School Digital Strategy Journeys- How COVID-19 Has Re-Shaped Our Plans

I am a huge EdTech fan. I love to talk about EdTech, I love to explore the possibilities of EdTech in helping to make the lives of teachers and students easier. On this episode of the Teach Middle East podcast, I speak with Al Kingsley. Al is well known in the EdTech space and in the education circles globally. He is the Managing Director of NetSupport, and he is also the chair of two multi-academy trusts.

 We talk about whether Covid-19 pandemic is a crisis or an opportunity for the education sector. We delve into what schools should and should not be doing when planning their digital strategies, we got our crystal balls out and attempted to predict the future of EdTech. Al also reveals the one piece of tech that he finds indispensable.

Bio- Al is Group Managing Director of NetSupport, an international software company developing EdTech for classroom instruction, e-Safety and more. With a passion for education, Al has co-authored a ‘Digital Strategy Guide for Schools’, was named a 2020 EdTech-50 winner and supports educators with mentoring, resources and speaking at events.

Learn More about Teach Middle East Magazine

Teach Middle East Magazine is the premier magazine for educators and the entire education sector in the Middle East and beyond. Our vision is to equip educators with the materials and tools they need, to function optimally in and out of the classroom. We provide a space for educators to connect, find inspiration, resources and forums that are aimed at enhancing their teaching techniques, methodologies and personal development. We connect education suppliers and service providers to the people who make the buying decisions in schools. Visit our website https://linktr.ee/teachmiddleeast. 

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 0:32

I'm a huge edtech fan. I love to talk about ed tech. I love to explore the possibilities of ed tech in helping to make the lives of teachers and students easier. On this episode of the Teach Middle East podcast, I speak with Al Kingsley. Al is well known in the edtech space and in the education circles globally. He's the managing director of Net Support and he's also the chair of two multi-academy trusts. We talk about whether the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis or an opportunity for the education sector. We delve into what schools should and should not be doing when planning their digital strategies. We get our crystal balls out and we attempt to predict the future of education. I even get Al to sing, okay, I'm kidding. But I did get him to tell us what's the one piece of tech that he finds to be indispensable. Can't wait for you to hear this episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

You are listening to the Teach Middle East Podcast. Connecting, developing, and empowering educators.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

Hi Al, welcome to the Teach Middle East Podcast. It's so good to have you.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Hi there. Thank you for having me. Looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

