The Future of Education Technology - Q3 2021

Q3 2021 | A promotional supplement distributed on behalf of Mediaplanet, which takes sole responsibility for its content

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The Future of Education Technology

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“Wellbeing is paramount, as is funding.” ~Nina Iles, Head of EdTech, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)

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“Addressing inequality is crucial.” ~Gavin Dykes, Education Advisor, Director, Education World Forum, Secretary General, iTEC and Co-founder and Fellow of Education Fast Forward

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IN THIS ISSUE

“Giving student collaboration a boost with edtech.” ~Laurence Boulter Chair, Naace

Edtech has supported teacher innovation during the pandemic

~Nadya French Board Member, Naace

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Edtech solutions are often designed to build confidence in pupils, flexibly helping them to take ownership of their learning.

“Esports is about more than just gaming.” ~Sarah Marshall Global Head of Content, The BETT Show

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“A manifesto for digital technology in schools.” ~Julia Adamson Director of Education, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

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he summer holidays are over and the kids are back at school, the majority of them no doubt thrilled to ditch the face masks and better yet, be able to huddle with their friends once more. Bubbles are gone too - we hope. It’s really not that long since teachers, students and their parents were at the mercy of pupil peer group bubbles, which once ‘popped’ by one positive COVID-19 test result meant everyone in said bubble needed to isolate.

While many of us were enjoying a life free-flowing presummer break, those working in schools remained very much at the mercy of the Delta variant, needing to be ready and able to reach and teach children remotely at very short notice. COVID has disrupted things over and over. Teachers, often using education technology (edtech), adapted, innovated and carried on teaching.

Learning needs to be fun right now, especially for those children most worried about the impact of so many months away from school.

Furthermore, edtech is often designed to build confidence in pupils, flexibly helping them to take ownership of their learning at a pace that suits them, showing them their strengths, while directing them to focus on certain skill sets that may need building up or revisiting.

Making learning fun Online quizzes, writing, math and science platforms, VR and AR apps can make learning fun, whether you are on your own or in class and working as a group with a teacher. Learning needs to be fun right now, especially for those children most worried about the impact of so many months away from school. It’s their right to feel hopeful, empowered and ready to build on all they have learned outside of the classroom during this most remarkable of times. Teachers will, of course, continue to inspire, but they too need support. Wellbeing is paramount, as is funding.

Schools with robust digital strategies prior to the national lockdowns, like those in the Department for Education’s Demonstrator Schools Programme, were perhaps more agile in the initial switch to remote learning. It’s imperative that all schools continue to receive sufficient funding to create and sustain such strategies designed to support both pupils and staff on their learning paths.

Utilising online resources Earlier this year, I wondered if teachers who had not been comfortable using online resources or educational apps before the pandemic, to support their teaching or save themselves time, would continue to use edtech once ‘normal’ times returned. Now, I think many of them will, where it fits; now that they’ve had time to explore solutions and adapt them to suit their own pedagogical styles.

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WRITTEN BY

Nina Iles Head of EdTech, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)

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Finding the best available options to diversify teaching Over the last 18 months, the pandemic has forced most students to stay away from the classroom. But the hybrid classroom is here to help.

A INTERVIEW WITH Chris Rothwell Director of Education Microsoft WRITTEN BY Virginia Blackburn

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great deal has been written over the last 18 months about the problems the pandemic has caused schooling, but very little attention has been paid to the opportunities that have occurred in its wake. One of these is the rise of hybrid learning: like many things, this was a trend that was in the pipeline anyway but has been accelerated by the crisis and is heralding a real change in the world of education. *A recent education press release

by Lenovo revealed that six in 10 (59%) UK teachers feel the way that education is delivered has changed for the better due to the pandemic.

“Hybrid classrooms are essentially ones in which you are picking the best of all the available options in order to teach,” says Chris Rothwell, Director of Education at Microsoft. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to teaching so people can use the best of what teaching has to offer with the right mixture of different formats.”

Benefits to students This in turn can be of great benefit to the students. “Pupils often react well to interactive learning as they are going about things in a different way,” he says. “In fact, one of the advantages of digital learning is that you can interact.

