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Ed-tech isn’t all bad

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~ How VoIP can improve e-learning for teachers and students ~

 

Almost a third of university courses still combine face-to-face teaching with online learning, data gathered by the BBC suggests. However, as one disgruntled student labels virtual education no more than a “glorified online streaming service”, how can educators deliver quality, virtually? Here, Ross Slogrove, UK and Ireland country manager at business phone system provider Ringover, explains how VoIP technology can help overcome these challenges.

 

In January 2023, the BBC reported that 28 per cent of university courses are still being taught the hybrid way, compared to just 4.1 per cent pre-pandemic. For some students, blending the physical with the virtual has been beneficial, offering greater flexibility and reducing time on campus. Others, however, report a drop in the quality of their education. For educators, succeeding in 2023 has become a balancing act — offering the flexibility of hybrid education, without risking a subpar educational experience.

 

Introducing VoIP

For hybrid education to work effectively, educators and their students need access to the right technology. Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, can allow educational facilities to merge their telephone and computer networks in a way that’s more secure, cost-effective and easy-to-use.

 

VoIP enables calls through the internet, rather than a fixed telephone line. By 2025, it’s going to become an absolute essential that all educational facilities replace traditional legacy services with internet-based calling. BT will switch off the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in just two years’ time and, giving the complexity of transferring multiple teaching departments, back offices and administrative bureaus, it’s best to act now rather than wait for the deadline.

 

The sooner the education sector acts, the sooner it can reap the benefits of VoIP. Having a VoIP telephone system in place, integrated into a customer relationship management (CRM) system, forms the backbone of any ed-tech stack. Not only will it help educators deliver better quality online teaching, VoIP can also be used for multiple other facets of education customer service, from prospecting to future students and helpdesk support, to executing marking campaigns and streamlining email management.

 

Securing the space

A huge benefit of VoIP, that also helps deliver a better education customer service, is its security credentials. All educational facilities keep large volumes of data on record, including student contact details, performance logs, medical information and attendance records. Keeping this data safe from security breaches is crucial, but old analogue phone systems are more vulnerable to hacking. In fact, it’s reported that just over 40 per cent of primary schools and 70 per cent of secondary schools experienced cyber breaches between 2021 and 2022.

 

One of the main cyber threats facilities can face is through a Voice over Misconfigured Internet Telephones (VoMIT) tool, where cybercriminals steal voice snippets and confidential information directly from calls. However, a cloud-based VoIP system encrypts calls to protect content, rendering it unreadable if it is hacked.

 

Bringing confidence back

One of the biggest barriers teachers face when delivering high-quality virtual lessons is the lack of confidence. And, three years on from the pandemic, a lack of digital skills still impacts the education sector.

 

The 21st Century Teachers report, published in July 2022, found that 20 per cent of teachers say they have little or no experience using digital technology for teaching, and 48 per cent feel increased work stress due to the lack of digital technology integrated into their teaching. Elsewhere, a YouGov poll of 536 staff revealed that only 21 per cent of teachers felt ‘very confident’ with online learning.

 

So how can VoIP make teachers feel more at ease with online learning? Firstly, a VoIP system like Ringover’s encompasses a range of communication tools such as in-app chat, video calling and SMS messaging, which are easily connected with existing CRM integrations, APIs and educational tools.

 

This unification of communication tools and technology provides educators with some relief knowing that a VoIP phone system works alongside their existing teaching technologies and doesn’t require any further technical skill or experience to manage.

 

With the reception of hybrid learning still unbalanced, it is essential educational facilities keep customer service in mind for every one of their deliverables. Going hybrid has presented some obstacles, but VoIP can change that. The ease at which VoIP can integrate with existing systems and improve teacher and student experience takes the challenge out of delivering at a distance.

 

Device Churn in Education – 626,400 devices are being replaced each year in the Education sector.

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London, UK – November, 2022.