So we met virtually. You write for Teach Middle East magazine, and I see your work online quite a bit, and your involvement with EdTech is quite prolific. So I'm sure you're no stranger to a lot of the people who are listening to this podcast. And quite rightly, because we're going to be talking ed tech, we're going to be talking digital strategy, and we're going to be looking at what's been changing since the pandemic that's come upon us, if you like. And we're also going to be looking a little bit, if we can, into our crystal balls as to what the future of ed tech might hold for us. I'm quite a lover of ed tech, and I'm sure that you are even more so than I am. So let's jump in. And the first thing I wanted to find out from you is COVID-19, opportunity or catastrophe for ed tech?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Goodness. I mean, that's a question that's um how long have we got? A few hours at the moment. You know, I mean, I'm I'm a firm believer with every challenge, you know, that there does come an opportunity. For example, it today we're talking about the effective use of ed tech, a topic that's been kind of high on the list of priorities in many a school over the last nine to twelve months. I think in itself that narrative can only be a positive thing. When I think about broader education and my roles within multi-academy trusts here in the UK, there are genuine crises at the moment. And in terms of those, you know, I might I might pigeonhole them into the obvious one, which is funding, because everything that you need to use to adapt and change often comes with a price tag. There's huge concerns in a crisis in terms of well-being, teacher well-being, a topic that we're all very familiar with. And of course, student well-being, alongside the obvious in terms of student learning and gaps in learning. You know, and I think that's that's also linked, I see, within the community, to the broader social support and the roles that schools play that is is lacking or has been lacking. And then I think if we start going bigger picture before I talk about the positives, and of course there are a few, you know, there's a crisis in terms of this constantly changing sort of expectations on schools to react with COVID. And we understand the reasons why. But as a broader level, it's quite counterproductive and counterintuitive to the real need right now, which is for education, we need a stable long-term strategy. And I think that long-term strategy is key to change. And it's a topic I've shared a few times recently, and it's it is frustrating. Much of the investments, the strategy change we see, and it's across across the world in different government structures, is all really short-term, looking for investment and impact within, I guess, a political cycle. And what we need in education is a recognition that our young people take 13, 14, 15 years to progress through the education cycle. And what we really need is long-term planning. So that's my kind of high horse bit about the bigger picture education. In terms of opportunities, well, you know, I I always align with the fact that educators are some of the most reflective people that I know, and it's part of what makes the really capable in the way that it adapts and handles change. So there is a real opportunity now, I think, um, Lisa. You know, when I think about what we're doing, it's it's a really good chance to reflect on what we've been doing well, uh, what hasn't been working, and actually starting. And, you know, I am one of many thousands of different voices who are who are talking about there's an opportunity here for a real paradigm change. You know, our focus in different regions between learning content versus skills and how that journey and that balance between the two is gone. And I really think that's a real never more than now type topic, whether it's about our young people and their resilience and developing those kind of independent critical thinking skills right now, all the way through to the narrative of what we've dealt with during COVID and others, in terms of giving our young people the skills to do the critical thinking and to and to validate the information they see. So I suppose, you know, the real opportunity is we've got a catalyst here, not only to talk about ed tech, but the way that we engage and deliver our teaching and learning. And, you know, within the specific realms of ed tech, of course, there's an opportunity to use relevant and appropriate technology, have an impact on teaching and learning, but also think about things like time savings and the impact it can have on the profession, on well-being, and also about those economies of scale. You know, everything we do, we have to think about in terms of a cost and where money's best spent. So, yeah, there are always opportunities there, and it's tough at the moment to really pull those to the foreground with all the other challenges. But I feel confident there are some good to come from this.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

So it's a mix of catastrophe, but no, I wouldn't say catastrophe. It's a mix of, you know, some crises and obviously quite a lot of opportunity. What I wanted to find out as well is with everything that's happening, schools, of course, they have to adapt, and teachers are quite agile and are becoming even more so. What are some of the things that you see schools doing with their digital strategies, with their tech that's really innovative?

