing and maths.

Helping to minimise teacher workloads and maximise student outcomes.

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Put students in charge of their learning with solutions to meet the needs of all learners.

Make learning accessible to all by giving students the support tools they need to succeed.

Get more time back for instruction with tools to support teaching and learning for every subject.

Find out more: text.help/edtech

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200+ Texthelpers

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Global offices

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Focus

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Edtech 50 2020

Focus

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Products Products

Focus is a supplement of the Edtech UK Community Magazine. The Focus supplement is a showcase space for products, innovation and open policy discussion.

Focus is a key way to consolidate relationships and reach new audiences.

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This unique, Scottish, interactive gaming Thisonline unique, Scottish, online interactive gaming concept succeeded in beingsucceeded selected for the Edtechselected for the Edtech concept in being 50 in 2018. Two years on, the siren calls of the secret 50 in 2018. Two years on, the siren calls of the secret world of international espionage have recommended of international espionage have recommended Spyquest again toworld members of the public and our againusto members judges. One of theSpyquest former informs that the Questof the public and our in SpyQuest has been a ‘wonderful tool former which allows judges.

One of the informs us that the Quest children to learn whilst ‘playing’, gives a greata ‘wonderful tool which allows in SpyQuest has been introduction to the books and has allowed follow up children to learn whilst ‘playing’, gives a great activities based around writing an ‘Agent’ based story.’ introduction to the(or books A local government officer in Scotland shouldand thathas allowed follow up based around be agent?) talks ofactivities ‘inspiring reluctant readers.’writing an ‘Agent’ based story.’

SpyQuest is on anAEdTech mission – should you in Scotland (or should that local government officer choose to accept… be agent?) talks of ‘inspiring reluctant readers.’

SpyQuest is on an EdTech mission – should you

—› Mindful Education

to accept…

Learning platformchoose of media-rich professional courses & apprenticeships. In partnership with colleges —› Mindful Education around the UK, courses (e.g. Accountancy, Law, Management) areLearning highly flexible – learners choose platform of media-rich professional courses how, when and where they want to study.InLecturers & apprenticeships. partnership with colleges Enhance is a digital training platform for teachers and trainers in the FE and find the detailed analytics invaluable, enabling them around the UK, courses (e.g. Accountancy, Law, Training sector. It is designed to help develop teaching and training practice to tailor their own input. It’s a very effective way to Management) arelearning, highly flexible – learners choose using technology. The aim is to support innovation in teaching and training and blend on-line content with classroom how, when and where to improve learner outcomes, equipping learners for the changing world of work maximising the impact.

Nearly twenty publicthey want to study. Lecturers where usingistechnology is becoming increasingly important.and ETFtrainers offers a range nominations werefind received for Mindful Educationinvaluable, enabling them Enhance a digital training platform for teachers in the FE and the detailed analytics ofTraining small modules that both teachingto andhelp support staff can utilise toand develop theirpractice from lecturers and extolling virtues. sector.

It is designed develop teaching training tostudents, tailor their ownitsinput.

It’s a very effective way to digital capabilities. Edtech 50 judges liked what they saw, and in the words of ‘It allows us to check learning via the software and using technology. The aim is to support innovation in teaching and training and blend on-line content with classroom learning, the nomination: ‘the bite sized training modules are ideal for dipping in and out. pick up where students may benefit from more to improve learner equipping learners the changing of work impact.

Nearly twenty public The modules do exactlyoutcomes, what they say they do with practicalfor examples of how worldhelp …the videos maximising and questionsthe are very useful for usingintechnology is becoming increasingly important.

ETFtooffersrevision.’ a rangeLaura Knight, nominations received for Mindful Education towhere apply them various learning contexts. They ensure it is easy for teachers one of ourwere judges, says of this gain achievement.

They areboth brilliant.’

Edtechtheir 50 2018 listed – ‘the number of extolling its virtues. of small modules that teaching and support staff can utilise to develop fromcompany lecturers and students, nominations speaks volumes. is inclusive; digital capabilities. Edtech 50 judges liked what they saw, and in the words of ‘It allows usThe to goal check learning via the software and the product is high quality.’

Teaching Platform – ETF

the nomination: ‘the bite sized training modules are ideal for dipping in and out. pick up where students may benefit from more The modules do exactly what they say they do with practical examples of how help …the videos and questions are very useful for —› Judge’s Insight: Mark Martin —› SISRA Observe to apply them in various learning contexts. is easy for teachers to one of our judges, says of this Diversity is no afterthought.

All of the They talentsensure for all ofitour futures.

SISRA Observe isrevision.’ a bespokeLaura systemKnight, that supports ‘We are on a mission to make the UK the most innovative education schools’ and MATs’ CPD processes from recording gain achievement.

They are brilliant.’

Edtech 50 2018 –listed company – ‘the number of system in the world. In order to reach this goal we need to ensure and analysing all types of observations, tovolumes. identifyingThe goal is inclusive; nominations speaks the Institutions, Curriculums and Technology reflects us all. We want individual CPD needs and self-reflection. It gets to the product is high quality.’

to prepare young people for the future of work with the latest tools the heart of reducing teacher workload by and innovation. This will help them to access the opportunities that systematising activities previously paper or Insight: MarkEdtech Martin —› SISRAplanning Observe exist—› onJudge’s their doorstep.’

Mark Martin, 50 judge, teacher, spreadsheet based…’making accessible, Diversity is noleader. afterthought.

All of the talents for all of oursimple futures.

SISRA Observe isgeneral a bespoke author and EdTech @urbanteacher and robust.’