For example, when using digital board, teachers can turn on the immersive reader, make the text bigger, highlight it, break it down into syllables and so on. This can be transformational, especially for children with dyslexia.”

Four in 10 (39%) parents and a

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third (31%) of teachers in the UK believe remote learning has improved children’s independent learning skills.

Independent learning was one of the main skills that parents (39%) and teachers (31%) cited as a benefit of remote learning, one that will set them up for further education and the future world of work.

Encouraging work life balance But the benefits are not just there for the pupils: it is improving the quality of teachers’ lives, too. “Anything that makes life simpler and easier for teachers is a benefit,” says Rothwell.

“Teachers now use Teams; they can tell stories and demonstrate complex concepts. It also makes life much easier in many other ways. I know a teacher whose son is passionate about football and so she spends many hours waiting for him while he plays.

But while she’s doing so, she can also mark her class’s homework on her phone. It makes for a much better work/life balance, which can only be good for everyone.”

The changes are here to stay. Even when school life returns to some sort of normal, the use of conference solutions to help teachers in the classroom has opened up more opportunities. Just as there may now always been some aspect of working from home in the office, learning from home is almost certain to feature in classrooms too. The hybrid classroom is the new classroom, with all the virtual tools to match.

Case Study WRITTEN BY Kevin Watson Principal, BSix Sixth Form College

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, education facilities were forced to work remotely. BSix recognised that it needed to completely revamp how its services were delivered as it was not designed to suit remote learning.

BSix had around 1,000 desktop computers, 40 mobile devices available on site and a VPN for a limited number of staff to enable remote working.

As a result, a large scale up operation was required.

To enable remote working, BSix engaged with Microsoft, Lenovo and Hex1010 to help design an integrated cloud-based infrastructure that would support learning, teaching and seamlessly integrate telephone communications.

The first part was straightforward, exploring cloud based options – BSix was already using Microsoft Azure solutions so moved the existing computers to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) to provide virtualised Windows environments for students and staff.

However post pandemic challenges remain in encouraging continued investment in this infrastructure against tight budgets as well as maintaining continuous IT support.

To address those challenges BSIx has a fixed CAPEX budget. It also opted for robust Lenovo laptops for all staff to replace equipment in classrooms. They chose the Lenovo DaaS solution which includes system integration and implementation. These changes will deliver a better teaching experience for all staff and students over the next five years.

*Stats are from a survey which was commissioned by Lenovo and carried out by Censuswide. It was distributed in the UK and completed through an online platform in May 2021. The survey is made up of 500 teachers and 2001 parents with children aged four to sixteen years old.

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Esports is about more than just gaming When mainstream sports stars such as David Beckham and Michael Jordan invest in esports it’s time to pay attention to an industry that is growing exponentially.

M WRITTEN BY Sarah Marshall Global Head of Content, Bett Show

ost of us know someone who watches people playing competitive video games on YouTube or Twitch, but few of us understand the point of esports. The top 10 gamers on YouTube have a combined subscriber base of over 400 million. So, what are we missing?

The British Esports Association defines esports as organised video gaming. It’s different from standard video gaming as it is human-vs-human and usually has an engaging spectator element to it, like traditional sports.

During the pandemic the phenomenon has come into its own, providing online playgrounds for young people isolated from their peers, allowing them to communicate, make friends and have fun.

New industry, new careers With big investors piling in and huge growth predictions, esports is a serious business. The British Esports Assocation estimate that the video games industry was worth about $60.6 billion in 2020, with the global games audience estimated at 2.7 billion.

The gaming and esports job platform Hitmarker posted over 6,600 esports jobs in 2020. Now, they are posting around 110 new esports job opportunities a week including roles for commentators, event managers, journalists, content creators, photographers, coaches, sales and marketing executives. The education community is also getting involved – the British Esports Association partnered with Pearson to create the world’s first qualification for a career in esports and many universities are now offering courses in esports.