SPEAKER_00 7:04

I think there's there's a whole big plan around that. It's a really good question because you know, when I talk about digital strategy, I we always start the conversation about how it needs to be consultative and that Venn diagram I often use about the different stakeholders. It starts with the teaching and learning in the heart, but it needs to involve all those other strands, whether it's your special educational needs, whether it's your safeguarding, whether it's your IT team, your leadership aligning with the school development plan, your CPD, your safeguarding. There's so many different strands that pull together. And what we've seen, I I break it down typically when we talk about it into key pillars. And I think sometimes that makes it slightly more consumable. So there are kind of six key pillars that I think schools focus on around their digital strategy, and then that leads into what's changed recently. So the first is perhaps not a surprise, which is about innovating learning. You know, and alongside schools reviewing the current use of their ICT, they're also looking at what's appropriate tech. They're also looking at their strategies in terms of the apps and tools that they use. Of course, there's been a really big conversation about some of the foreground technologies we've been talking about, how we deliver an online experience. And we could have a whole debate about is it online teaching, is it online learning, is it blended, is it whatever? But in truth, the conversation's been shaped around what are the strengths and weaknesses in that blend of synchronous and asynchronous teaching? Are there lessons we can learn from that? Can we build up those kind of exemplar libraries and can they be then more accessible at different times? And there's also clarification, there's lots of guidance and it's best intentioned on, you know, here in the UK, what's expected from a remote teaching and learning day for a child in the classroom. But of course, in reality, we all know the real nuance is well, it depends on the cohort and their age and the capabilities and tech confidence levels of the teacher. And actually, the one size fits all, I don't think is particularly helpful. You know, teachers know their learners best and know best how to deliver it. So I think in terms of innovating learning, it's looking at the right tools. Of course, that kind of extends a little bit now when we think to are we on the horizon of bringing things back to a sense of normality? And then we're thinking about are there tools and solutions that can help support us in terms of catch-up and how we might do that, you know. And there's there's all sorts of different narratives with some of the AI-based solutions that help for children for kind of retrieval practice and building on those things. So it's quite a broad topic. And then, of course, there's student digital skills, never now more than ever, I guess, which is making sure that schools have undertaken those surveys of where their kids are at, but also developing student skills. And I think that falls in the category of confidence using the tools and also that digital citizenship, that that safety and self-sufficiency in terms of if they're spending more time working online and researching, that they're doing so in a safe and supported manner. Um, so that's kind of a really, really key one that's been done. Uh, and then not surprisingly, is teacher skills. The number of trusts and school districts that I've been to speak to and engage with, and when I look at their budgeting and their planning, it's all about acquisition of technology and software and resources. And when you mention that CPD word, there's kind of a pause, like, yeah, we'll do some of that as well. And it's not really interwoven to give people a fighting chance of success, let alone confidence in what they do. So understanding that you really need to develop the CPD around what both the feedback from staff but also what you're trying to deliver, because that is ultimately the key that will dictate the success or failure of embedding solutions successfully. Um, of course, within Teacher Skills, we're looking at what are the key software apps and solutions that we want to use that will best foster, maybe you call it an insurance policy, but that engagement between um teaching and learning that can done in the classroom and online and remotely. I know in my own trust, for example, where there's a strategy a couple of years ago, because of finance and cost, to replace staff laptops with a front of class device plugged into the A V board. And that meant if a staff member wasn't there, you always had cover. You had somebody come in the classroom and the technology was ready to rock and roll. It kind of made sense until COVID came along, and then suddenly we said, well, our staff are at home, let's hope they've got their own device. And suddenly you reflect and think, my goodness. And then you think, actually, how many of the staff were really happy about losing that device? And it's a small thing, but if we think about efficiency of working, well-being, confidence that if you walk in the door with your own technology, you're going to feel more confident plugging it in and using it because you know where everything is and everything's prepped. And so there's a kind of a refresh about thinking, are we shaping the tech we do based on the cost and the easiness to manage? Or are we also balancing in that blend the conversation about what's actually best, you know? And it is finding that sweet spot between the two. So lots of focus around teacher skills and