Acer conducted research in partnership with PX3 – an award-winning IT sustainability consultancy – which revealed that on average educational establishments replace 480 end user computer devices each year. However, for instance one university affirmed that its replacement program is of 2,500 devices annually. Considering that the UK has a total of 1,305 multi-academy trusts and universities, these findings suggest a considerable turnover involving the purchase and disposal by the education sector alone of around 626,400 devices yearly.

 

Device Churn

Such replacement is widely known as ‘device churn’. The average replacement cycle of EUC devices is three years and a half. 67% of respondents affirmed that they replace their EUC devices before they are four years old and 18% reported to keep devices in use for 5 years or longer. Only one multi-academy trust, admitted a refresh cycle of 10 years. No universities confirmed a device churn shorter than three years – compared with 24% of multi-academy trusts who did – and twice as many universities as trusts reported cycles of 4 – 5 years.

  
     

 

     
  Reasons behind the replacement cycles.

Many institutions implement EUC devices replacements on a regular basis, choosing not to conduct periodical specific analysis.

Many organizations believe that outdated, underperforming and obsolete devices can potentially pose organizations to risks, including security risks and that they need to be replaced with up-to-date equipment and to keep with the ongoing technological progress.

 

In the market research that took place, the most common reason for replacing devices given was performance for 67%, followed by battery life for 57%, operating system compatibility for 46% and expiring hardware warranties for 38%. Considering climate change concerns, energy consumption drives replacements for 31%.

Screen quality and screen size feature a low end of the range of key issues driving device churn for respectively 27% and 20%. Less significance has the appearance of the device for 11% and weight for 9%.

 

Conclusions.

Acer and PX3’s findings on the issue of device churn showed a continuous and early replacement of EUC devices than manufacturers may expect, due to performance, functionality and compatibility rather than for problems relates to equipment aesthetics or user experience.

 

Keep innovating with Acer for Education. Come to visit us at Bett show 2023 in stand NJ10 to stay current with the latest EdTech trends, discover innovative solutions for schools, update your skills and more! www.acer.com

  

Noise solutions for students and teachers

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According to a study by Decibel Pro, a full classroom of children talking at the same time can reach decibel levels up to 95 dBA. Considering that the OSHA (the US Occupational Safety and Health Organization) permissible exposure limit is 90 dBA over an 8-hour day, levels above 90 decibels in schools can become very problematic and even dangerous. 

 

Experts at Framery agree, and their sound-proof pods offer noise solutions to students and teachers alike. Framery O pods allow for one student or faculty member to work in silence for heads down work, while Framery Q pods accommodate small groups and Framery 2Q pods allow for groups of up to six people. All Framery products are designed to use space as efficiently as possible. They feel spacious for users on the inside due to ergonomic design, while simultaneously making only a small footprint in the classroom. For example, Framery Q requires only 2.6 m² of floor space. 

 

Framery offers users a space to work on tasks that require concentration. The pods can be used for taking an exam and studying alone or for those seeking peace to concentrate, reading homework out loud, or for watching educational videos. For group projects, students in the pod can be as loud as they want, but thanks to its soundproofing, the classroom remains peaceful and quiet so as not to disturb those nearby. 

If you are interested in learning more about the importance of noise levels in classrooms and how Framery pods are designed to help students and faculty focus, I’d be happy to connect you with a member of the Framery team for more insight. 

ABOUT FRAMERY

Framery is an industry pioneer that cares about happiness. The brand’s product offering of pods, phone booths and soundproof private rooms solves noise and privacy issues in open-plan offices, making employees happier and more productive at dozens of the world’s leading companies, including Microsoft, Puma, Vodafone and Deloitte. In fact, 40% of all Forbes 100 companies use Framery.

See here for more.

In today’s tough teaching world, what makes a good primary leader? – Words by Emma Turner.

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As Sir John Jones says in his book, “The magic weaving business”, great teachers possess “passion, wisdom and righteous indignation”. A good primary leader is no different.

