Rather than creating an edtech solution and promoting it to all schools, who may not have an understanding of the technology and how it will benefit them specifically, it would make sense to turn the process on its head.
We believe that getting to know a school in detail first is important – looking at how they run, exploring the issues they face and finding out what they’re looking to change – then we will design bespoke solutions that address the needs of that particular school. There are two main reasons I believe this approach works so effectively:
1. Every school is so different
The fact is, the individual requirements of every school are completely different. They vary depending on the school’s specialisms, the number of students and teachers, its facilities, location, and so on. This alone explains why a one-size-fits-all solution often isn’t the right approach. Schools, understandably, want to invest in cost-effective solutions, and by offering them something that’s tailored to their unique needs, they can rest assured that it’s not been designed based on assumption or generalisation about their needs.
2. Budgets are tight
All too often we speak to schools that are lacking the expertise to make truly informed decisions when it comes to edtech, so they end up being forced into purchasing a whole package, or an all-singing, all-dancing solution, which realistically they’re only ever going to use one element of. Money is being wasted here. What we like to do at MINTclass is reassure schools that they’re investing money in something that is going to make a direct impact on their students and demonstrate a return to justify it.
It sounds simple really – every school has an in-depth understanding of what its staff need to create the best learning environment and outcomes, and every 21st Century tech developer has the technical knowledge to develop a solution to meet those needs. That’s why we’re encouraging teachers to get in touch with us to share their challenges, frustrations and ideas, so that we can work together to build an effective and personalised solution to meet their needs.
Schools that have their ideas created will also benefit from earning additional revenue if the solution is then offered to other schools that may also benefit from it.
I believe there is great value in schools and tech developers partnering, to share knowledge and expertise, and would love to see more of this as it would enable education providers to create bespoke and highly effective solutions that meet the exact requirements of schools… everyone’s a winner.
Visit www.mintclass.com/ideas or call 01483 685 690 for more information.