confidence. And finally, hallelujah, CPD is having a much more key pivotal part in saying all the shiny stuff's worthless unless people have confidence using it. You can you can embed flagbearers around the school for different apps and solutions so you don't have a single point of failure. Another big one we saw back in sort of March time last year from a COVID perspective was a real rush in a very positive and willing sense from teachers to go online and find suitable curriculum apps and resources that would allow them to provide some kind of engagement and online experience for their students. But that rush kind of came with a little bit of a price tag, which was that kind of have we done our data protection impact assessments? Do we know where that student data is going? Is it secure? Are we all doing things in silos and actually there's an opportunity where we could find similar tools that would be better for all? Again, there's a financial saving, but also a skills and training saving if there's a bit more um joined up thinking and how we do that. So that was another kind of strand. Things like assessment tools. You know, we use assessment tools for our youngest learners so we can do our observational assessments of their progress. And then when a child's at home, we've no longer got any assessment points. But maybe actually with the right tools, parents could capture evidence of a child's learning journey and share that with teachers so that they could continue to monitor, particularly those most vulnerable, and see that there's some kind of learning journey. Um, and as part of that infrastructure, it's also things like the disaster recovery plans, where do we store our data? Because again, you know, that the race to the cloud is probably a good example, isn't it, in terms of making things more accessible. But not everything is is, you know, the cloud isn't the solution to everything, shall we say. Some things you want to keep control. Uh and then the next one, which is something I guess we're doing right now, which is schools, districts have had to learn to up their game in terms of effective communication. And actually most have done really, really well. I've had lots of staff saying, you know, we're using whether it's Teams or Google or whatever the platform is, but you know, using Teams, I'm actually collaborating and sharing more with my peers than I was able to do when I was physically in the building. I kind of went to my classroom and the day started. I never got a chance, and now there's a kind of a different conduit to do that. Uh but you can also build in, you know, staff only channels, and then it's parental engagement. You know, lots of our younger age groups, we were engaging with parents through the websites, through YouTube, sharing videos and stories and resources. But as we work up the age band, that parental engagement, the more that we give them support and their own digital skills, the more they can support their young people at home in terms of their learning journey. And then just that broader, actually, this is an opportunity to foster parental engagement. And one of the nice things was that we actually found when we did things like parents evenings, like many schools are doing online, we actually had greater engagement with our hard-to-reach families than we ever had when it was a physical. Now, maybe partly that was the medium, partly it was the confidence of not being in a sports hall full of lots of parents sharing about your child, and it could be done on a one-to-one. But you always look for those small blessings and think, well, that's another strand that we need to try and embed and make sure we can, perhaps when we're back to normal, have some of our parents' evenings face-to-face, some online. I know our staff felt it was a much better time management system for them. And then the last strand, something that um, you know, I hope will not surprise anybody, is well-being. It's kind of interwoven through all the different things that that's that reflective nature, that speed of change, the amount that staff have had to take on board. So well-being isn't just the you know, the staff side of things. We've kind of reviewed tools that can help reduce teacher workload, assessment tracking, auto-grading, things that we can do that just speed things up, taking audio notes rather than written notes, reflecting on the kind of broader well-being, linking it in with our SEN students, how are we doing when I daily keep the routine, the face-to-face reassurance with our most vulnerable learners, sharing access to online resources, making things easier, so getting some members of staff to create exemplars, but sharing them online with other teachers so that we can actually sort of spread the load a bit more, and just building up more of a well-being group. And um, I was at an event um a couple of days ago online, and Bookie Yousiv was sharing, and the first thing she said was, you know, the first question that should come along in the conversation you have with your peers is how are you? And just putting that reflectiveness back to actually there's a starting point before the business gets done, which is just taking time out to share. So, you know, trying to whistle stop through a lot of those strands, you'll see there's kind of lots of pillars that make up that digital strategy, and many of those elements are quite obvious. But I think interwoven to that, there's those reflective changes based on a landscape that we never really factored in, that the distance as part of the uh the broader strategy.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