Understanding the purpose of primary education is central to excellence in primary leadership. This may seem obvious, but when interpreting national guidance, research or training, the unique domain specific primary lens is needed through which to view associated advice, professional learning and development. In primary, Children join at the edges of toddlerhood and journey through to the cusp of adolescence. This is a huge developmental trajectory, and great primary leaders will develop teams who are skilled within and knowledgeable about the associated pedagogies and practices specific to the challenges, demands and joys of teaching children in this stage of their development.

The leader’s development of the culture of a school is key. It is possible to “feel” the culture of a school within moments of arriving on site. It permeates all aspects of the life and work of everyone in the building. It is not some will-o-the-wisp type magic that floats down corridors though, but the result of clear and shared understanding of what the school believes, champions and is willing to challenge. It is the school’s own passion, wisdom and righteous indignation. Culture is not set on an inspirational leadership day, nor does is reside in a verbose word document in a lever arch file somewhere or an expensive wall decal. It is developed through the relentless focus on everyone doing the right thing in the right way at the right time.

The behaviour of children in school, including their attitudes to learning and their in class learning behaviours are a key area for focus for any primary leader. Without the bedrock of behaviour established as a secure foundation, no further work in school can flourish. Behaviour and culture therefore need to be central pillars of the work of an effective school leader.

Balancing the demands of the primary curriculum are huge. With only approximately 228 hours available to teach the whole of the National Curriculum Key Stages 1 and 2 for each of the foundation subjects, devising a curriculum to serve your school community, inspire, challenge and support which at the same time is academically robust and suitably resourced is a vast challenge. Developing and accessing curriculum networks across primaries, liaising with secondary colleagues, and sharing subject leader expertise is therefore a key way in which to enrich and develop the curriculum offer. This is especially important where staff may be leading more than one subject or there may not be a subject expert on the staff. Developing communities and network to support the work of curriculum therefore not only supports staff but provides further opportunities for collaboration and sharing of ideas and practice across the sector.

A great culture, a well devised and resourced curriculum and a focus on developing excellence in primary pedagogy can ensure that staff, any school’s most precious resource, are then unencumbered to focus on teaching and learning. Great school leaders get things out of the way which would otherwise prevent or impede the work of the teachers and support staff. A culture which supports staff to do their most important work – that of the face to face interactions and teaching with the children is a staff which is likely to then have a manageable workload – an unmanageable one often cited as a reason for leaving the profession.

Devising systems and structures which allow teachers to teach, which have a focus on reducing extraneous workload and which enable staff to focus on their core business of teaching and learning is therefore one of the hallmarks of a great primary leader.

Enabling teachers daily to demonstrate their passion for primary practice and to develop and use the wisdom of experience should therefore be an aspect of primary leadership “righteous indignation”.

 

Emma Turner

Emma Turner has served in primary education for 25 years across multiple schools within teaching, leading and headship. She has worked as national strategy consultant and as Trust Research & CPD Lead and is due to begin a new role as Deputy Director of Education for a West Midlands MAT.

Emma provides school improvement support locally, nationally and internationally, and regularly guest lectures within ITE and ECF.

She has written four previous books on education – Simplicitus, Be More Toddler, Let’s Talk about Flex, and The Extended Mind In Action. She co-hosts the John Catt Podcast ‘Mind the Gap’ with Tom Sherrington.

She is also a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and Advisory Board Member for the Global Equality Collective.

Twitter handle @Emma_Turner75

 

 

Wigan Pupils Celebrate Safer Internet Day

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Pupils at a Wigan primary school have been using the latest in educational technology to celebrate Safer Internet Day.

St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School in Ashton-in-Makerfield hosted a day of activities to teach pupils how to stay safe online, using digital resources from Discovery Education.

Now in its 20th year, Safer Internet Day is a nationwide celebration, organised by the UK Safer Internet Centre. This year’s event on 7th February saw schools and organisations come together to inspire positive changes, raise awareness of safety issues and participate in activities right across the UK. 

Pupils at St Oswald’s began their Safer Internet Day celebration by watching a Discovery Education video, with tips for staying safe online. They learned a special rhyme to help them remember internet safety rules, including the importance of keeping personal details private, being kind to others and not talking to strangers online.

