Al’s
#EdTech Blog
Sharing insights and articles on
#EdTech, #DigCit and #Education
Blog posts
Don’t forget social, emotional health for district IT staff
There’s a bond created when a team of people go through a hard time together and what we’ve learned during this pandemic is that the social and emotional needs of a district needs to include their staff as well as students.
Why skills should overtake knowledge
The world is changing fast, and so must we, if we are to live in it; successfully, productively and sustainably…
Digital divide
If the gulf in educational opportunity wasn’t wide enough, ‘digital poverty’ will only get worse unless more children get access to the internet, says Al Kingsley.
EdTech confidence leads to bigger things
With technology becoming increasingly present in classrooms, it’s an exciting time for education. Teachers everywhere recognise its possibilities for innovation, communication and learning, but it is still the case that some feel daunted…
Is Knowledge Obsolete?
I have long thought about the interplay between knowledge and skills. I can’t help thinking that, with all the technology around us, aren’t we now living in a world where we’ve moved past this?
Can Technology Drive Parental Engagement?
Teachers know that the more parents and carers participate in their children’s learning from an early stage, the more effective that learning will be. What’s more, a parent’s engagement with their first child’s learning also brings benefits for siblings.
How to Meet the Social-Emotional Needs of Students & Staff
As the pandemic swept through the country, school leaders understood two things: they needed to make sure students had the technology needed to learn remotely and, because of all the upheaval Covid-19 caused, they needed to pay attention to the social emotional needs of their students.
EdTech confidence comes with practice
With technology becoming increasingly present in classrooms, it’s an exciting time for education. Teachers across the board recognize its possibilities for innovation, communication, and learning, but it is still the case that some feel daunted by its complexity and anxious about using it with their students.
The University will put us ahead of the curve
On the morning Peterborough Matters speaks to Al Kingsley an announcement is made that Peterborough is to become a new Education Investment Area, which he broadly welcomes, albeit cautiously.
EdTech: Why schools have to become savvy shoppers
A MAT chair of trustees and edtech CEO outlines why, despite reforms aimed at helping schools with their buying decisions, there will always be a need to know how any tool fits into a wider strategy
Governors and Trustees: Overcoming the barriers to recruitment
Governor recruitment seems to be getting tougher and tougher. Al Kingsley considers why governance is a great role, the barriers that exist to recruitment, and how we might start to overcome them
Lifting the lid on school governance
Skills shortages are a concern in many industries across the UK right now. Healthcare, construction, farming, technology-based sectors and more are all struggling to recruit skilled people to fill vacant roles. It’s not going to be solved any time soon. According to the Learning and Work Institute’s prediction, there will be a shortfall of 2.5 million highly skilled workers by 2030.
How the UK can level up by bridging the digital divide
It is vital that our education system is working to bridge the digital divide for future generations. As the pandemic subsides, the rate of digital innovation shows no sign of slowing and continues to exacerbate the digital skill gap.
My School Governance Handbook
With nearly two decades of school governance experience across Infant, Primary, Secondary, All-Through and Alternative Provision schools and academies, distilled into an easy-to-read format, “My School Governance Handbook” aims to make the complex world of school governance simple and accessible to all.
Ensuring every student receives the “right support” in the “right place” at the “right time”
Al Kingsley explores the ways schools can best use digital technology to support and innovate education delivery for those with mental health, learning or physical needs.
Do Your Students Have the Confidence to Keep Themselves Safe Online?
What is self-confidence and why do we need it? Some people have it in abundance; others would love to have more.
‘Soaring rates of mental ill health are prompting schools to refresh their wellbeing strategies’
As the UK’s youth mental health crisis reaches breaking point, with approximately 1.5 million under-18s needing new or additional help with their mental wellbeing as a direct result of Covid-19, schools are facing a fresh wave of students needing extra support.
4 Tips to Ensure Your School Selects the Right Tools for Blended Learning
Learning methods change constantly; this much we know. As technology forms the foundation of schools’ efforts to prepare students for the future, it makes sense to incorporate it into teaching and learning as much as possible right now…
It’s time for a different mindset on digital security and privacy in EdTech
Our children’s immersion in education technology isn’t going to slow down, which means technology-related privacy and security can’t either. We’re never going to reach a point where we put our pencils down and say, “We’re all safe and secure now, so we don’t need to worry anymore.”
Three Tips For Managing Technology In The Hybrid Workspace
The future of work has arrived. the enforced shift to remote working in 2020 largely proved a surprise for business leaders, many of whom found that, contrary to their expectations, productivity did not plummet.
What Is Digital Poverty and Why EdTech Is Responsible for Driving Change?
The shift to remote and hybrid learning catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many challenges and inequities in our current education system. One such challenge that has recently been at the forefront of my mind is digital poverty, the inability to interact fully with the online world — when, where and how an individual needs.
Ignore NAEP. Better Yet, Abolish It
Why we can’t turn our back on EdTech
Despite its overwhelmingly devastating impact for many across the world, many moments of connection, progress and collaboration were discovered amongst Covid-related disruption.
How can edtech ignite learning engagement?
How is technology helping to keep students engaged in their education and what safety issues must schools consider? Al Kingsley explains