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BYOD programs for smarter schools
JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions support is only a phone call away with its dedicated BYOD customer service team.
STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS ARE INCREASINGLY RELIANT ON TECHNOLOGY TO STAY CONNECTED AND LEARNING, ESPECIALLY WHEN TODAY’S CLASSROOM IS OFTEN OFF CAMPUS.
EJB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ Bring Your Own Device program has been designed to take the stress out of finding suitable and affordable learning tools for every student’s needs, for both the schools and parents.
A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program enables schools to plan and deliver education to students using consistent, educationspecific devices, tailored to their school’s learning environment. JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ BYOD program takes the stress out of choosing the right technology, giving students and families easy access to the right devices, at affordable pricing, to support students’ education.
JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ National Education Manager, Graham Blackstock, tells Education Matters that its BYOD Online is a portal where devices and accessories that have been approved by schools can be bought. He says this allows students to be ready and able to connect, collaborate and learn from day one.
“With JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions, you can confidently make your selection knowing that you’re choosing from a shortlist of devices and accessories pre-selected by your school to support the best learning outcomes for your child,” he says.
“Our BYOD program also ensures you’re getting the best quality and prices available with
hand-picked products from our best partners at special discounted pricing.”
Blackstock says JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions support is only a phone call away with its dedicated BYOD customer service team available six days a week.
He says if you are struggling to login to BYOD Online or have any questions or problems along the way, the BYOD customer service team is there to help.
“Each time you contact us, we keep a record so if you need to contact us again at any time we’ll have the details at hand.”
Blackstock says the company knows too well the robust nature of students and what their devices are put through on a day-to-day basis.
By purchasing a device through JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions compared to retail product, he says the products are more suited to the education environment, have better warranty and the downtime for repairs is quick.
Blackstock says JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions has delivered technology solutions to the education sector for the past 16 years.
“We have delivered thousands of BYOD programs to Australian schools providing a comprehensive and innovative range of education-specific products at education-specific pricing,” he says.
“We have the largest range of educationspecific devices and services, a dedicated team of experts, an education portal for easy procurement and support, and a national network that provides timely fulfilment.”
One of the biggest challenges teachers face in the classroom with BYOD programs is not all devices being the same, leading to disruptions to students’ learning experience.
JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions partners with schools to address challenges and aspirations for introducing 21st century learning.
“Creating a modern learning environment is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about enabling classrooms with the right mix of solutions that help teachers reach and engage students. With professional advice, education-specific products and strategically tailored solutions, schools, universities and institutions can achieve outstanding outcomes from their ICT programs” Blackstock says.
The JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ portal provides families access to a wide range of education specific laptops, tablets, accessories and insurance. Each product has been selected and approved to work within schools’ ICT infrastructure, which Blackstock says, is the company’s way to help families get the best deal on technology for learning.
The portal is designed with busy parents in mind. Through its portal, a user can browse a selection of education-grade devices, suitable for the child’s learning needs. JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ goal is to ensure students are never without a working computer to facilitate their learning experience.
“JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions utilises new and innovative technologies to reflect the curriculum and pedagogical objectives in a way that engages and inspires the education community,” he says. “It is our objective to provide schools with a superior service level that extends beyond simply supplying the device.” EM
JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ BYOD program takes the stress out of choosing the right technology. The JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions’ portal provides families access to a wide range of education specific products.
Music curriculum solutions encouraging students’ creativity, boosting engagement
The MusicEDU promise: more fun, less work.
EHowever, MusicEDU is committed to maximising engagement through the MusicEDU Suite, which allows every student to enjoy music in the classroom. Founder and CEO Kate Hargreaves tells Education Matters that her mission is to understand each school’s strategic direction and goals and help schools adapt their music curriculum to accommodate online learning. “We pioneered blended learning since 2012 and now everyone has made peace with online learning - what we are now hearing from schools is that there is a lot of fatigue, and elective numbers have suffered, or the subject is not running because of the impact of COVID-19,” she says. “Since March, the new schools who have subscribed have turned around their online engagement with students during lockdown - many are reporting back that music has become students’ favourite subject because of the activities we have put in place.” The research MusicEDU has explored shows teenagers benefit from having
WITH THE CURRENT CLIMATE OF AUSTRALIAN CLASSROOMS BEING PRIMARILY ONLINE DUE TO COVID-19, MAINTAINING ENGAGEMENT DURING REMOTE LEARNING POSES A CHALLENGE FOR MOST TEACHERS, PARTICULARLY IN SUBJECTS WHERE FACE-TO-FACE LEARNING IS USUALLY THE KEY DRIVER. music in their school lives, whether learning to play an instrument, composing a piece of music or working with others. Hargreaves says practising music encourages teamwork, confidence and empathy, and helps students discover the satisfaction gained by creating rather than merely consuming. MusicEDU includes the programs GameComposer, Trackformers, Studio Sessions, Keyboard Evolution, and Augmented Reality Classroom. Each program combines traditional music concepts with the learning of industry-leading topics. Within Augmented Reality Classroom, students experience and play orchestra instruments, learn song structure via whales and their songs, and encryption through music cryptology. “Of course, students are only half of the equation. Implementation of a new music program shouldn’t come at the expense of teachers, who already spend long hours planning curriculum, running classes and
extracurricular activities,” Hargreaves says.
“That’s why we developed The MusicEDU Suite. By utilising easy-to-use technology, we’ve created classroom music programs that take the pain out of planning and, at the same time, aligned all the Curriculum to National and State standards. Plus, we’re there every step of the way, supporting teachers and adjusting the program to suit each school’s requirements while remaining affordable and effective.”
Hargreaves says recent research (Gallop 2018) has found that students who can connect our world and their learning in the classroom increase their engagement. However, she says if students can’t make that connection, then student engagement drops significantly.
“We have found that our GameComposer program has been a big hit,” she says.
“We have had some schools getting students to draw out game characters alongside the task to write out a melody for each character. The feedback is that students love it, and engagement in this style of learning has been higher due to being able to make this connection - plus, there’s the added bonus that the entire task does not have to be completed online or on a computer.”
MusicEDU programs incorporate game composition, DJ’ing, remixing, recording and augmented reality (AR) to bring technology and real-world topics into the classroom, which leads to increased student engagement.
Hargreaves says one of the biggest things during lockdowns and remote learning is not all students having instruments at home.
Having the nuts and bolts of the curriculum ready to go and presented in a way that engages students, she says, is one of the company’s biggest drawcards. That’s the MusicEDU promise: more fun, less work.
“Some schools have taken it to the next level and dressed up as their favourite band and made students do the same,” she says.
“This brings a new lease of life to online learning and makes it fun, and the students are responding because the teachers are involved. Teachers can see why The MusicEDU Suite is so appealing to their students. With the sophistication of movies, games and videos available to students on their smartphones, if their classroom curriculum resources don’t match the same standard, student engagement drops.”
By working with teachers to design a custom program alongside what the music department wants to do with their students, MusicEDU understands that every school has its differences and does not measure success in the same way.
Hargreaves says MusicEDU aims to reduce the administrative workload of teachers and assists with classroom planning; the programs are mapped to the Australian Curriculum, have self-marking formative assessments and are accessible on every device.
“Integrating the MusicEDU Suite at your school will help drive academic excellence, boost student engagement and revamp classroom music to reflect
MusicEDU includes the programs GameComposer, Trackformers, Studio Sessions, Keyboard Evolution, and Augmented Reality Classroom. Scan the QR code to experience the leitmotif created by a student.
Buyer’s Guide
MusicEDU Ph: 9541 84440 Email: kate@musicedu.com.au Web: musicedu.com.au
