Al’s #EdTech Blog

There is a certain perspective that comes from being in the EdTech industry for over 30 years, and while I thought I had seen it all, nothing could have prepared me (or anyone else) for a global pandemic. Not only did the pandemic upend our lives, it looks like we will be managing and battling surges and outbreaks of COVID variants for a lifetime or more.

Safer Internet Day 2022: Empowering students to become responsible and respectful digital citizens. Al Kingsley, discusses how schools can help teach students respectful and responsible online behaviours and awareness on this year’s Safer Internet Day

Approaches to digital safeguarding
In 2021 the online safety of students became a major concern. Al Kingsley has some starting points for a planned approach to digital safeguarding.

With children finally back in the physical classroom after more than a year-and-a-half’s worth of disruption, and the appointment of a new Secretary of State for Education, many in the sector feel cautiously optimistic as we slowly inch back to “normality”.

….the most significant change is undoubtedly the increased use of blended learning – a change, I believe, that’s here to stay.
There is growing evidence of its benefits, particularly in terms of students’ engagement – and it offers much more flexibility for teachers and students alike

When choosing new EdTech for your school, we must ensure value for money and impact. Al Kingsley breaks down four key steps to achieving this

There is no doubt about it: selecting new software for a school is a daunting process.

EdTech can be a confusing, fluid, complicated marketplace.

It’s complicated not just because teaching and learning are science, art, empathy and alchemy smushed together or because many of the tools we’re building are quite complex.

It is no secret that children and young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have faced a plethora of challenges since the onset of Covid-19 in March 2020.

However, from school closures and social isolation to exam worries and university experiences, education technology (EdTech) and digital infrastructures more widely have played a key part in facilitating….

Despite the advancement of technology permeating nearly every aspect of our lives, more than 11 million people in the UK lack basic digital skills, with one out of every 11 people completely avoiding the internet altogether. Although a House of Lords report, Growing Up With The Internet, argued back in 2017 that digital literacy “should be the fourth pillar of a child’s education alongside reading, writing and mathematics”

With the radical changes that have occurred in education over the last year, teachers have had no choice but to get on board with technology. Some were already extremely comfortable teaching this way, but for those who previously only used it minimally in the classroom, facing their fears and tackling it head-on was the only option if education was to continue throughout the dark months of the pandemic.

Throwing money away is definitely at the bottom of every company’s to-do list. However, business IT is an area where this can happen on a potentially huge scale if a proper plan to test, analyze and seek out information is not in place.

This pandemic has shown us all the important role education technology can play but, even more importantly, how vital it is that these technologies are designed in consultation with educators.