After watching the video, the children completed a quiz to test their knowledge and understanding. This promoted a lively classroom discussion about the benefits and risks of using technology. The children also discussed who they could go to if they were worried about anything they had seen or heard online. 

Class Teacher Mrs Emma Hart said,

“ The children really enjoyed our Safer Internet Day celebrations. Making space for conversations about life online is so important and Discovery Education’s digital resources helped us to talk to the students about how they can stay safe when gaming, creating content or interacting with friends and peers.”

Featuring videos, activities, assemblies and complete lesson plans, Discovery Education’s online safety content helps pupils build digital literacy skills and understand who and what to trust online. Designed for pupils from Foundation to Year 6 and suitable for remote or in-class teaching, the resources inspire the safe and positive use of technology and empower children to take control of their digital lives. 

 

“Discovery Education is proud to support St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School as they teach their pupils the fundamentals of internet safety,’ said Discovery Education’s UK and International Managing Director Howard Lewis.  “Providing pupils with engaging opportunities to learn how to stay safe online is critically important, and we are glad to offer teachers the materials to do so.”

 

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.co.uk and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

Find out more about Safer Internet Day at www.saferinternetday.org.uk. 

Teacher Strike: It takes Twitch Gamers 5 Days To Earn Primary Teachers Yearly Salary (82x Better Paid)

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Top Twitch Gamers Earns 82x More In A Month Than Average Primary Teacher Monthly Salary

To put these figures into perspective, we’ve compared the top earning Twitch streamers to workers in three sectors that will be going on strike in the UK.

Primary Teachers earn about £2,978 per month (before tax) or 82x less than xQc, the top-earning Twitch gamer. 

Train Drivers earn £4,041 (before tax) or 60x less than xQc.

Things look even worse for NHS Nurses, who make on average £2,787 per month (before tax) or about 88x less than the top-earning Twitch gamer.

University lecturers earn £3,417 (before tax) or 71x less than xQc.

Ambulance Workers and Fire Fighters both earn £3,083 (before tax) or 79x less than xQc.

Civil Servants earn £2,167 (before tax) or 112x less than xQc.

Finally, Postal Workers earn £2,083 (before tax) or 117x less than xQc.

It Takes xQc 5 Days To Earn A Primary Teacher’s Yearly Salary

Twitch gamer xQc would need to work a little over 4 days to earn a NHS Nurse’s yearly salary. 

xQc would need to stream for 5 days to surpass a Primary Teacher’s yearly income.

xQc could reach a UK Train Driver’s yearly salary in a little over 8 days.

xQc would need to stream for just over 5 days to earn a University Lecturer’s yearly salary.

xQc could reach a Fire Fighter or Ambulance Worker’s yearly salary in a little over 4 days.

Twitch gamer xQc would need to work a little over 3 days to surpass a Civil Servant & Postal Worker’s yearly salary.

 

***

Using data compiled from Feedpixel’s Twitch money calculator, Fair Betting Sites reveals that top Twitch gamers earn 82x more than a UK Train Driver monthly salary.

xQc is the #1 gaming streamer on Twitch, making £243,747 in January.

The average Train Driver earners £48,500 per year. The average NHS nurse brings in around £33,384 a year with salaries ranging from £26,000 to £42,000 and the average Primary Teacher earns even less, bringing in an average of £35,745 per year.

For full data, visit: https://www.safebettingsites.com/2023/02/02/twitch-gamer-monthly-earnings/

 https://www.safebettingsites.com/

Hands up class! Who’s got a question about mortgages?

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Sjaene Higgins Mortgage Operations Manager at Wesleyan, the specialist financial services mutual for teachers.

 

When I speak with teachers across the country, it’s clear they’ve got a lot on their plates. They love their work and want the best for their pupils, but many feel overworked, underpaid and unappreciated.

 

Outside of work, there are struggles too. We’re in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, prices are rising and wages aren’t keeping pace.

