Digital literacy: I’m sure you’ve been told this is important for students in the 21st Century. But did anyone mention it’s also important for teachers too? Believe me, it is! Digital literacy is about digital skills, skills which help you use tech, create with tech and be safe using tech. So obviously as students increase in their use of technology we have to support them in how to use it wisely, correctly and safely. The same applies to teachers.

What’s the #1 annual publication in education? We may be biased, but for us it’s the Innovate My School Guide 2017/18. The third edition of this inspirational periodical sees 40 top educators tackle 10 of the most exciting areas in the sector, ranging from The Hottest Edtech Trends, to Assessing Assessment, to a Countdown to 2018/19. The IMS Guide is free to read on our website, and will throughout the year be distributed in print at selected education events across the UK and around the world. 

The Edtech Podcast is soon to reach its 100th episode. The mission statement of the programme is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ through storytelling, so that better innovation can be achieved in education. So, what have we got coming up to help give you that confidence boost for the year ahead?

A year in edtech in one word? “Bett” - as in the Bett Show (24th - 27th January 2018). The largest edtech show in the world takes place in London every January. Over 900 exhibitors fill the vast hall of ExCeL London, with upwards of 35,000 people visiting from across the globe. From the cutting-edge of virtual reality, to innovative initiatives helping schools cut down on workload and help save money, it’s all there.

This school year, Ysgol Cae Top Primary in Gwynedd will this year be maximising the use of a resource that in July won them ‘Best Tech Adopter’ at the prestigious Wales Technology Awards. The tech in question? eeZeeTrip - made by Gwynedd neighbour Semantise Ltd!

To kick off the new school year, Manchester Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Education and Emile Education are hosting an evening to discuss how UK schools can best innovate Computing. Pro-vice chancellor Professor Richard Greene and Emile director Glen Jones are specifically keen for “as many teachers from Innovate My School’s community to attend as possible.” The evening of inspiration will take place on Thursday the 28th September, and tickets are available free-of-charge to teachers and school leaders.

This theme will see a month of articles showcasing just how savvy educators are using edtech, classroom tactics and innovative thinking to tackle the year ahead. Here at GCSEPod, we get to see the feats of amazing teachers and school leaders every day - let’s take a look at two of them!

There is no denying that digital technology is transforming the way we live our lives. From financial services, to hailing a taxi, to how we interact socially, tech seems to have infiltrated most aspects of our day to day lives. Why then, have we not seen the same level of transformation in education?

Reading is a dying hobby. With the dwindling number of young voracious readers and no new takers for book reading as an interest, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that the magic of reading has failed to charm the kids of today’s generation.

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a leading international initiative driving innovation and collaboration in education, took to the stage at EdTechX Europe in London on 20th June to reveal the five latest projects that will join the WISE Accelerator programme. Launched in 2014, this initiative serves to support and share the development of young, innovative edtech projects with high potential for scalability and positive impact in the field of education.