The SISRA team in and system that supports Harling,schools’ in particular, ‘We are on a mission to make the UK the most innovativeCharlotte education andreceive MATs’numerous CPD processes – from recording on her inspirational approach as system in the world. In order to reach this goal we need tocomments ensure – bothand analysing all types of observations, to identifying well as the customer support provided.

the Institutions, Curriculums and Technology reflects us all. We want to prepare young people for the future of work with the latest tools and innovation. This will help them to access the opportunities that exist on their doorstep.’ Mark Martin, Edtech 50 judge, teacher, EDTECH50_magazine2020_AW+.indd 14 author and EdTech leader. @urbanteacher 14

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individual CPD needs and self-reflection. It gets to the heart of reducing teacher workload by systematising activities previously paper or spreadsheet based…’making planning accessible, 20/02/2020 09:12 simple and robust.’ The SISRA team in general and Charlotte Harling, in particular, receive numerous comments – both on her inspirational approach as well as the customer support provided.

Edtech 50 Products

—› Little Bridge

An online platform for learning English that has been used globally for over 10 years. It provides young learners with safe opportunities to learn and apply their new English skills with peers globally. They do this through stories, activities and games, underpinned by pedagogy. For the students who are refugees and who do not speak English – Little Bridge has been an ‘amazing resource.’ An Edtech 50 Judge notes: ‘A fantastic product, clearly having a huge impact on children around the world. A real bonus that this can be used to help support whole families with learning English together in a fun, supportive environment. As well as a lot of plaudits from our judges, there were very many public nominations for Little Bridge.

—› Canvas Learning Platform

Instructure’s VLE, Canvas, a cloud-based learning management system is widely used throughout the FE sector. This learning platform is open, intuitive and streams all the digital tools and content that students and teachers need. As well as enabling seamless accessing of learning resources – checking timetables, submitting assignments and receiving feedback and marks etc, there are many innovative and imaginative options available; including peer marking, anonymous grading and group chats. As one Head of e-Learning puts it…’these are just a few of the things that keep the learners engaged. And better yet it’s all in the palm of their hand.’ There’s also a shout out for the UK Canvas team – ‘their continuing support has been an absolute life saver.’

EdShed Sheltering under the EdShed umbrella are a range of exceptional and innovative educational products, including The Literacy Shed, Spelling Shed and Maths Shed. It’s a company run by teachers and for teachers.

The Spelling Shed is a spelling platform designed by a team of Primary School teachers. It’s built with primary school students, teachers and parents in mind and aims to make spelling fun for students as well as simple for teachers to manage.

It includes a whole school spelling scheme, giving 100% coverage of the National Curriculum, the ability to create unlimited custom lists, a tablet and mobile game for students to use (to practise spelling) and an online game.

This is underpinned by a teacher hub, which allows simple management of student records, teachers and classes; plus the ability to set and monitor homework assignments.

A whole-class Hive game allows all pupils to play alongside each other as an alternative for a weekly spelling test. A live leader board adds to the fun.

Finally, the Spelling Shed App has been developed to be ‘dyslexia friendly’ with three levels of difficulty to support pupils of all abilities through the spelling lists with appropriate degrees of challenge.

There were many (shed-loads!) of positive comments about this product with teachers making comments like ‘it grabs their attention and thus makes them want to learn. The eagerness to take home the printed spellings is a pleasure to see.’ Our judges agreed with such assessments and also cited the role of co-founder Rob Smith in ‘tirelessly promoting literacy.’ In the company’s own words – spelling made awesomer…

www.edtechuk.org

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Now>Press>Play Now>Press>Play fuses wireless technology, drama and sound to create unique educational experiences for primary school learners that bring the curriculum to life. It was founded in 2012 by three friends, who love learning but hate sitting down. They discovered they weren’t alone. Since then, they’ve worked with over 40,000 children across the UK. In a ‘now>press>play Experience’ every child is given a pair of wireless headphones. Immersed in sound, they become the main character in a story, meeting people, discovering places and solving problems on an educational adventure they’ll never forget.

In the words of Osi Ejiofor, Education Technology Consultant: ‘this resource has helped to stimulate imagination and creativity and has a huge impact on engagement and outcomes in writing tasks. It provides students with a level of immersion that they would not otherwise be able to have. From space travel to sailing on the Titanic, now>press>play is inspiring many young minds.’

‘From space travel to sailing on the Titanic, Now>Press>Play is inspiring many young minds.’

—› Lyfta

Great for teaching KS2 and KS3 Literacy, PSHE, Citizenship, SMSC, Geography, R.E. and Art, Lyfta is a computer and tablet-based platform where teachers and pupils can explore immersive, human-focused documentary stories from around the world. It challenges children to think, and explore complex issues, for example, around gender, race, bias – as well as enabling children to explore real environments and ‘meet people from around the world that they may not ever experience in real life.’ Both the public submissions and our judges highlight the reach and quality (‘breath-takingly high) of this video-based learning product. As one Edtech 50 judge puts it: ‘A powerful product which allows staff to introduce challenging and difficult concepts to children, as well as increase their experience and understanding of the wider world.’

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—› GoBubble

GoBubble is a child-safe social media platform.