So then I wondered if we are planning, obviously, to go back to some sort of normalcy, right? So with vaccines, with vaccines and just just a more hopeful air going around now. What do you think schools should hold on to in terms of this new digital adaption that's going on? Should schools look for ways to make themselves, or how should they rather, how should they look for ways to make themselves more agile? Should something like this happen again in the future? Fingers crossed it doesn't, but should it?

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Yeah, I mean it comes back to my point almost of the insurance policy analogy, doesn't it? How do you protect for the future? Well, I think like most things, again, you know, I think educators are well positioned compared to many sectors because of the reflective nature and the fact that we kind of have that collaborative approach to the way things are done. So I think the first thing is CPD has huge value. I know I've resonated and mentioned it a few times here, but one of the risks is that that journey back to normality means all those skills acquired suddenly get lost if they're not actually continued to be used in some shape or form. And I don't care how tech-savvy any of us are, you know, if you don't use something regularly, your confidence and your skills and so on sort of tend to drift over time. So I think the first one is understanding that there is a place to play. And often the debate comes around this kind of thing about ed tech, it's the solution to everything, isn't it? No, it's not the panacea to everything, it's a facilitator where appropriate. And so a superbly delivered lesson in English doesn't need to require any technology at all. There may be occasions where it's really useful, but it's not the be-all and end all of that journey. So I think it's looking at the strands that have worked well, the improvement in comms, the delivery. You know, somebody said, Oh, we've never had any experience with remote learning. And then I remember another colleague saying, Well, we've been doing homework for an awfully long time. If we think about it in the context, it's not that different or it shouldn't be. So actually, let's think about the lessons we've learned in terms of the, you know, perhaps more so the asynchronous side about how we can improve the way that we deliver learning outside of the classroom in the evenings. Let's have a look how the comms can help support departments working together, whether it's well-being or whether it's simply efficiency in reducing teacher workload. Let's have a think about that blend of parents' evenings, because that has a real impact on staff hours in the evening and also accessibility to parents. I know at my trust with the different schools, we were having the conversation about, you know, so many, probably 75% of our teachers come in over the Easter break to do revision classes before our GCSEs and A levels. Well, why? Why are they coming in? Why can't they be online? Why can't they record it? We get probably 60% of our students attend. Couldn't we record it so we can share it live, but also have it available and accessible for others? You know, and all those strands, I think, you know, there'll be some aspects. I think one of the best messages with EdTech recently has been for school leaders to support staff in taking risks, trying new things, not with that kind of sordid Amycles hanging over their head, but an opportunity to try things. And with trying things comes, you know, the willingness to say, you know what, that just didn't work. So I'm not going to do that again. But also identify those strands that really work. So I think the idea of interweaving that continued use of certain tools, that gives you the insurance policy that if we flip back to a COVID Mark 10 or we suddenly have to distance again, those skills become seamless. Also, our students are familiar with tech. So another one that resonates really highly with me is thinking about technology that is fluid and device agnostic. And by that, what I'm really kind of focused on is don't have a tool that works in the classroom and a tool that works remotely. Look at the solutions that can work in either setting. So actually, from a student and a teacher's perspective, the distance may have changed, but the process hasn't. And that sense of not having to double up and learn multiple tools, and also keeping that familiarity will make it much more accessible. I think we've also, alongside that, learnt that there's actually a really good opportunity where a lot of staff haven't been familiar to start recording lots of more work and exemplars that can be used year on year for appropriate curriculum resources and also to share with other schools. And again, it's another one. You know, schools are really good at sharing with their peers, whereas in the business world, you kind of keep your best bits as your advantage. And I really think that's another strand that we can really kind of focus on. So I think there's lots of aspects from that point of view.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

One of the things that has really been highlighted since the pandemic began is the inequality in access to tech for students who are not from very affluent classes. And I think going forward, that has to be addressed really, really urgently. What do you think can be done to bridge that gap between the haves and have nots as it relates to tech?

SPEAKER_00 21:14

You know, it's a fantastic question. And I think it's one that many have asked. And does anybody have the perfect example answer? I suppose the challenge is half the answer lies within the capability, funds permitting, of the educational establishments. And the other half, in many ways, lies in the hands of government. Because depending on which country we're in and we're talking about, there's an infrastructure issue in terms of homes' access to the digital, whether that's through fiber or whether that's through 4G and so on. That in itself, that connectivity provides the first barrier in terms of that digital divide. The second layer, of course, is about access to technology. And that's where, with the right funding, schools can provide the right tablet or the right laptop, Chrome, but whatever it may be. Again, I'm kind of device agnostic because all have a place to play and make sure they're accessible. So within our own environment, we loaned out devices to our students. We purchased 4G dongles and we provided those to provide connectivity to our students who were unable to access technology. We surveyed our students at the start and our families because what we were also keen to not miss was the multiplier fact. We've got two or three siblings in the same household, and therefore they might be trying to deliver online learning and they couldn't all access it at the same time. There's of course the barrier if parents are working from home. They might need the technology during the day, and therefore we need to make sure content's accessible later in the day. So trying to mitigate all those different strands. And then alongside that, it was about delivering content that was ideally synchronous, but could be accessible asynchronously. And that blend of the two meant that at least there were different times where students can access it. I think there's a digital skills divide as well, which is about making sure that parents have sufficient confidence and knowledge in the tools the school are using that they can, as we hope, play an active role in supporting their children when they're home learning and working, as well as playing that active role in terms of keeping them safe, understanding the things and the signs to look out for and to have to shepherd their use of the technology. And then I suppose we go to the non-tech question, which is not every bit of remote learning needs to be done via technology. You know, there's plenty of resources that can be shared using the good old postal system or whatever is needed that can allow young people to be creative and learn and share resources back. And again, I think sometimes looking at ways to mitigate that. So, you know, certainly for our younger learners, setting tasks as a video that all the parents can access off the school website and asking for the parents to send a photo back of evidence of what the child did or a recording of the child if they've written a song, made something, created something, whatever it might be. And it's about that adaptability, which schools are so good at. So it is that kind of strand between schools need the technology infrastructure to have devices to share, as well as not building everything around the instant live sessions, but ideally, and again, it's different by region, that making sure there's that equality of connectivity.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

