EDTECH

Primary school ICT can be a tricky subject for some teachers. For those who aren’t completely au fait with the technology themselves, it can be difficult to integrate new concepts and ideas into their lesson plans. Computers and tablets are always being upgraded to include new features and software, which can make staying up to date difficult.

We’re proud to announce a new addition to our Podcast page: The ED Files. Billed as a fortnightly podcast on educational news, views, reviews and resources, the programme is hosted by Leon Cych (“web designer, coder, teacher, artist, educationalist”) and Alex Weatherall (“teacher of Physics and Computing”).

This month we’ll be heading out to Dubai for a major innovation speed dating event - the first of its kind in the Middle East. The event will be taking place on 24th November and will see 16 of the world’s most innovative edtech providers - both leading and up-and-coming - meet with school leaders from international school group GEMS Education at The Kindergarten Starters in Al Garhoud.

Manchester’s Russell Scott Primary School will be holding a free-of-charge Speed Learning Apple RTC event on Thursday 1st December. Running from 4:30pm to 6pm, the event will begin with a keynote from the renowned deputy head and ‘ideas factory’ Julian Wood, and will feature 10 top table hosts who will share how they use Apple tech across the Primary curriculum. These sessions will repeat every ten minutes in the style of speed-dating. What’s more, edtech experts JTRS Training will be supplying festive snacks to be served throughout.

On Friday 9th December, Dudley’s Village Hotel Club will play host to one day event devised to help teachers hone their edtech knowledge and skills. The EdTech Impact Conference is being held by ‘household’ education names Mark Anderson, Nina Jackson and Lee Parkinson, and will run from 8:30am to 3:30pm, offering teachers (EYFS to Further Education) a whole school day’s worth of insight. Ticket prices range from £106.69 to £169.99.

Today, I visited Chicago, a beautiful city. I also climbed Zermatt in Switzerland, and later took part in a study on sharks swarming over a wreck in the ocean. My equipment was quite simple: a smartphone, two little lenses, some cardboard and an elastic. Pretty simple, but ingenious. A virtual reality experience through Google Cardboard.

Primary music gurus Rhythmajig are working with schools to enhance pupils’ understanding of musical concepts and vocabulary, while assisting teachers with behaviour management and engagement. The online learning platform is designed to be accessible to all, adaptable to the instruments available in school, and, importantly, enormous fun. It also offers a unique scheme of work with outcomes above and beyond National Curriculum 2014. Teachers are able to take out a 30-day free trial to see for themselves.

How do you rev up your lessons without even starting the minibus? We’ve been trying some of the latest educational innovations with the intention of exploring their use in the classroom to enhance or improve the learning experiences of children and young adults.

For centuries the textbook has been the Primary learning tool in classrooms, but it’s universally agreed that even the most traditional institutions now need to deliver content in a way that better serves social, connected, millennials.

TeachPitch, a website founded by a teacher for teachers to find the most relevant online learning content launched its solution TeachPitch for Schools earlier this month. The product is a digital resources management and discovery system, specifically designed for educational institutions.

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