The last few months have represented a significant, and unprecedented, challenge for our schools. And not just in terms of online learning delivery, but also in terms of keeping parents in the loop, teachers in the know and keeping up with the latest briefings from the DofE.
In their spare time (ahem), school leadership teams have had to ensure their teaching community is suitably equipped to deliver learning not only in school, but also remotely and increasingly taking a blended learning approach, that could mean some time in school and some time at home for all students. No mean feat!
During this time most if not all schools have turned to the education technology they already had in place to deliver what was needed, so now the big question is whether the systems you had in place have proven to be effective enough or whether there may be better options on the market that are worth your consideration.
With the prospect of future disruption to learning still to come, now really is the ideal time to consider conducting an EdTech audit and review whether you have the best in class providers on board. Educational technology is on the rise, and with this resurgence comes a plethora of products to choose from.
Within any school environment, the systems you have in place should be there to make automation of the most mundane tasks quick and easy, so that teachers can focus their time and effort where it’s needed most. It’s also an opportunity to find the tools that can deliver on multiple tasks, not just one, inevitably saving schools both time and money in managing multiple platforms.
It’s these innovative solutions that should be catching your attention now, and will be well worth your time in the long term, not least in light of Ofsted’s announcement this week about their focus from September. In a move away from the norm, Ofsted have confirmed that their programme of visits for the upcoming term will look at the provision of ‘blended learning’, the mix of on-site and remote education that schools provide.
With this in mind, we’ve put together the top 10 questions you should ask yourself when reviewing the EdTech solutions you have in place to support blended learning. And essentially, whatever product you decide to choose will need to be able to clearly evidence the support it offers to a blended learning approach.
When the focus is on the effective use of educational technology, you really can experience great benefits and enhance traditional teaching and learning processes.
As you review what’s on offer, you should also consider that, in an increasingly connected world, the familiarity of the social learning environments that are increasingly popular are well suited to engage the learners of today in ways traditional learning delivery may struggle.
Undoubtedly making the commitment to review your choices now, will pay dividends in the short and long term for your entire school community, not least if Ofsted come knocking in the upcoming term and you need to evidence quickly and easily how you’re supporting a blended learning approach.
Carrying out your own edtech audit will give you the clarity you need to make the right choices and be confident you’re investing in the right EdTech solutions for your school.
This will help you assess whether you’re getting value for money from the tools you use and also whether they’re aligned with your own goals in your school improvement plan.
Unlike other EdTech providers, we replace the need for multiple apps, both saving your teachers time and schools money.
We’re a social learning platform, making use of the familiarity of a social media platform, coupled with the insight of AI, to deliver unrivalled choices for schools, all in one easy-to-use app.
With imminent development facilitating whole class discussions that work seamlessly remotely and in class, and as our implementations across sports organisations gain momentum in the coming weeks, Kinteract has more to offer than ever before.
Kinteract is:
Our on-boarding and training are straightforward to implement across your school, with comprehensive support to help you throughout the process, so you can be up and running in no time.