So we touched on this a little bit earlier about CPD training of staff. I mean, one of the things I noticed when this whole thing happened was, and I'm speaking from a Middle East perspective, but I'm sure this is global. There were schools who were quite ready to move their learning online and they were proficient and the staff was proficient. And but there were schools that flundered around and really they didn't know what to do. They were picking a bit here and a bit there. This week they tried this, next week they tried that, and there was no, there was no real strategy, no real plan. And one of the biggest things that came out was how unskilled a lot of the teachers were in the use of the tech. They were fine maybe tapping on a whiteboard in front of the classroom, but when it came to other programs and other things, they really weren't ready. And then a lot of it comes down to how well the schools prepared them. But some of it is personal responsibility as well as teachers. What can teachers do to upskill themselves? I know it's a big ask, but what suggestions do you have for teachers who want to upskill themselves so that they become more proficient in the use of the ed tech tools?

SPEAKER_00 25:31

It's a really difficult one because, of course, the first barrier for many teachers is time. Obviously, you know, that's a real challenge. But you're right, in terms of professional development, there's opportunities where you can take it upon yourself to acquire extra skills. I think there's a number of avenues. You know, if you're looking at skills to use some of the core building block platforms, whether it's the Office 365 suite, whether it's Google Suite, there are some really good online free courses for accreditation building blocks of familiarity with those core suites of tools. And they're a really good foundation and reference point. I think alongside that, you know, the thing that you know you and I are both active in is recognizing that Twitter, for example, can be a fantastic PLN. And within that, not only can you you share, but the most important thing is you can ask questions, and there are always colleagues and peers who will give you a steer in the right direction to a resource, a book, a video, whatever it may be, and guide you. And that makes things much more accessible. But again, it comes to that mindset of less is more, which is if schools are trying to adapt to 101 different new tools and solutions, it's really hard to focus. So, you know, I very much said, look, the building blocks are those key solutions that you're using for your student interaction, your engagement, how you're tracking your assessment. And then department by department, each curriculum will, you know, will have a, you know, here's the humanities, here's the languages, whatever it may be, we'll have our own particular tools that we want to use. So I would certainly start with building that foundation in familiarity and confidence in the core tools, whether you're a Google or a Microsoft or an Apple school, and then on top of that, you know, use the experience of your PLN and your peers to look at what the key things are. The ed tech sector, if I talk from a software perspective, have become very adept in providing good CPD courses for most of the curriculum-based tools. And it's partly done out of goodwill, of course, but also happy customers are customers that can use a solution effectively with impact. So, you know, make your solution complicated, don't provide the kind of support that goes with it, and you're unlikely to have a long-term successful solution. So I would engage in that. And I also think it's really important because of the change in pace that just because you're familiar with Office 365 of a couple of years ago, revisit the courses because they're changing and updating so quickly. And there's always nice new nuances. You know, even today they just announced that they were embedding into Office 365 your browser edition that you could just paste a link from key apps like YouTube, and it will just embed the video straight into your Word doc rather than just the link. And you can use that for lots of supported edge U apps. And some of the tools for being aware of for some of our, you know, our learners, the immersive readers and the plugins, and how to quickly record your webinar in PowerPoint, all sorts of tools are kind of constantly changing. So um, one of the things I really like about the ed tech space, I mean it's a challenge as well, is the fact that you can never know it all. It's a constantly moving feast and a challenge, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 28:21

We talk about what we should add. Here's one for you, Al. What should we throw away immediately? What should we stop doing right now when it comes to digital strategy and ed tech in schools?