Microsoft’s Minecraft Education Edition uses gaming to teach subjects from maths to geography and coding. But esports goes way beyond traditional teaching, it’s also a way to build transferable skills that are sought-after in the workplace. Research shows that competing in an esports league can help promote character development, increase cognitive skills, boost social and communication skills, provide cyber and digital education, improve concentration and increase student attendance levels.

bettshow.com is the platform for the global education technology community. Bett UK will take place in London 19-21 January 2022 with an esports zone hosted in association with the British Esports Association.

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Giving student collaboration a boost with edtech Education technologies are offering the potential to springboard student collaboration like never before.

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he use of technology to foster collaborative working is a relatively new development in pedagogy and one that is yet to be fully explored. However, the shift to remote learning brought about by the pandemic, coupled with a need to boost student engagement, has resulted in notable strides in exploring online collaboration.

The traditional teaching model of an educator standing at the front of a class talking to students is quickly changing as more educators tap into the power of online collaborative learning. Access to new education technologies and software has enabled educators to broaden the way subjects are taught to students.

Utilising prior knowledge In the most part, students are incredibly technology literate. From MineCraft, to YouTube and TikTok, young people successfully collaborate and learn from each other every day using technology. These skills are usually self-taught or acquired through shared learning via peers. By harnessing this sharing of knowledge and replicating it through edtech in the classroom, collaborative learning can make a big impact on student outcomes.

For students with low digital confidence and literacy, it is worth investing time to build their skills so that all students feel empowered to successfully collaborate with their peers. This was difficult to achieve

WRITTEN BY Laurence Boulter Chair, Naace

remotely at the height of the pandemic but the return to the classroom will continue to provide opportunities to develop students skills and improve learning.

Identifying opportunities Students who would usually ‘tune out’ in lessons that fail to capture their interest can have their curiosity sparked by the use of technology to engage them in the subject matter at hand. It’s also worth capitalising on the natural curiosity of students who like to see and react to contributions from others. Such insights can be revealing and encourage constructive conversations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge.

Despite some students being reluctant, all should be encouraged to share their ideas through discussion.

Interactions like these provide learning opportunities for other students and help teachers identify and correct misconceptions.

The future of collaboration A large amount of collaborative work that takes place in the classroom is currently between students who know each other. As technologies and subsequent teaching methods develop, we are likely to witness bridging of knowledge across classes and schools nationally and overseas.

Online collaboration has the power to simulate what real collaboration looks like out of school settings and reshape education.

WRITTEN BY Nadya French Board Member, Naace

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Play is engaging, hands-on and fun, students feel empowered to learn and explore without worrying about giving a wrong answer.

Why we need to rethink the way children learn — and adopt ‘purposeful play’ Learning through play is an engaging way for children to explore and develop essential STEAM skills. So, is it time for educators to rethink the classroom teaching experience?

T INTERVIEW WITH Dr Gopal Kutwaroo Vice President, Global Partner Marketing, LEGO Education International

WRITTEN BY Tony Greenway

For more information about the LEGO® Learning System visit:

here’s no doubt that the future of work belongs to STEAM, says Dr Gopal Kutwaroo.

So, we’d better be prepared for it.

“STEAM subjects — science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths — will become increasingly important in the coming years as the pace of innovation grows,” he notes. “So many different jobs are going to be created in this environment, as well as people having the ambition to branch out and create their own businesses.

“But whatever your profession, chances are you’ll be using advanced technology in some capacity. So, if children are to be prepared for this future — and thrive in it — it’s hugely important for them to develop a really good understanding of STEAM skills.”

But how do educators best equip them with that understanding? Kutwaroo — Vice President, Global Partner Marketing, LEGO Education International, part of the LEGO Group — believes the answer is for children to experience “learning through play”, which can help develop their cognitive, emotional, physical, social and creative skills. Because play is engaging, hands-on and fun, students feel empowered to learn and explore without worrying about giving a wrong answer.

Structured and supported play that yields real results ‘Play’ is strongly associated with pre-school and early years. Yet it can be hugely effective for older children, too — so is it time to reassess STEAM teaching methods? After all, a recent report from Lucas Educational Research revealed that children in project-based learning classrooms across the US significantly outperformed students in typical classrooms.