 

What’s more, interest rates continue to climb. For almost two years, they languished at record lows, bringing relief to mortgage holders and offering hope to those with ambitions to get on the housing ladder for the first time. But

 

This should be good news for savers, but so far banks have dragged their feet when it comes to passing the Bank rate on to consumers, though we’ve seen variable rate mortgages go up almost instantly. And we can confidently imagine rates will rise further before the end of the year, with the Bank of England signalling they will hit 5% during 2023.

 

For many people, their mortgage is their biggest monthly outgoing, so that’s understandably causing concern. So, at a time like this, what are the key questions teachers should be asking about their mortgages

 

What is happening with interest rates and what does it mean for the short and long-term?

 

At the moment, interest rates are on the up. Even the best economic brains can’t predict exactly what will happen next with complete certainty, especially over the longer term. But at the time of writing, the prevailing view seems to be that the Bank of England base rate – which high street banks use to calculate their own lending interest rates – will keep rising into 2023.

 

Markets currently expect the Bank to set interest rates at slightly less than 5% next year, before falling back a bit during 2024, possibly to around 3.5% to 4%. But this should be taken with a pinch of salt; opinions vary and, as we’ve all seen, events like a change of government can have unforeseen implications.

 

Should I fix my mortgage deal and how long for?

 

With a fixed rate mortgage, the amount of interest you pay is set for a certain period, which may be fixed for up to ten years. That means that, whatever the Bank of England does to base rates, the amount of interest you pay doesn’t change during that period.

 

The idea is that fixing a mortgage can protect you against rates going up. Of course, the opposite is also true; if the Bank of England rate goes down, you could be stuck in a situation where you are paying over the odds.

 

A fixed rate mortgage will generally have a higher interest rate than a tracker or variable rate mortgage, where interest rates rise and fall with the Bank of England base rate, though not always by the same amount. Lenders tend to set their variable rates a little higher than the bank of England base rate, and this can vary a lot, so it’s worth shopping around.

 

A difference of 1% might not sound a lot, but over the lifetime of a mortgage, it can add up to many thousands of pounds.

 

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, looking to re-mortgage or investigating switching your mortgage to another lender, it’s a good idea to run through the numbers over the lifetime of the mortgage. Often this can be done with advice from experts who can help make sure you’re getting the best deal for your circumstances.

 

How do I get ready to remortgage?

 

There are a few reasons why you might want to remortgage. Maybe you want to try and get a lower interest rate. Or maybe you’ve already paid for your property and now want to borrow some cash, using your home as security. Perhaps your circumstances have changed and you can now afford to make overpayments, but your current deal doesn’t allow it.

 

Either way, lenders want to be confident you can pay back your mortgage loan and they can reject your remortgage application if they have any concerns. But there are things you can do to make yourself as attractive as possible to mortgage providers.

 

Generally, the more equity you have built up, the better deal you can demand. Currently, lenders are unlikely to take you on unless you have at least 5% equity, but if you’ve already paid for 40% of your home or more, you should be able to secure a better rate. If you’re getting ready to remortgage it may be worth considering putting a lumpsum into the mortgage to help secure a better rate, and reduce your overall debt. This can help to bring down monthly payments and reduce the length of your mortgage.

 

Lenders will also want to check your credit score too, so it’s worth looking at this well in advance. There are things you can do to improve your credit score – such as building up credit with small loans and credit cards and paying it off each month – but it can take time to demonstrate that you can manage debt. And lenders are also obliged to check that you can afford the remortgage repayments, not just now, but also if interest rates were to go up in the future.

 

Be aware that changing your mortgage provider may come with fees; there could be an exit fee or early repayment charge to end your current deal, and your new lender might have product or application fees, so include these in your calculations.

 

And before you make your mind up, it may well be worth giving your current lender an opportunity to offer you a better deal before you jump ship. Many will offer existing customers more preferable rates than new customers and there are deals to be had.

 

Should I add other debts to my mortgage?

 

Mortgages can have among the lowest interest rates of any debt, so it can be tempting to consolidate other debts into your mortgage. But this should only be done with much caution. After all, a mortgage is secured against a property, so if things go wrong, you could even lose your home.

