Teachers will lead the digital learning revolution in schools

More than 20,000 teachers from around the world will come together on Saturday, the 17th of April to recognise the leading role teachers have played in developing digital and educational solutions to the pandemic crisis at the inaugural T4 Education Teacher Tech Summit.

The COVID-19 outbreak sparked the biggest crisis in the teaching profession around the world. According to the UNESCO Global Education Coalition, since the start of the pandemic an estimated 63 million primary and secondary teachers have been affected by restrictions forcing schools to fully or partially close.

For many of these educators, trends in remote learning have been dramatically accelerated as schools adopt and adapt new practices to ensure their pupils continue to receive a high-quality education.

The resulting disruption and rapid change has ignited a world-wide digital learning revolution with teachers on its frontline, embracing new tools and discovering new methods to deliver their lessons. During the pandemic there has also been an explosion in teachers sharing their best practices, promoting greater innovation and creativity through informal collaboration.

While the pandemic has posed huge challenges, the crisis offers an opportunity to transform and reimagine education with teachers leading the digital learning revolution.

The T4 Education Teacher Tech Summit will bring educators together from around the world and is designed to provide a platform for them to share their expertise and experiences using educational technologies. The event will focus on the following themes:

  • Designing learning for hybrid environments
  • Engaging learners online
  • How to create good digital content
  • Assessing learning online
  • Ensuring no-one is left behind in online learning

Attendees will get the chance to hear from pioneering frontline teachers who have led the digital revolution in their schools, as well as from renowned world leaders like the OECD’s Director for Education and Skills, Andreas Schleicher; Dr Sara Hennessy from the University of Cambridge; and, Ross Morrison McGill, the Founder and CEO of Teacher Toolkit.

T4 Education recognises that it is teachers who will be key to unlocking the global education recovery from this crisis. On the 8th of April, T4 Education will also be launching a new Insights Survey – the first of its kind and in collaboration with the Cambridge University EdTech Hub and OECD – that will learn directly from frontline teachers all over the world about their professional experiences over the past year, and how they have mobilised to overcome the numerous challenges this unchartered period has generated. You can participate in this survey by following this link.

The event is free of charge and will take place online on Saturday the 17th of April between 12 pm – 3 pm GMT. T4 Education will stream the event live and in English, with subtitles in the following additional languages: Arabic, Bengali, French, Hindi, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Urdu. To register your attendance, please follow this link.

Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education, said:

“The past year has been an incredible journey for teachers worldwide. Teachers have rapidly gone from a situation where restrictions caused great uncertainty, to now using technology in innovative ways to deliver fantastic educational outcomes that are fulfilling their pupils and school’s ambitions.”

“Throughout, we have seen amazing collaboration amongst teaching peers in every country, where they have played a leading role in creating the solutions to the unprecedented challenges they have needed to overcome. The results are not only benefitting millions of children and whole communities worldwide, but also the profession.”

“However, much of this work has been informal. Our Teacher Tech Summit is designed specifically to provide a platform for teachers to share their knowledge from the past year and their techniques with a global audience.

“This way, together we can showcase the amazing work of teachers and share best practice that will support the global community.”

“If you are a teacher, join us and more than 20,000 other educators on the 17th of April to learn from the best – learn from teachers, like you.”

Ross Morrison McGill, Founder and CEO of Teacher Toolkit commented:

“I have been in touch with a number of teachers around the world, learning about their experiences and how they have juggled their workloads with the switch from physical to online teaching and learning.”

“What is very clear from my work is how the world needs teachers. While the profession has been knocked due to this crisis, I am extremely optimistic by the number of teacher-led digital initiatives that are generating great results.”

“From simple conversations, good ideas can filter to the top. Bringing people together who are passionate about education and edtech is essential. T4 places teachers back at the forefront of these conversations and enables those who are supporting schools, to be better informed.”

Mario Herraez Velazquez of eTwinz said:

“As a teacher and an advocate of digital learning, I have been astounded by the pace of transformation over the past year. The teaching profession has gone from having very little experience of edtech on the whole, to it becoming a core element of how we plan, prepare and execute our lessons.”

“The use of edtech and digital learning solutions – while necessary in the pandemic – will only serve to benefit teachers, schools and learners around the world in the future.”

“I am looking forward to sharing the teaching and learning practices I have developed with my brother with the international audience that will be attending the event.”

Matt Granados, a SEN Teacher at Swiss Cottage School’s Development and Research Centre, commented:

“Teaching colleagues around the world are incredibly adaptive, creative, and resilient to changes they encounter every day.

This last year really has shone a light on just how innovative practitioners are, utilising technology to overcome previously unimaginable circumstances.  Through this inventiveness and consistent drive to develop learners, whatever the circumstance, edtech has been at the core.  

This inspirational event brings together our pioneering global teaching community to celebrate the impact teaching teams have had on learners, and vitally, to share these invaluable insights using edtech.”

Dr Sara Hennessy, Co-Director of the EdTech Hub, said:

“It’s been an incredible and seismic year for teachers worldwide, with an astonishing acceleration of digital technology use in education. At the EdTech Hub, we’ve been working at full steam with our partners to explore how to address the persistent challenges and inequities in access to devices and connectivity that the pandemic has brought into sharp relief – in high-income as well as low- and middle-income countries. We’ve seen schools employ a range of available low- and high-tech tools in creative ways, offering some glimmers of hope concerning what’s possible to ensure all learners globally can make progress. Teachers and their professional development are absolutely pivotal in this.”

“This event is vitally important because by showcasing the leading role that teachers have played in the adoption of tech, and sharing creative practices with peers around the world, we’ll continue to build on this going forward, aiming to leave no-one behind.”

John Baker, CEO of D2L, commented:

“Learning is what raises us up in every society; it ripples through generations. D2L is proud to support T4 in celebrating those educators who do this every single day and will continue to build the best technology platform to support them in creating the most impactful learning journeys.”

Denis Mizne, CEO of The Lemann Foundation, commented:

“The pandemic represented a serious threat to education all around the world, especially to the most vulnerable students”.

“Throughout, teachers have been fundamental to adapting the delivery of education online. I am proud of the numerous initiatives the Lemann Foundation has been a part of, working to support teachers and students.”

“The results are a number of inspiring collaborations between teachers and technology who have co-created solutions to overcome challenges. I am looking forward to sharing these initiatives with the other delegates at the T4 Education Teacher Tech Summit.”