“Play brings a sense of achievement, creativity, constructive thinking and, crucially, the opportunity to experience joy,” says Kutwaroo. “And with joy comes retention. So, we need to rethink learning to make classroom experiences more engaging and drive motivation, memory and meaningfulness. If we do that, we can achieve really powerful learning

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outcomes.” As an example of this method, Kutwaroo points to the newly announced LEGO Learning System, a scalable system based on LEGO bricks that promotes STEAM learning through play.

Traditional views from some parents, teachers and politicians need to be challenged. “I don’t think the term ‘play’ is widely understood from an educational perspective.” Purposeful play does serve as a valuable educational tool. Indeed, the type of play Kutwaroo is talking about is “purposeful”, because its supervised and teacher-supported and structured with curriculums, unit plans and lesson plans.

Purposeful play fosters a love of life-long learning Learning has traditionally been too siloed; it doesn’t end when we leave school. The need for lifelong learning has been evident for years based on the rapid pace of development, an increasingly dynamic society and the impact of technology on our work and life.

In the years ahead, people will need to lean heavily on ‘21st century skills’ such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication as well as literacy in information, media and technology. “As a result, we won’t stop learning,” says Kutwaroo. “Purposeful play has a key role here because it fosters a love of life-long learning and encourages students to continually explore and experiment.” It also gives everyone the chance to learn. “This is an equitable, multi-disciplinary experience that can engage all children, regardless of their learning abilities or socio-economic background,” says Kutwaroo.

Learning through play can help teachers rethink the classroom experience to make their lessons more engaging, stresses Kutwaroo. Ultimately, that’s why we’ll see more of it. “I think there will be a huge growth in learning through play,” he says. “The more people see it in practice, the more they’ll recognise the benefit and the outcomes of it.”

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LEGO® Education published a paper on Rethinking Learning. To access visit:

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Can edtech help us mind the learning gap?

We’re standing on the edtech development path. It feels a bit like a yellow brick road; many junctions ahead, many decisions to take.

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ith no set roadmap for edtech development, there are some fundamental principles that should guide us as we move beyond the pandemic.

WRITTEN BY Gavin Dykes Education Advisor, Director, Education World Forum, Secretary General, iTEC and Cofounder and Fellow of Education Fast Forward

An enabler or a leveller?

‘Innovate don’t digitise’ is one good call. Surely better, albeit riskier, than reinforcing education as it is. Too often we follow a set model of education, yet is it right for the future? An agile edtech sector can help us flex to meet emerging challenges, particularly when combined with responsive policies and practice.

Equal access Addressing inequality is crucial; only some enjoy ready access to technology and family and friends to provide wrap around pedagogical support.

Inadequacies in access to tech, infrastructure and support lie at the heart of the digital divide in the UK and overseas, fixing this must be a priority for policymakers.

Data ownership and learning Everyone knows that technology use leaves traces of choices made. An important question to ask is who owns that data? It would be good if such data insights were shared and sharing was written into contracts. Data insights give us all the opportunity

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to continuously innovate and that’s an opportunity we shouldn’t miss right now.

Learning trajectory COVID has disrupted our presumptions of learning trajectory. A loss of learning early in life has an impact on that trajectory that can last a lifetime. Can edtech accelerate learning and help step-change our children’s learning trajectories to recover lost ground?

Recovery is best when built on well-being and a strategic examination of what children really need to know to become independent thinkers and learners.

Making sure that is our curriculum’s priority is key.

Sharing knowledge The past 18 months have amplified what we know of isolation and the influence of learner context.

Much more can be gained from cooperation and collaboration; between educators, schools, governments and edtech developers. Whatever we aim for, in learning, context is key.

The world around us is changing rapidly and we must keep pace with these changes. The future depends on the decisions key players are making in edtech. The very least we should hope for is to learn from each other and have equity, trust and learning in our hearts.

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Education at heart of sustainable future

of sustainability, health, happiness and equity. Imagine if these metrics were used instead of income, wealth acquisition and growth.

If education is to be repurposed to secure humanity’s future, then the beliefs and assumptions upon which society rests must be questioned. The focus of education must be to pursue what we collectively need, rather than seeking to increase global GDP.

The future of humanity depends on how well we can move towards more sustainable, equitable and healthy ways of living. A reworked education system to serve this purpose can drive the changes we need.