 

And mortgages are long-term loans, typically repaid over 25 years or more. So, although the rate is low, it builds up over a longer time and ultimately can mean that debts end up costing more, despite being on a lower interest rate. In some cases it can actually be cheaper to borrow at a higher rate of interest and pay it off more quickly.

 

If you are able to keep up the same level of repayments, it can pay to shift an expensive credit card debt, for example, onto your mortgage. But it’s worth exploring all the options, like personal loans or balance transfers, too. And make sure you do your sums carefully.

 

I’m a first-time buyer, how do I get on the housing ladder?

 

The most common way to buy a house is to save up a deposit, then borrow the remainder of the cost in the form of a mortgage from a bank or building society. You’ll usually need at least a 10% deposit in order to buy your first home.

 

In most cases, the bigger your deposit, the better deal you can get on your mortgage, so you’ll pay less back to your lender in interest payments over the course of the mortgage term. If you borrow less, your monthly repayments can be lower too.

 

But we know that teachers can sometimes struggle to save, especially at times like this when the cost of living is so high, and there is the challenge of affordability too with properties closest to schools often costing more. But there are schemes to help. For example, there are shared ownership schemes, where you buy a share of a property, typically between 10% and 75%, and pay rent on the rest. This helps bring down the initial deposit required, and some schemes prioritise key workers, including teachers. You can increase your share of the property later, when you can afford it.

 

First time buyers in England may also qualify for the First Homes scheme, where they can get 30% to 50% discount on a new build home. You can look for new homes in your area that are advertised by developers as part of the First Homes scheme. Other government schemes come and go, like the Help to Buy scheme, which just ended on October 31. So, it’s worth keeping an eye out for any new help that becomes available.

 

How do I get the best deal I can?

 

The difference between a good mortgage deal and a bad one can cost you hundreds of pounds a month. But, as a busy teacher, you’re unlikely to have the time to trawl through the market.

 

Working with an adviser can help, but make sure they are fully qualified and regulated. This should mean you are getting quality advice and if you don’t, you can turn to the Financial Ombudsman Service to investigate if things go wrong. They should also be able to search the whole market to find you the best deal, but some advisers only work with a small selection of mortgage providers, so make sure you ask first.

 

Check how they get paid too. Some advisers will charge you a fee for their advice, but others will earn a commission from the mortgage provider that they recommend, which won’t cost you anything. Either way, they should be transparent. And don’t be tempted to pay any fees upfront; a mortgage adviser should only earn their money once the deal has been completed.

 

The housing market can be difficult to navigate, but you don’t have to go it alone. A specialist adviser can help you save and guide you through the mortgage minefield so you can achieve your long-term financial goals and make the dream of home ownership a reality.

 

For more information visit www.wesleyan.co.uk

 

 

 

Stonyhurst College partners with Dynabook to bolster digital learning experience

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Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Roman Catholic independent school in Lancashire, England. It is the largest Catholic boarding school in the UK, with 800 pupils ranging between the ages of 3 and 18 from over 40 countries.

Stonyhurst was looking for a new partner to equip students and teachers with laptops to bolster the everyday learning experience and empower students to work anywhere. Working with reseller AMC, the college was keen to trial high-spec touchscreen devices capable of managing heavy processing apps for in-class learning such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Sibelius. It also needed laptops with long lasting battery power, capable of powering these applications all day long. This was alongside withstanding every-day bumps and drops and being lightweight to carry for extended periods of time. Additionally, teachers found themselves spending large amounts of time marking work and hoped implementing school-wide laptop use would streamline this process and increase overall efficiency. On top of this criteria, the devices needed to be built and ready within just two months in time for the start of term in September.

Sourcing a large-scale order during a period where there were many constraints on components due to ongoing supply chain issues across the industry presented an extra challenge for Stonyhurst. Multiple providers were struggling to secure the required parts for the 750 units required by the desired deadline. Dynabook proved to be the perfect partner for Stonyhurst to appoint as its sole provider of devices through AMC, delivering the large order in time for the new school year thanks to Dynabook’s unique position of having its own factory. It was able to directly fulfil the demand for Stonyhurst on a ‘Build to Order’ (BTO) basis in just six weeks, critical to the success of the initial trial phase.