It offers an alternative to mainstream social media with inspirational ideas for the classroom paired with safe online communication. In its pre-moderated space, every user is verified by a school. Children are exposed to authentic digital citizenship practices in real time. Teachers and parents have noticed many positives with lots of children giving each other ‘likes’, paying each other compliments and generally acting with kindness and sensitivity. In the words of one – ‘it’s preparing them for future interactions whilst giving them more time to be children.’ Our judges were of the same mind. As Edtech 50 Judge, Andrew Dowell, summed it up – it’s a great tool for supporting digital citizenship.

www.edtechuk.org

Edtech 50 Products

—› 2Simple

2Simple was created twenty years ago by primary teacher, Nigel Canin, who spotted the need for creative educational software. Used by UK primary schools, the aim of the 2Simple software is to create a space where children can be creative, while using the technology and tools they will have for the rest of their lives. Their offer includes the ‘mash’ series of tools (Purple Mash, Mini Mash and Serial Mash), with Purple Mash, a website for elementary school students full of tools, educational games and themed resources, being the most popular. As an Edtech 50 Judge notes: ‘Very few products have been able to evolve and move with the times as 2Simple has, without compromising the range of quality products that they provide. Simple to use but highly engaging and effective.’

—› Judge’s Insight: Osi Ejiofor

Technology in education has the power to make what may seem impossible, possible. There was a time when I had a student in my class who could not speak much English at all, so I wondered how I was going to communicate with her. I was able to use a mobile device to speak in English and it would translate and speak to her in her language. Without technology in that moment, I would’ve been stuck and it would have been impossible for me to communicate effectively with the child but because of technology I was able to do so. The joy and spark of amazement on the child's face is something I will never forget. There are many others who I have taught over the years who would not be able to access or engage with learning if not for the magic of technology. Osi Ejiofor, Edtech 50 judge, teacher and EdTech consultant

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Edtech 50 Products

—› Avantis ClassVR

The product is a ‘standalone’ Virtual Reality headset complete with a unique student-friendly interface, gesture controls, embedded educational resources and simple-to-use teacher controls. This enables teachers to control, manage and monitor the AR and VR learning taking place in a structured and wellpaced learning environment…for one user, it’s an amazing product with superb support and resources.

‘We use Avantis ClassVR to help enhance our curricula with the use of AR and VR. The resources can be tailored to suit our learners and the technical support is first-class…’ Comments one Edtech 50 Judge, – this system can be used throughout the entire curriculum to enable pupils to experience first-hand places and periods of history that would otherwise be impossible. The technology both transforms learning and broadens students’ horizons.

—› Wakelet

Put simply, Wakelet is a visual content platform.

For educators and students, it offers a better way of doing things on the Web. It provides a means to bookmark, organise and curate content from across the web and use it to create beautiful, informative and engaging collections. It claims to be the ‘easiest way to capture and share multimedia resources with students, teachers and learning communities.’

The ever-expanding world wide web can be, if not tamed, at least harnessed to provide coherently created content for pupils, whether YouTube videos, images, Instagram posts, weblinks or PDFs etc. A couple of our Edtech 50 judges are particularly enthusiastic, including Andrew Dowell, who comments: ‘Personally use. Fantastic tool for collating resources or items to read later. Great for student use to aid assignment writing. Adapting to user feedback and constantly updating.’

Apple Pencil/iPad, Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom Game-changing products, nominated by educators.

No landscape survey of education technology in the United Kingdom would be complete without reference to the gamechanging products of Apple, Google and Microsoft. A number of educators and our judges make this point very eloquently. Many teachers see the Apple iPad as transformational – ‘there simply is not a more flexible, adaptable tool available to schools. The iPad offers unrivalled opportunities for podcasting, movie making, animating, communication and coding. With the right training, teachers can deliver lessons that would simply have been impossible five years ago.’ In the words of our judge, Emma Darcy, ‘the iPad is…in part responsible for allowing schools to embrace the shift change from fixed ICT suites to flexible classrooms where the learning takes place on mobile devices.’

—› Judge’s Insight: Sian Rowles

After hearing the marvelous Mererid Hopwood say that as soon as you can say one word in Welsh then you are on the bilingual bus (shwmae!), I began to see EdTech in a new way.

EdTech50 is a great way of encouraging more people aboard, so I was keen to see schools whose innovative use of Hwb tools improved standards across the curriculum, but who are also open to sharing how they did it, pitfalls and all. Privileged to contribute to judging this year, I hope to celebrate the successes of each EdTech50 cohort and encourage any remaining digi-phobes aboard our digi-bus.

As our schools develop the Curriculum for Wales to reflect their community’s interests and priorities, the effective use of EdTech in each classroom would be transformational. I believe it will be key to the successful implementation and the achievement of our National Mission, including equity and excellence for all. Sian Rowles, Edtech 50 judge, Education Advisor, Pembrokeshire

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From the Google Suite for Education products, Emma also draws attention to the impact of Google Classroom. She comments: ‘Not only has it given pupils the ability to engage with their learning in one easily accessible place, it has substantially reduced staff workload and allowed the use of technology to be embedded with real purpose across the curriculum.’ Similarly, from the Microsoft range of educational products, Microsoft Teams is singled out by teachers for unified communication, management of homework and complete integration with Office365.’ In addition, a SharePoint based student handbook and the Assignments section of Teams has replaced the traditional homework diary – ‘facilitating better communication and oversight of student activities.’

www.edtechuk.org

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Sparx Maths Sparx, a socially focussed learning technology company, has spent the last 8 years reimagining the way maths is taught and learnt in schools with the aim of improving numeracy, and therefore life opportunities.

From personalised maths homework for every single student to providing teachers with real-time insights into class and student progress, Sparx Maths is acting as a catalyst for transformational change within schools across the UK. Over 38,000 questions covering the KS3 and GCSE maths curriculum are devised and handwritten by the Sparx content team (mathematicians, scientists, teachers, tutors, graphic designers and grammar experts). Questions are backed up by tutorial videos on every single topic that help explain concepts in different ways and encourage independent learning Dan Sandhu, CEO Sparx and their Education Research Team is committed to an ongoing programme of research in the hope that an evidence-based design culture will soon underpin all improvements within education.