W Paid for by LearnJam

e hear people talk about fixing ‘broken systems’ of education. In reality, the systems are working well but in pursuit of the wrong things. They do not serve the needs of humanity and must be repurposed and shifted in order to do so. This urgently requires the design and implementation of a new vision for the future of education and practical steps that we can all take now.

Current state of education Education systems, as they are set up today, are inherently inequitable (e.g. in terms of gender, race, social background) and contribute to mental health problems, eco-anxiety and excessive strain on natural resources.

There is a need to act now We must shift systems of education and work to pursue the things we need for the future and we all have a part to play:

Instead of preparing learners for the problems that humanity faces, most education systems are set up to support the pursuit of economic growth and the accumulation of wealth and capital. This creates imbalance in those systems, whereby the key issues of sustainability, human health and equity are not being properly addressed.

The result of all of this is that the education system is producing stressed out learners who then become stressed out employees in the workplace.

Repurposing the future of education Imagine if systems of education, work and the economy were repurposed to pursue the globally beneficial goals

No going back on digital learning after pandemic success

D INTERVIEW WITH Les Hopper Director of Digital and Assessment, Pearson WRITTEN BY Steve Hemsley

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• We must all be prepared to question our biases and privileges, and we must not assume all people have, or want, the technology we have to offer.

• We each need to play a part in making education more inclusive so that all people are able to be themselves and fully participate in it.

• We need to allow space for the natural worries and anxiety that come with change and accept that these are legitimate responses.

• We need to create spaces where people can share, learn and collaborate.

• We need to create new, emergent curricula that cultivate the skills we all need for the future.

This is where we believe the future of edtech resides.

to also use online communities and events such as Pearson’s Digital Live to share experiences of how technology works best for them.

Teachers, as well as students, had to adapt quickly to online learning and assessment. Now, many agree – it’s here to stay. igital transformation in the education sector has accelerated faster than anyone could have imagined as schools adapted almost overnight to online learning.

Les Hopper, Director of Digital and Assessment within Pearson School Qualifications, estimates that despite challenges, three to five years’ progress with edtech was made in a single year as education was transformed by online learning.

“Teachers have rapidly engaged with the many tools out there and are using them creatively to find new ways to enhance learning,” he says.

“Now, with increased digital skills and boosted confidence, they are exploring how technology can further support them and their students in the future.”

In fact, 75% of school and college leaders and teachers feel more

INTERVIEW WITH Lucy Williams Head of Education, LearnJam

teaching and assessment should be supported through technological solutions – according to Pearson’s Future of Qualifications and Assessment research. Students agree – 90% of UK learners surveyed in Pearson’s Global Learner Survey 2020 believe online learning will be a permanent part of education.

Continuing collaboration So, what next? Crucial to advancement in schools will be the ongoing collaboration between educators, tech companies and publishers.

Such feedback and the learnings of recent months are fuelling innovation at Pearson – from free online learning support to the development of new digital services that connect and personalise teaching and learning wherever and whenever they happen.

Teachers are being encouraged

Looking to the future Edtech is increasingly being used to support personalised learning journeys and the future will see more use of automated insights and artificial intelligence (AI). These tools can spot learning patterns, revealing how a class is performing, supporting teachers with identifying which students might be struggling or need to be challenged further.

“Already, we’re hearing how data and insights are shaping more effective and adaptive learning experiences – particularly for students whose learning has been significantly affected by the pandemic,” says Hopper.

He added that edtech’s future success will rely on digital tools meeting the needs of the education community and ensuring digital solutions complement face-to-face teaching and training.

“It’s time to build on the current momentum for tech-enabled learning,” says Hopper. “We can all play a significant role role in helping close the digital divide and improve accessibility – advocating for internet connectivity, as well as suitable devices to families and working with schools in underprivileged areas. With this, technology could become one of education’s great levellers.”

INTERVIEW WITH Jo Sayers Head of Product & Technology, LearnJam

WRITTEN BY Sean Duke

Find out more at learnjam.com

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Gaining life skills through esports qualifications Esports is more than just gaming, it gives learners skills which can be used throughout their careers.

