How the Edtech 50 Schools Tour has been Showcasing the Best in Educational Technology
It might not be hi-tech or glamorous, but it has been surprisingly effective to have two men in a camper van touring the UK, seeking out and spotlighting educational technology in our schools…
- by Sal McKeown
Edtech 50 Schools, supported by Intel, has been on a mission to identify the technology that can make the greatest difference to pupils, staff and parents.
Ty Goddard, Director of the Education Foundation, and Mark Anderson, better known to many by his Twitter handle @ICTEvangelist, have been visiting schools in cities as far apart as Bristol, Portsmouth, Cardiff, East Kilbride, Belfast, Bolton, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Birmingham to meet school leaders, to host roundtable debates and to gather perspectives from students and teachers.
In part, the tour was in response to Education Secondary Damian Hinds’ call for the technology industry to spearhead a revolution in schools.
Back in August he said: ‘In some schools state-of-the-art technology is bringing education to life by helping children take virtual trips through the Amazon and control robots, while also slashing the time their teachers are spending on burdensome administrative tasks.’
Hinds is keen to ramp up educational technology in English schools and wants to focus on products and approaches that can support student learning, reduce teachers’ workload and save money.
EdTech 50 Schools hopes to shine a light on the schools that are already using EdTech well, and to provide ideas, information and inspiration to other schools.
At Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough, Goddard and Anderson saw pupils use an app to see how Middlesbrough had developed and changed since 1900.
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At Olive Tree Primary School in Bolton pupils explained how Showbie could be used for marking homework, tutorials could be developed on Explain Everything, while the app Swift Playgrounds gave pupils the chance to build their coding skills.
‘It’s not just about technology, it is about people supporting people,’ said Goddard. ‘At Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern in Cardiff, the technology was all-pervasive but was always used appropriately. The place was buzzing, there was a sense that we were all in it together and the pupils were so articulate, talking about their work.’
In Belfast they spent time with Northern Irish educators who are using technology to collaborate, to make contact with their professional peers, to share and adapt resources.
Mark Anderson of ICT Evangelist said: ‘It’s a rich mixture out there and we are identifying different elements that we can celebrate which will help to move the debate forward.’
You can nominate your school, or be nominated by a third party, by clicking here.
Nominations close on Friday 18 January 2019. Following this, an independent judging panel will select the top 50 schools, which will be announced in April 2019. Successful schools will be featured in the Edtech 50 Schools publication and be invited to a House of Lords reception celebrating EdTech in schools.