It’s this wider commitment to evidence-based approaches which Edtech 50 judge, Martin Hamilton, highlights: ‘Sparx make a fantastic case study on how to best develop EdTech based upon a research and evidence-informed approach.’

Reinforcing this point is the news that Sparx Maths, with the Education Foundation, are part of the newly formed EdTech Evidence Group, who are calling for a ‘step change’ in the quality of EdTech evidence available to schools.

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‘A fantastic case study on how to best develop EdTech based upon a research and evidenceinformed approach.’

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Designed by teachers.

Developed by Promethean.

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Drawing on over 20 years’ experience developing edtech solutions that enhance teaching and learning, Promethean has designed the ActivPanel Elements Series mindful of the little things that make a big difference to teaching day to day.

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Use the ActivPanel to enhance teaching in the classroom and support students at home using tools such as the ActivInspire Screen Recorder and Screen Share app.

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Deliver interactive lessons using Promethean ActivInspire education software.

Promethean has developed its own technology making writing on the ActivPanel as seamless as putting pen to paper.

Intuitive and ergonomic The ActivPanel Elements Series delivers a quick and easy to navigate user experience, saving valuable teaching time.

To experience the ActivPanel Elements Series, request a FREE virtual demonstration:

www.PrometheanWorld.com/gb/how-to-buy/request-a-demo/ PrometheanUKI 26

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&

James Kieft appeared in the first Edtech50 list published in 2018, in recognition of www.edtechuk.org his superb Edtech blog ‘James thinks its worth a look at’, which he still posts to.

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Roundtable

The Future of Edtech Following a year in edtech like no other, the Edtech UK Magazine gathered a roundtable of educators to ask their views on how the edtech sector will, and needs to, respond going forwards.

Jonathan Bishop, CEO and Headteacher of The Cornerstone Academy Trust, Devon and Edtech Demonstrator Programme,

Katie Broadribb, Edtech Demonstrator Programme and Senior Leader of Learning, Wildern College

How do you think the edtech sector will respond going forwards?

Jonathan: Now schools have the infrastructure and EdTech is mainstream, all schools will be able to democratise access and incorporate blended learning in a sustainable way. The strategy is likely to keep the best parts of the experience of the past year, and develop them into a long-term approach supported by procurement and training.

Harmeet: An effective digital strategy should be part of every school improvement plan (SIP). This will only happen if it is pushed by Ofsted as part of their framework, unfortunately there are schools who will still be sending paper packs home if another lockdown was to arise, due to a lack of expertise and confidence.

What are the key learnings for you as individuals?

Katie: Students actually need help to become these competent, confident self-regulators too. The lessons where

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Scott Hayden, Member of EdtechUK Advisory Forum and Digital Innovation Specialist & Lecturer, Basingstoke College of Technology

I screen recorded myself starting a task, like making an online mind map or even simply how to take notes (Cornell method anyone?!), were the best investment in supporting students to really understand what they can do to help the information stick. I’m not surprised the APPG report found students felt they made more progress digitally. Whether this is true is hard to judge, but when they feel confident you get the buy-in from students that supports a positive attitude to learning.

Scott: Podcasters, audiobooks, graphic novelists, vloggers, LIVE-streamers, and Social Media influencers can teach us a thing or two about engaging learning experiences. Shame on me for not being as good as the ‘Dissect’ podcast that deconstructs masterpiece albums song-by-song, line-by-line, beat-by-beat with beautiful, intricate, and philosophical analysis - that podcast taught me more than any classroom I have ever been in.

There is so much to learn from these new forms of communication.

www.edtechuk.org

Harmeet Sahota, teacher, Edtech UK Magazine Advisor and Founder of Curriculum Wide

What are the key learnings for your peers or your communities?

Scott: Coaching is the way forward long-term, sustainable, bespoke, and supportive 1-1 coaching.

Harmeet: Hybrid learning can work with the right setup and CPD, staff can adapt and learn quickly. Audio tools can really support teacher wellbeing, improving the quality of feedback and the time taken to deliver it. Staff need continuous CPD to build on the progress made.

What are the key learnings for your age phases/specialist areas?

Jonathan: In our schools, all age phases have operated virtually, from Nursery and Early Years to Year 6. In addition, our specialist areas – the Science Learning Partnership, English Hub and Computing Hub - have all continued to operate virtually, offering support to educators, and will continue to do so.

Harmeet: There is not a one size fits all approach. Some lessons and

classes lend themselves to particular software, some lessons are better delivered asynchronous, some are better delivered as synchronous lessons. There is also a couple of lessons that are difficult to deliver remotely - due to specific software required, i.e. MS Access there are solutions to this but not that straightforward to implement.

5 students voice recording their first draft of a creative writing task to get them started in the process, or Year 11 using a tool like Seneca with it’s algorithm designed to pop in questions about a topic not understood at the optimum time. I just think leaders and teachers need to be open to the known fact that it’s technology for learning.

Scott: Digital Wellbeing needs to be the focus of the next 5-10 years of my career.

Focusing on helping learners to use digital tools professionally and productively in a positive manner is crucial and something we all need to pro-actively confront across all areas. Managing our addictions to tech with intention and using tech to enhance our lives rather than consume them is the aim.

Jonathan: The key now is to commit to providing resources, including devices. Schools need to change the way they look at their budgets and factor in how they’re going to pay for their digital strategy going forward – including the regular replenishment/upgrade of technology. The profession now needs to consider IT not just as a ‘bolt-on’ way of enhancing lessons but as an integral solution that supports the whole school beyond the classroom, including staff meetings, collaboration, back office and administration.

