In the past 18 months there has been a steep increase in the number of schools adopting new technology, in a bid to try to keep a level of normality in the way that education is being delivered.

During these uncertain times and school closures, teachers had to quickly adapt to live streaming lessons, as well as completing assessments online. It’s therefore unsurprising that a report featured in TES News found that the 2020 lockdowns had led to a 71.5% growth in the UK education technology sector.

According to the Department for Education (DfE) survey 2020-21, over four fifths of headteachers (88%) and teachers (84%) believe that the technology can contribute to improved pupil attainment, and almost three quarters of headteachers (74%) and 65% of teachers indicated that technology has, or would in the future, contribute to reduced workload.

So, how can EdTech enhance your school?

1. Staff training

Online CPD hit a new level of popularity during school closures in 2020, with usual conferences and teacher meets out on hold. As a result, leaders had to find new ways to allow staff to carry on developing both their skills and their knowledge.

Now more than ever, teachers find it difficult to make the time for themselves to learn new skills. Using bite-size, on-demand digital training offers more choice to the teachers as well as greater accessibility (no need to travel and it can be carried out in their spare time rather than a fixed point in time). It also offers extra time for staff to reflect on what they have learned, allowing for more in-depth absorption of the information they have received.

Maybe even more importantly, with all this change that has come about, it’s vital that staff don’t lose the impressive momentum after lockdown! Furthering your current knowledge is going to energise lessons, increase student engagement and offer more educational benefits through the use of your technology.

2. Improve the pupil experience during blended learning

By its nature, EdTech is perfectly designed to help both teachers and pupils when it comes to blended learning

Although schools have returned for the autumn term in what seems to be a much more stable environment, there are continued concerns around Covid-19 outbreaks and how schools can continue to provide pupils with an engaging learning experience from home, should they need to isolate. This is evident in the DfE survey, which found that headteachers at 50% of secondary schools and 39% of primary schools plan to invest in EdTech to support blended learning in the future.

A great example of how EdTech can support blended learning is the effective use of a visualiser. When delivering lessons remotely, a visualiser provides teachers with the ability to live share with their class, wherever they are. Whether it’s teaching handwriting techniques, or showing brush strokes in an online art lesson, the visualiser is an excellent way to engage pupils and create a more interesting online lesson. We thought we’d get you started on how to use your visualiser for blended learning.

3. Safeguard your pupils and school environment

Creating a secure, manageable sign-in system for school has never been more important. Now that most pupils have returned to in-school learning and visitors begin to come back onsite, accounting for any visitors is paramount, not only for safeguarding.

By implementing EdTech in your school, you can streamline this process. Sign-in solutions such as InVentry are the perfect way to help your school remain compliant and secure. Whether you’re a small primary school or a large multi-academy trust (MAT), implementing a piece of EdTech such as InVentry takes away what may have become a painstaking process of checking in visitors, whilst also providing security within the school by limiting door access to certain staff members for example.

4. Promote pedagogy and improve learning outcomes

Software is a large part of EdTech. Without up-to-date software to support your brilliant piece of kit, the improved learning experience for pupils is somewhat limited. Educational software, such as SMART notebook are specifically designed with the principles of pedagogy in mind to ensure that EdTech is directly contributing to an improved learning experience.

You can find out more about the different types of software and how they can revolutionise lesson planning.

5. Collaboration and feedback

The sudden switch to online learning which was brought about by the lockdowns of 2020 has led to greater reliance of online ways of working for teaching staff and pupils. The introduction of Microsoft and Google for Education has revolutionised how pupils can work together, whether it’s in the classroom or remotely.

EdTech can positively influence and promote collaboration within schools. By eradicating the need to ‘pass down the paper’, it’s never been easier for teachers to share content and for pupils to work together on assignments. Implementing EdTech can also provide better solutions to giving pupils feedback. For example, using Google for Education means that teachers can directly feedback onto work completed online, without having to wrestle to get into their car at the end of the day with a pile of their class workbooks.

We understand the barriers to training, that’s why we’ve got a range of solutions to suit your needs. For those short on time, our CPD certified Get Set Go training offers self-paced learning which is ideal for working around individual teacher needs or, if you’re looking for more in-depth one-to-one training, we’re here to support that too.

If you need any help in implementing fantastic, up to date EdTech into your school, Elementary Technology are here to help and support you on your EdTech journey. If you’d like to know more, please fill out our contact form or contact us now.

Date: 30th January 2021