INTERVIEW WITH Tom Dore Teacher and Head of Education, British Esports Association WRITTEN BY Virginia Blackburn

Paid for by Pearson

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Esports have an important role to play elsewhere. “We run projects in Alternative Provision schools that support young people with a range of additional needs, for example, students on the autism spectrum or with complex learning or physical difficulties.”

Teaching transferrable skills Esports is a useful way of teaching transferable skills in the way that traditional sports do, skills that can be used in the workplace. “These include teamwork, communication, leadership, decision making, and problem solving,” says Tom. “It is also good for students who don’t represent their school externally in any other way. My school team of six plays Overwatch and four of them don’t do traditional sports. Senior leaders and stakeholders are beginning to understand that virtual friendships are as important as those in real life.”

Enhancing career prospects Laura Hall is Sector Manager for Esports, Business, Enterprise and Law at Pearson, the first awarding organisation in the UK to award qualifications in esports.

“Working with teachers and the BEA, Pearson developed a suite of career-focused qualifications,” she explains.

“We have worked closely in the design and development of the qualifications to ensure they meet the needs of the industry. There are four sizes of Level 3 esports qualification, from the equivalent of a single A Level to three. There are also three at Level 2, which are the equivalent of one to three GCSEs.” An esports qualification can offer an entry into many sectors, including events management, the Services (like the RAF), and the gaming industry.

Laura concludes, “Universities such as Chichester, Nottingham Trent and Staffordshire now offer degrees in esports. There is a need for the skills involved in esports and one of the key things is to engage learners. It is a careerfocused qualification.”

here are a lot of misconceptions surrounding esports, which is the term used to describe multiplayer competitive video gaming. The truth is, when it comes to education, it presents an effective approach for developing transferable skills and keeping learners engaged.

“What a lot of people don’t understand is that esports involves teams playing against teams, that is, humans versus humans,” says Tom Dore, Teacher and Head of Education at British Esports Association. “There are also spectator elements to it: stadiums are filled out and there are shoutcasters and analysts who commentate on the games.

Professional teams now have nutritionists and psychologists in the way traditional sports teams do.”

INTERVIEW WITH Laura Hall Sector Manager for Esports, Business, Enterprise and Law, Pearson

Find out more at btec.co.uk/esports

Understanding the value of unlimited learning Unlimited learning ecosystems - what are they and why do both schools and companies need them?

I WRITTEN BY Rodrigo Rodríguez CEO, ODILO

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t is ironic that in the new world of hybrid education and virtual classrooms, learning remains, in many cases, limited. Despite an increasing amount of digital solutions, organisations frequently replicate the same traditional models of education or training without breaking barriers in terms of dedication, individualisation and structure. For both students at any stage of their education and professionals looking to upskill, learning is limited to a certain time, place, content or format.

of millions of the highest quality digital content pieces in all formats and languages. From this suite of content, interactive and personalised learning paths are built, providing impactful learning experiences for organisations and learners across the globe.

Value of unlimited learning Here, education technology is at its best: the intelligent platform, powered by AI, learns through user behaviour and constantly adapts the experience to each user. Why might Helping people achieve full potential schools and companies want to offer this to Today, an overwhelming movement is their students and employees? It is simple Each person is unique and taking over the learning sector. Schools, if you think about it. Each person is unique has different learning goals, universities and companies are choosing and has different learning goals, needs needs and interests. to evolve into unlimited learning and interests. Their learning experience organisations. Little by little, they commit should never come to an end due to limits to helping their students and employees reach their full regarding content, skill, career path, time or place. This is potential, aware of the benefits that it entails for both also how you stimulate learning through all stages of life. parties and thus true progress in learning and development We have helped many cutting-edge organisations can be achieved. worldwide join the unlimited learning movement, each of To help organisations transition into a new era of learning, them through their own platform, completely customised ODILO founded Unlimited Learning Ecosystems: personalised to their needs and goals. This means that more and more platforms with almost unlimited content in a range kinds of students and employees all over the world can now decide formats that amplify and enhance existing solutions. what, when and how to learn, with all the knowledge right An Unlimited Learning Ecosystem offers a catalogue at their fingertips.

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