What do we need to change in the short and long term as a profession?

Katie: We have got to evaluate our uses of technology in the classroom and for home learning. The potential to support learners through assistive tech and applications are immense, but it expands beyond that. For example Year

Harmeet: Flexible working. Edtech should be part of ITT. The only way all schools will adopt a ‘digital strategy’ if Edtech is part of the Ofsted framework.

Hard to reach schools still need to buy in

www.edtechuk.org

to Edtech but having exposure to schools leading the way i.e. Edtech Demonstrator schools/colleges.

Scott: We need to change the perception of edtech as being ‘other’ or separate from learning. Our students do not think of their lessons as ‘flipped’, ‘blended’, or ‘digital’ - it’s just learning to them. It needs to be thought of in the same open-minded and inclusive way by Teachers.

What do we need to ‘keep’ for the edtech future?

Katie: I hope the edtech sector focussed more on strategy rather than the device.

In the past I’ve often felt it was a choice of brand/device leading schools strategy and so an outcomes 1st approach where it’s simply technology for learning is crucial.

Scott: This is just how we all learn now through a foraged and curated mix of all sorts of tech alongside the irreplaceable human mentoring and coaching that can never be automated. We need to keep moving forward and show all Teachers tech as an accelerator and an augmentation of our craft.

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Edtech Business - Interview

There is only One Interview with Susanna Lawson of OneFile Susanna Lawson is the Founder of OneFile and on the advisory panel of BAME Apprenticeship Alliance. In 2017, OneFile was awarded the Queen’s Award for Innovation and Susanna was crowned Forward Ladies/HSBC Business Woman of the Year. The first learner was registered onto OneFile in 2005. OneFile has grown from a back bedroom startup to a platform with over 1.2m users and has listed on The Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for in 2021.

Working with over 700 customers around the world, OneFile supports them to deliver apprenticeships and vocational training more cost efficiently and increasing quality. Customers include further education colleges, universities, training providers, public sector employers - NHS, police, fire and corporates such as Siemens, Airbus, Spec Savers.

Where did the idea come from?

The idea for OneFile came when I was working in the apprenticeship sector.

I was delivering care apprenticeships in nursing homes. I saw huge inefficiencies in the logistics and lost opportunities to improve from not having real time objective data. Through a chance conversation with my partner who was a web/database designer we realised there was an opportunity to build a tech solution to solve the problems being experienced.

Any memories from the start of the start up?

After 2 years of working from home we were working 80/90 hrs a week each so we realised we had to get an office and employ our first member of the team.

When she started we completely forgot to pay her on pay day as we hadn’t had to set anything like that up before. She came in the next day and asked about it.

We were mortified as we had just simply forgotten. She left soon after as probably

thought we were a cash strapped start up but we never made that mistake again!

How would you describe the UK’s understanding of digital skills and edtech before COVID? Before Covid there was more and more attention being diverted to apprenticeships, digital skills and edtech.

Apprenticeships - especially degree level - have become a viable option especially for Higher Education. Because of these kinds of discussions being had, it is now raising the profile of apprenticeships in general. The introduction of university fees has definitely accelerated the questions around the value for money and at least the viability of other options which previously might not have been researched. With more schools and parents discussing apprenticeships at HE level the conversations were starting to increase at other levels too.

Digital skills were definitely on the agenda pre Covid. As more and more companies looked to digitally transform their businesses, it was a focussed issue that employees needed to have improved digital skills and attitudes to move to technology. Before Covid, though, a lot of businesses had a 3-5 year digital agenda, but Covid accelerated that to weeks.

The interest in edtech continued to grow pre Covid. The ability to increase student engagement, have better visibility - as well as making processes more and more efficient - was obviously making the transition to edtech a no-brainer for organisations. There is also a demand from the students themselves having an expectation to use technology - at OneFile we get regular requests from students wanting to do their training with us because of the technology and we have to explain that we are not the training provider but a supplier to the sector.

Has it improved in the last year and how so?

The last year has accelerated organisations’ reliance on technology.

As mentioned above - where companies had a 3-5 year digital transformation strategy, suddenly they had to do it in a matter of weeks - if not days. This included our own company too. Nothing like an emergency to focus the mind.

What is your vision for industry now, based on your experiences?

My vision for apprenticeships and education in general is that technology continues to be an enabler. Providing access to resources and training any time, any place. That technology can support in providing a personalised experience based on a learner’s starting point.

No two learner’s start an apprenticeship with exactly the same prior education and experience so therefore their journey through should also not be identical.

I also hope that apprenticeships will be offered as a viable alternative in schools and that parents have all the information they need to support their children to make an informed decision based on all the alternatives.

I would not hope for a world where all education is remotely delivered.

I believe a strong blended approach would be ideal. A lot of learning takes place from just the experience of being around others. Learning how to act, reading body language, picking up nuances from other people that can’t be done as effectively online.

GO TO: ONEFILE.CO.UK

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Edtech Business

Rising Stars in London A number of London’s ‘rising stars’ in EdTech have experienced considerable growth during the pandemic A number of London’s ‘rising stars’ in EdTech have experienced considerable growth during the pandemic and are expanding globally from the UK capital, as well as hiring rapidly.

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EduMe - The corporate training solution offers customisable and mobile-first remote training, communication and engagement platform for deskless workers and in July closed a $5m Series A funding round from Valo Ventures.

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WhiteHat - Career-focused modern professional apprenticeships aimed at 800,000 UK 16-24 year old’s not in employment, education or training have accelerated their employee count over the last 6 months.

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Lingumi - platform for toddlers and pre-schoolers raised a $5m million Series A in April 2020 to continue developing AI-driven language lessons and expand the team globally.