SPEAKER_00 28:33

Um, it's a real tough one, isn't it? I suppose the one that I I share is the most important thing is stop planning what you're gonna buy based on how much money you've got this year. It's the wrong way around. It I think it came from lots of schools that were states-operated schools, where had a budget, and if you didn't use it, you'd lose it. That kind of mindset. So it's we've got $30,000, pounds, whatever to spend. What kit shall we add to the mix? And the analogy that I use is it's a bit like going on a journey. If somebody says, I'll give you a hundred miles of fuel for your car, you can head in lots of directions and you'll probably find something that in the short term is interesting. But a digital strategy is like planning the ultimate destination 500 miles away. You might as well have that plan and then use that first hundred miles to head in the right direction, the building blocks. Because what's happening is schools are buying tech or software and then they're throwing it away because the actual bigger term picture is to go down a different path. So I would kind of say put the money to one side. Of course, it'll be a really key factor at some point in this conversation, and actually think about where do we want to end up. The money will dictate the speed of your journey, how quickly you can get there. But often you start by being reflective and you identify a bit like you're asking here. What are all the tools that we subscribe to every year? What are all the apps that we've got that we don't actually use very often? No, let's check all the PCs that actually don't get turned on very often or could be redeployed elsewhere, because those savings become the initial catalyst for investment. And I would argue from a school leadership perspective, it's much more convincing and reassuring to have someone come and say, I'd like more of this, and here's the evidence of how it's being used at the moment and having impact. So actually, by getting that evidence of what's worked well and identifying it, it's much easier to start building those blocks. So my throwaway would be short-term decisions based on the money that's available in the budget, and make sure you've got the ultimate objective in place before you start spending.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

So if you had to, I know you deal with lots of schools and you are the head of a multi-academy trust or more than one, right? If I'm right. And you had to start right now, what's the first thing you'd buy?

SPEAKER_00 30:41

Um, what's the first thing I'd buy? Well, I suppose if I had to buy something right now, thinking of our current challenge and crisis, and you and you're really putting it on the spot for me. My first focus is really about how do we get young people back on the catch-up trail. You know, that's the key one for me. So alongside the kind of the priorities being the human aspect of actually getting young people back in an environment and addressing their social emotional needs and really teaching them how to learn, because that in itself is an art form. I think I'd be looking at some of the latest solutions that are available that can help young people do their retrieval practice and learning through things like AI, where I think there's an opportunity to actually accelerate that catch-up process. And the reason why I sort of cherry-picked that out as one was because there's this kind of conversation about we're going to get schools back, and then we're going to have all our young people over a period of X months, according to the governments, you know, are going to do their catch-up and be back on track. And you can't catch up and continue learning what you should be learning and fit all that into the same time. And I don't think the first priority is the learning, it's getting them back to a point where they're comfortable and happy and safe and emotionally in the right place. But I think the AI type approach, retrieval tools and learning tools that are very much personalized learning, is an opportunity in parallel to the order of the day that provides the best opportunity over time for a degree of catch up to be delivered. I mean, I could list a whole load of my own products, but I'm choosing to be agnostic today and just sharing, just sharing, you know, the kind of solutions, which is why I've picked that one.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