Together with AMC and Dynabook’s BTO service, Stonyhurst ordered 750 Portégé X30W-J units which were customised to meet each of its desired specifications. This differed for both students and staff, right down to the disc size, memory, and processor. On arrival, AMC oversaw the setup of the units ensuring all the devices were ready for use with the correct applications and security software straight out of the box.

One of the biggest priorities for the college was long lasting devices to support students constantly on the move with no charger in sight. The Portégé X30W-J has proved unbeatable in this area, with the battery life identified by students as a key benefit of the devices. Students can comfortably run heavy-duty applications all day without worrying about where the next charge point is. When they do need to charge-up, the ultra-fast charging capability means it’s back and ready for another day within one hour of plugging it in.

Dynabook’s hands-on approach alongside AMC throughout the entire process, including visits to the college, ensured that Stonyhurst was kept up to date with the progress of the devices and its requirements were perfectly met and implemented into everyday school life seamlessly. From specification, it took just six weeks for all units to be successfully delivered, each of which was set-up and ready for students to simply switch on and use. Every student that required a laptop had a device ready to go, right in time for the beginning of term. AMC also supplied suitable laptop lockers within the college, providing additional peace-of-mind around the security of the devices.

Following the success of the Portégé X30W-J, Stonyhurst has placed a further order for 300 additional Portégé and Tecra laptops to ensure the rest of its staff are using the very best devices and are empowered in their everyday work. Now every pupil and employee at Stonyhurst is using a Dynabook laptop across the college.

Gareth Entwhistle, Director of IT Operations at Stonyhurst, said “Technology has revolutionised the education sector, making it increasingly clear that we needed to empower students with their own devices. However, ensuring these delivered on our specific requirements in the time needed was critical. Dynabook was great from the off, able to balance all our specifications while also providing quick and considered customer service. A year since its implementation, the 1:1 device scheme has delivered impressive improvements to the in-class learning experience for both students and teachers. For example, teachers are now able to provide verbal feedback to every pupil via voice notes on the devices – a personalised and streamlined experience that would never have been possible before. With the strength and reliability of the technology we’ve seen first-hand, we can trust it to deliver for whatever our students and staff require.”

Dawn Henderson, Education Sales Lead at Dynabook Europe, said, “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the success of Dynabook’s partnership with Stonyhurst College. Our BTO service gave us the flexibility and timelines we needed to provide Stonyhurst with the exact devices they needed and ensure both students and teacher had the right features to support and thrive day-to-day. We are delighted that Stonyhurst is extending its partnership with Dynabook and are looking forward to helping the college continue to benefit from technology in education in the future.”

Nick Bonnett, Technical Director at AMC, said, “The execution of this project with Dynabook and Stonyhurst College has exemplified the outstanding outcomes we can deliver when faced with close deadlines and supply chain issues. It’s been great to bring together our partnerships with both organisations to help Stonyhurst deliver a successful school-wide implementation of Dynabook’s market-leading devices.”

 

Over 3,000 West Midlands children receive financial education and other key life lessons

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Funding of almost £80,000 from the Wesleyan Foundation enabled the Little Chicks Life Lessons programme to be delivered to 10 primary schools across the West Midlands. It provided 9,450 books and reached around 3,150 primary school children.

Created by Midlands businesswoman Alison Delaney, Little Chicks Life Lessons is a unique education programme focused on developing the dreams and aspirations of primary school children and equipping them with key life skills.  

Wesleyan, the Birmingham-based financial services mutual, also supported the publication and distribution of two new books by Little Chicks Life Lessons including ‘Little Chicks Nest Egg’ which was specifically created in partnership to introduce early awareness and increase children’s understanding about the importance of savings and forming healthy financial habits.