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Construct Education - The online education platform founded in 2013 in London. The company quickly ex panded offices from the UK, to the US and South Africa and from 2018 to 2019, its revenue grew by over 500%.

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Century Tech - During the pandemic the company has signed a landmark technology partnership deal with the Lebanese government to bring their technology free to thousands of schools in Lebanon.

Laura Citron, CEO at London & Partners said: “The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the global adoption of EdTech platforms as schools, universities and employers embrace online learning. London’s EdTech companies are well-placed to meet this increased demand.

“London is a global centre of learning, home to four universities in the world’s top 50, and its thriving EdTech ecosystem provides access to growth capital, expertise, talent and universities all in one place.”

• VRtuoso - A tool to create virtual reality presentations for corporate learning, sales and marketing.

Ear to the Ground Navigating handwriting with Kaligo Kaligo is a digital handwriting app aimed at early years and primary settings. Like a pilot in a simulator, Kaligo helps pupils navigate and practice handwriting.

Through AI, pupils’ letter formations are reviewed and automatically corrected, much less work for the teacher.

The beauty of digital handwriting apps is that there is less pressure on the pupil to be perfect the first time, and they can work at their own pace. Once we know that letter formation is on track, we can see in the app that they are fluent in handwriting, and then we can move back to pen and paper.

Digital handwriting apps should not be overlooked; they are there to ensure that letter formation is correct; they are not there to replace pen and paper; this is a myth.

SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL

www.edtechuk.org

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Edtech; mo In Autumn 2020, a group of leaders and teachers wrote the Edtech Vision 2025, in response to a House of Commons Committee call for evidence.

Basic access to devices and broadband were also key issues from the start for the Dfe. The procurement and purchase of laptops across the UK seemed tardy and was often mired in controversy.

This group of education professionals concluded that: “COVID-19 magnified the uneven and patchy approach to digital learning in England. Even before COVID-19, schools’ use of EdTech varied widely. The virus highlighted, however, that schools and colleges need support and training.”

Challenges regarding infrastructure, access to devices/reliable broadband and the lack of professional development opportunities were all recognised; but were the Department for Education’s attempts at addressing these timely, well-coordinated and ultimately supportive on the ground?

As remote learning was thrust to the forefront of education, these differences became magnified, leaving some schools and colleges, by default, better prepared than others as ‘closures’ forced most pupils to work from home. There are key urgent lessons for policy makers and governments.

Nationally, too, there were differences with England being somewhat late in introducing a national EdTech Strategy compared to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

DFE Response: Clear and Supportive?

Technology across education was essential in connecting school staff and students throughout the period of ‘remote education’ across the UK. However, in England edtech was having serious growing pains with only the very recent 2019 EdTech Strategy, amongst many well-intentioned initiatives. The DfE arose from that initial strategy - with a non-existent benchmark for schools during Covid-19.

England has arguably played catch up to its neighbouring countries, but the English-based Edtech Demonstrator programme provided agile professional development from March 2020, with a passionate network of forty-eight institutions acting as peer-to-peer crisis mentors.

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Were the other education nations, therefore, perhaps able to respond in a more effective and agile way than England?

Kirsty Williams, former Welsh Education Secretary, speaking at a recent conference, acknowledged that the Hwb, the national digital platform in Wales, allowed an agile response across institutions.

Becki Bawler, who teaches in Wales said; “Despite all that teachers, students and parents have learned about digital skills through our recent experiences of emergency remote education, it is apparent that there is still much to be done across the nations (some more than others) to reduce digital inequality and provide the most effective uses of digital technology for learning.”

www.edtechuk.org

CAMPAIG

N AGEND

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1. Increa sed suppo rt for all sc infrast hools and ructure an colleges fo d devices 2. A new r digital National E dTech stra & Dig tegy; an O ital Skills ffice for E and invest and c dTech ment in e lusters dtech firm 3. Teach s, jobs er training , professio nation nal qualifi al platform cations an in Englan Glow da d, like Hw in Scotlan b in Wale d , with open 4. Increa s and shared re sed invest sources ment and assisti support fo ve techno r SEND an logy that 5. Real re d digital supports cognition ALL pupil o f the future s econo needs of my, clarity our digita about dig EdTec l ital skills in h as a nati sc hools and o n al investm 6. Comp ent priori uting and ty curriculum appro reform to priate use in clude o f digital 7. A join ed up, se c u re and respe about ctful appro children a nd young ach to da ta people

ore to do Digital Disadvantage Gap The EdtechUK Advisory Forum called for Increased support and investment - for all schools and colleges - for digital infrastructure and devices; as well as an established set of ‘digital norms’ or a framework for digital capacity, capabilities and access across education institutions. Moreover, the group highlighted, we cannot allow a divide between ‘digitally rich’ institutions and the rest to persist - such a ‘digital disadvantage gap’ does not prepare our country, our schools, colleges, or learners for our future.

Parents and carers also played a fundamental role, supporting and helping young people to fully understand their increasingly digital environments. Again, they too need to be supported so they can help their children navigate these complexities; digital literacy has a major and abiding role to play for us all.

A strategic response is needed.

As John Sibbald, of the EdtechUK Advisory Forum says; “Prior to COVID many of those working in education were concerned that digital skills and investment in digital had become a low priority for schools. Digital didn’t appear in the Ofsted framework, teacher standards, early career framework or the national professional qualifications in middle and senior leaders or headteachers.”