Brilliant. Thank you. Let's get your crystal ball out. EdTech. Where is it going? What's the future? What does it look like?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Well, that is the real um six million dollar question, isn't it? And I suppose many who know me and know my passion for ed tech would probably expect me to uh reel off a long list of grand ideas at this point about tech on the horizon and how it would. But I suppose if I was to break it down into maybe four points, I'd kind of say the future of ed tech, number one, is that technology is well embedded as a norm in schools where staff and students are using it day to day without necessarily thinking about it. It's working as a facilitator, but it's not the topic of the day and hopefully not often noticed. Because I think that's the key is embedding and doing it. The second, I suppose, in the future of ed tech, and this is something that I'm very passionate about, is where technology development, the future ed tech, is co-produced, where it's vendors and educators shaping what is needed, not as is often the case, trying to create a need to then sell to educators as the solution for the future. So really working together so you kind of get that research based on that active one. The third one, I suppose it's a it's a slightly sensitive one, I suppose, and and it's this reflective process, which is there is sometimes a mindset of I go out as a teacher to look for the tools that will support what I'm doing and the way I'm doing something now in the classroom. And that kind of makes sense. But if we're talking about the long term, I think there has to be a will to go out and look at technology and be willing to see how that technology might come back and change the way that I do something in the classroom. If we always try and find the tool for the way we work, we won't move forward as rapidly as if we look at the technology available and be willing to adapt and change to it. That takes time, that takes support and capacity. But I think that's a longer one. And I suppose my final takeaway on the kind of future of ed tech, which I think is key all the way through, because we've got to be realistic about capacity and objectives. Less is more. I'm not convinced, even though that I have a role in technology marketplace, I'm not convinced that it's simply a race to who can use the most ed tech equals the most effective school. Well, I'm not convinced, I know damn well that's not the case. So it's more about finding the right tools and the most appropriate tools that you can embed well and deliver. So it's the sum of a number of parts. And it is quite easy with so many different solutions available and so much narrative to kind of get sucked into the view that, you know, well, we haven't got as much as them, therefore they're better as an establishment. And that really isn't the key. You know, well-co-produced solutions will actually save time, have an impact in learning and outcomes. And it and it's not about having lots of them. It's actually if you get the right tools and they're flexible enough, they can double up, triple up in lots of different scenarios.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

So this one is a little bit personal as we wrap up the podcast. Okay. What is one piece of tech? It could be a piece of tech, it could be an app that you cannot live without, that you absolutely must use every day. And why?

SPEAKER_00 35:21

Um, well, let's take it on a personal one. And I'll I'll be quite honest with you. The piece of tech that I can't live without is a DEXCOMP that's linked to my iPhone, and it sits in my arm and it monitors my blood glucose all day long. And it's a newer bit of technology. I'm a type one diabetic, have been for the last five years. And whereas traditionally, and this is really a key for parents as well, traditionally, I would prick my fingers throughout the day and put a little test strip and measure the glucose. Not the most comfortable thing to do, but part of it. And that the technology that's now available in most markets over the last two or three years means you have a sensor in your arm and it constantly alerts your phone as to what your blood glucose is, and more importantly, it alarms and wakes you up or rings if you're drop in too low. Now, for me as an adult, that's really handy. As a parent, that is huge. The fact that you can monitor your child's blood glucose when they're asleep at night rather than have to sneak in and test their blood, but also fantastic when they're at school because it gives that confidence and reassurance that there's an extra overarching bit of monitoring. So it's not ed tech, it's life tech, but sometimes that's where technology can have a real impact in terms of your own well-being and confidence. So um, not quite an iPad, but there you go. That's something quite personal for me as a share.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Thank you so much. I really want to thank you for your time and for sharing such great insights with us and our listeners. It's been a real pleasure having you on the Teach Middle East Podcast. And obviously, we expect to see lots more articles coming from you and to hear lots more from you in the future. So thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 36:57

Thank you for your support. And can I just say I I love both the magazine and the podcast, and I will continue to do articles because it's lovely to share with like-minded people. So thank you so much. Thank you. It's been great having you.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

Thank you for listening to the Teach Middle East Podcast. Visit our website, teachmiddle east.com, and follow us on social media. The links are in the show notes.