As part of the support, Wesleyan financial advisors also delivered financial wellbeing workshops and webinars to every teacher within the funded schools.

Nadeem Bashir, Principal at Shirestone Academy, one of the participating schools added: ”The Little Chicks Life Lessons programme has had a such a positive impact on our children and teachers, inspiring them to explore their dreams and aspirations in a creative and structured way, as well as developing their financial awareness at an early age. We are thankful to Little Chicks Life Lessons and to Wesleyan for the dedicated resources provided to our school and the wider support for our teachers.”    

Alison Delaney, founder of the programme said “On behalf of all the children, teachers and schools that participated in the programme and benefitted from the funding provided by Wesleyan, I want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you. Your support will have a positive impact on the confidence, skills and prospects of the young children in our region and help them to develop their aspirations and dreams as they go through life.”  

Nathan Wallis, Chief of Staff at Wesleyan, said:  “ We’re committed to supporting the customers of tomorrow understand the importance of personal finance today. That’s why we were delighted to support the Little Chicks Life Lessons education programme, a ground-breaking initiative focused on building confidence, self-belief and financial awareness in children”

Micro:bit Educational Foundation partners with Code.org to Bring Power of Physical Computing to Educators Teaching the CS Fundamentals Curriculum  

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The two non-profit organisations have joined forces to empower teachers using Code.org with free micro:bit physical computing resources, helping bring code lessons to life   

 

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation, the education non-profit on a mission to inspire all children to achieve their best digital future, today announces a partnership with Code.org, a US-based education innovation non-profit, to offer teachers computing resources to complement use of the handheld micro:bit physical computing device as an extension to the Code.org CS Fundamentals curriculum.   

 

With over 70 million students and two million teachers subscribed to Code.org, this partnership will expand the reach of micro:bit’s physical computing resources to students around the world, helping both organisations achieve their shared goal of improving digital literacy and delivering richer teacher materials and tailored support to empower computer science educators in schools.   

 

Elementary school students using Code.org curriculum will now have access to new lessons which will show them how to bring code to life with a partner handheld computing device, the BBC micro:bit. Bringing a physical element to computing education is proven to greatly enhance how children – especially girls - learn how to program. Using the micro:bit helps make connections between the code entered on screen to real life, improving motivation to learn and building confidence with tech as their conceptual understanding grows.   

 

Micro:bit Educational Foundation works closely with schools, educators and some of the world’s biggest tech companies like Arm and Microsoft to help implement computing education at a young age and improve diversity in computer science. Its micro:bit programmable device is already used in over a third of UK schools and there are over 7 million in use internationally, supporting both block-based beginner coding and more advanced text-based skills.   

“Physical computing is a great way to engage students in computer science, and I’m excited that Code.org is expanding its offerings in this maker education space. We’re delighted to partner with to provide physical computing extensions to our existing courses, says Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi of the partnership.  

 

“Growing a diverse pipeline of tech talent who contribute to the creation of better technology in the world begins in the classroom. We are invested in excellence in computer science education for younger students and are excited by the size of the impact we can create together with Code.org to bring the benefits of physical computing to young learners.” Commented Gareth Stockdale, CEO at the Micro:bit Educational Foundation.  

 

Interested educators can learn more about the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and Code.org on their respective websites. The new micro:bit physical computing resources for CS Fundamentals are now live.  

 

 

About Micro:bit Educational Foundation   

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded in the UK in 2016, with the aim of inspiring every child to create their best digital future.  

 

We do this by:  

  • Developing hardware and software that inspires young people to get excited about technology and the opportunities it presents for them  
  • Creating free, user-friendly educational resources to support teachers in delivering engaging and creative lessons  
  • Working with like-minded partners to deliver high-impact educational programmes across the globe.  

 

 

About Code.org  

 

Code.org® is an education innovation nonprofit dedicated to the vision that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core K-12 education.  

 

The leading provider of K-12 computer science curriculum in the largest school districts in the United States, Code.org also organizes the annual Hour of Code campaign, which has engaged more than 15% of all students in the world.