Digital - Professional Development It is clear that Initial Teacher Training, the Early Career Framework and a spectrum of national professional qualifications have little, if any, focus on digital learning and the positive support education technology can bring for teaching and learning. There needs to be urgent action to remedy this and provide a coherent national

framework of support in these qualifications for the positive uses of digital and wider use of accredited bitesize courses and similar imaginative training opportunities.

Professional development can become more cost effective and easier to access across the country using virtual conferencing and recorded talks, giving teaching and support staff more opportunities to learn and develop. However, all of this depends on the will to change and the funding to support it – many teachers and students now see the benefits of providing blended learning – something the Open University has excelled at for years.

As John says: “ We have a unique opportunity to apply the pedagogical and digital learning from lockdown both back in the classroom and in home learning. To do this requires us to develop distributed, digital leadership throughout the system but many schools will need help and support to achieve this.”

“If you can’t reach them; you can’t teach them.”

The global pandemic also highlighted the urgent need to ensure equitable digital provision. Increases in home working may have personal and environmental benefits, but these need to be supported by national digital infrastructure.

As Caz Keep, one of the report’s authors said at the time about digital devices; “If you can’t reach them; you can’t teach them.”

www.edtechuk.org

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Edtech Vision 2025

House of Lords; paragraph 394 The House of Lords Select Committee on Democracy and Digital Technologies, said this about digital literacy and skills in schools in its 2020, report, ‘Digital Technology and the Resurrection of Trust’; “It is not this Committee’s place, or aim, to re-organise the education system.

However, better digital media literacy should be placed in the context of the need for a wider change in education in response to the influence and use of

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digital technology. When we asked civil servants about how the Government planned to respond to these changes, ... the Department for Education told us that the Government’s “big computer science programme … aims to train one teacher in every secondary school… both in subject content and pedagogy”.

additional commitment is needed to bring about change.

We regard this as an underwhelming response demonstrating a lack of understanding within the Department about what kind of investment and

We need better coordination and commitment across government and the Forum recommends the creation of an Office for EdTech and Digital Skills located

www.edtechuk.org

We remain sceptical as to whether the Government has a full understanding of the critical ways in which digital media literacy and technical computing skills differ.”

EDTECH VISION

2025

The Edtech vision 2025 looks at de vices and connec for smart and se tivity nsitive use of da ta, proactive trai support for educ ni ng and ators to make th e most of techno It’s all about teac lo gy . hing and learning .

We believe that new ways of orga nising delivery w required to ensu ill be re that the lesson s learned during pandemic are em the bedded. A natio nal commitment BLENDED LEARN to ING can enrich an d broaden learni consolidating kn ng; owledge. The tim e for supportive HOURS SCHOO A FTER L and College LE ARNING has com e. Again.

Focus on the ‘dig ital’ is often confus ed across govern with future facing ment, digital policy and implementation distributed across Whitehall depart ments, often with different strategi in es - with even so me relevant to th whole of the UK. e

at the heart of government to lead a new edtech strategy, with a focus on teaching and learning, digital skills and digital literacy.

COVID-19 also exposed the extent to which many schools are struggling after years of real terms budget cuts and reduction in grant funding to schools and colleges.

In the short term, Education can move forward and prevent learning ‘loss’ through developing targeted blended learning - content created by educators themselves, as pioneered by the Blended Learning Consortium, from the Heart of Worcester College. Pioneering further education has much to share with the whole system.

Developing digital strategy and a blended approach can have huge benefits for institutions, educators and learners.

The ability to consolidate knowledge and skills is paramount.

Sir Mark Grundy, Edtech UK Forum member has high hopes for the future: “As we finally see light at the end of the tunnel, I hope that we continue with the things that ironically have made schools better. The use of Edtech to deliver into homes must not be lost. The reformatting of parents’ evenings, with us using Teams, has been a huge success, as has the delivery of online pastoral support.

There are real gains for teaching and learning to be made; we can’t afford to waste this moment.”

The Vision 2025 report is available: www.edtechuk.org Ty Goddard, On behalf of Edtech UK Advisory Forum

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O Y K N A H T G I AB

l and college ucators, schoo ed se o th l al g to g and inspirin “THANK YOU f for protectin af st rt o p p su leaders and times.” ose turbulent th g in ur d ng learni dvisory Forum Edtech UK A www.edtechuk.org www.edtechuk.org

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Interview

Edtech UK Magazine interviews Claire Price, on edtech before and after COVID.

Words How would you describe edtech in your setting before COVID? In February 2021 I was in an academy in a small MAT; I had been Principal of this academy since September 2020. MAT decisions had been made about centralised IT, but this was systems-based.

Conversations were about products or platforms and not about purpose.

Students’ access to devices was poor in school and even worse in the home.

Most students’ access to IT was via a smartphone. Most teachers did not use edtech in a systematic way. Positively, all teachers had school laptops issued in the summer term of 2020. During the first lockdown we bought, begged and borrowed as many laptops as we could to give to students to try to overcome digital poverty. We were fortunate, too, to be one of the early beneficiaries of the DfE’s laptop scheme.

How do you think this compares to the national picture and why?

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I think the picture across England was a real mixed bag. Many schools had chosen delivery platforms, but not yet exploited the full extent of how this could enhance teaching and learning.

In Wales, where I had previously been headteacher, the Digital Competency Framework and the use of Hwb had provided Welsh educators with a completely different framework within which to work. Schools that had addressed the DCF well and were utilising Hwb extensively were probably in a better place to springboard edtech during the pandemic.

What did you put in place in the first lockdown?

The first lockdown was a perfect incubator for staff development and growing student expertise in digital technologies.

We started lockdown having handed, or hand delivered, 3 weeks’ worth of paper-based resources to every student in the school. This gave us time to develop what was to become a digital learning strategy to be proud of! www.edtechuk.org

We developed our online learning cycle based on early research from best practice in China, and squirrelled away as much expertise, information, ideas and tips as we could to support the development of our teaching and learning. One of the real successes of the first lockdown was the professional generosity of teachers across the globe.

I think this self-directed and self-sourced CPD will have a massive impact on how we organise professional learning in the future.

We amended our learning cycle so that opportunities for collaboration were integral to how we planned learning.

This meant that student progress remained strong and it also had the effect of focusing on students’ mental health. By the end of lockdown one we had introduced a number of EdTech tools to support learning, assessment, communication and workload.

What is your vision for edtech now based on your experiences?

of Wisdom My vision for EdTech is for it to be a tool of and for pedagogy. It can no longer be considered merely a platform by which to deliver traditional learning, it must be considered a tool to help revision learning.

During the pandemic, students have gained so many skills: independent learning, collaborative learning; self-assessment to direct learning.

Schools must not go back to delivering subject knowledge and ignoring the power of creative and dynamic learning that mirrors young people’s drive to learn. EdTech is part of my future teaching and learning strategies, embedded within it rather than an additional strand, as it was in the past.

Key to this vision is developing the ability to evaluate the use of EdTech in a move away from using platforms or software without clear rationale and thought.

Finally, I am reviewing the use of EdTech to impact positively on teacher

workload. As schools become more adept in how we implement EdTech, we should view it through the lens of teacher CPD, retention and wellbeing.

What is your vision for the future of edtech in the UK and why?

It is now timely to rethink our approach to EdTech to support all young people.

The pandemic has intensified our focus on the impact of inequality for our children’s access to and outcomes in education. The governments of the UK should share what is working in their respective administrations so that all young people have access to robust infrastructure, high quality devices and be taught the tools and with the tools that will prepare them as 21st century citizens and workers.

To misquote Obama, it is not good enough that we have better wifi capacity in a coffee shop compared with in schools. The patchy distribution of access to IT across Britain should be addressed as part of the EdTech www.edtechuk.org

strategy. No child should have their disadvantage perpetuated into adulthood through lack of access to basic devices. Closing the experience gap is especially important for students with SEND. Assistive technology should be part of the fabric of schools to provide equality of provision. This will enable all students to contribute to the digital economy in the future. Schools should be supported in developing a digital curriculum and effective ways in using technology to support learning; this should be delivered through a centralised stable unit that can also support teachers’ professional learning.

Claire Price works as a School Improvement Leader at Oasis and has worked as a Headteacher, Principal of the RSA Academy and is involved in WomenED.

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Food for thought

Seven deadly sins Bless me father for I have sinned…

As a teacher, I have attended endless bewildering CPDs on EdTech to later do absolutely nothing with that EdTech.

I have looked confused while EdTech companies have tried to explain their project using language I don’t understand… and they, in turn, have looked equally confused whilst I explain to them how education works in a language they don’t understand. So, I have decided to channel my best Phoebe Waller Bridge and share with you the 7 deadly sins of EdTech and how to avoid them.

Thou shalt not... … Speak in tongues… It’s like the Tower of Babel out there! To most teachers, ‘agile’ is what you need to be in PE… and teachers, you’re not immune. When you say Progress 8, most tech companies think it’s a profit margin! Take note and seek a common language. … Place learning second and tech products first. Teacher: ‘Oh, it’s a robotic dog..’ Tech Rep, enthusiastically: ‘Yes! It barks and wags its tail too’.

Teacher, sympathetically ‘O...K...’

Put learning first.

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… Ignore the fact that I have no TARDIS. Lessons last 50 minutes, I cannot cram the 4 hours needed to deliver your Behemoth tech into a lesson, nor do I have the time to whittle it down for you, so that it fits. Lessons are of finite length. We also have very limited time for other things, so if you want us to develop educational resources for you, please negotiate this with us. Teachers, know your worth. … Ignore the National Curriculum.

It IS the word of God. Apart from a few hours of enrichment, we have no time to use resources that are not mapped to the curriculum that we are paid to teach.

We have a tough job already, help us do that by all means, but please, please map to the curriculum. … Ignore safeguarding and privacy.

This is a huge and we mean huge potential issue. Unless you have a clear, negotiated safeguarding and privacy policy surrounding any online resources and third party collection of student data, we will have concerns. The truth will set you free, so please be very clear.

… Host ‘free’ events. ‘What? But they’re a great idea, aren’t they?’ Not so much. Unless you cover the cost of travel and teaching cover. Free events are not free for schools. Yes, you may have a wonderful set-up in Middleton Stanley with all mod cons, whiteboards and plenty of seats, but it costs schools £100s to hire a coach/minibus, find a driver and hire a cover teacher for the day. This can often be a financial millstone around many schools’ necks.

Free needs to be FREE, so cover all costs if you wish pupils to attend such events. … Live in the shadows when you find the light. Sins are easy to commit, even with the best intentions, but the final sin is one of omission. When you do get it right, sing it from the rooftops. Don’t hide your light under a bushel.

Right. Now that I’ve committed all the sins (to paper), it’s time to go confess.

Now where IS that hot priest?

Caz Keep

www.edtechuk.org www.edtechuk.org

Enhance Hybrid Learning With Zoom Rooms Zoom Rooms makes it easy for educators to connect so they can focus on teaching and student engagement.

Start class with the touch of a button.

Share content wirelessly with one click.

explore.zoom.us/zoomrooms www.edtechuk.org

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How to save your school money & invest back in the future of our children at:

www.ngfl.net 020 8408 4455 enquiries@lgfl.net

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www.edtechuk.org