Voice messaging app Sound Branch is not only set to get people talking again but is also hoping to improve methods of communication between teachers and parents in special educational needs schools.
Sound Branch is a speech to text transcription app that allows the user to record voice notes on any device at any time. The voice notes are recorded in 10 second clips and are called ‘seeds’. Once recorded and automatically transcribed into text, other users can reply and branch off each seed – starting up the conversation.
Using Sound Branch as a method of communicating, not only saves time but improves conversation and engagement, as a message can often be interpreted more clearly when it is heard through spoken word rather than written text. This idea of conversing in a more engaging and empathetic way is why Sound Branch could help to improve communication between teachers and parents of children in special educational needs schools.

For instance, one school in the UK has a large number of children who travel to school each day by taxi to accommodate their needs and wheelchair access. Each day, the teachers need to let each parent know that their child has arrived at school safely, as well as communicating any other issues.
Currently, the majority of teacher to parent communication is carried out through a handbook that gets sent home for parents to read at the end of each school day. This method is not only time consuming for both teachers and parents, but also lacks any room for empathetic connections between both parties.
Sam Dixon, Head of Education for WebAnywhere, recently visited the school and said: “The headteacher was looking for a system which would electronically record their notes, as they have to type up the communication onto their system as well as recording it in the book.”
“I introduced the headteacher to Sound Branch and showed her how to send a message home to a parent. She loved the idea of voice to text communication – so I’ve set them up with their own account and she’s going to get a small group of parents to trial it,” he added. “The aim is that it’s going to save them a lot of time and she’ll get more engagement with the parents through using it, rather than sending home a handbook.”
The headteacher of the school said that her concern with their current method of communicating through the handbook was around data protection and confidentiality issues. “With GDPR being such a big issue, I’m a bit uncomfortable with that diary going in a pupil’s bag at the end of the day and in a taxi with lots of other people,” she said. “Who could pick it up out of the bag? Who’s going to read it?”
“Although we have lots of telephone conversations with parents, I wanted to have an electronic home-school diary that could be shared with parents – but it had to be secure and had to be free,” she said. “Then Sam came along and showed us Sound Branch. I liked it because the written word can sometimes be misinterpreted, but with voice messaging, you can sound reassuring with parents. It also potentially could be time saving for us.”
She added: “I also liked the fact that Sound Branch recorded the conversations in text so that you could go back and look at your conversation history. I think we’ll get a range of responses so we’re going to pilot it first.”

The internet is a great way to chat with friends, stay connected and learn new things. But the online world can also be dangerous, and it’s important to know how to stay safe. We’ve put together a quick and easy guide full of top tips that will keep you safe when using the internet.

1 – Protect your identity

Never give out any personal information when using the internet, such as your address, your phone number or what school you go to. If you use social media, avoid posting photos that could reveal to someone where you live.

2 – Think carefully before posting

Once something is online, it’s no longer private and could potentially be shared with anyone. Before you post, think to yourself: should this be shared or kept private? Would I want parents or teachers to see it? If the answer is no, don’t post it.

3 – Keep passwords strong and check privacy settings

Use strong passwords with a mix of letters, numbers and symbols to make them harder for others to guess. Get in the habit of changing your passwords regularly, and never share them with anyone else. You should also check your privacy settings to see who can view what you post on social media.

4 – Have respect for others

You should treat others with respect online the same way that you would in real life. Be mindful about how your posts and comments might make others feel if you share them online. Never post anything which might cause harm or offense to the person on the other end.

5 – Be mindful of who you chat to

If someone you don’t know tries to add you as a friend, the sensible option is to delete the request. Always remember that people might not be who they say they are online, so be careful who you chat with and never share your personal details.

6 – Don’t meet people you don’t know in person

You should never arrange to meet up with somebody that you’ve met online in real life. Even if you get on with them online, they might not be who they say they are. If someone online is asking to meet you, tell a trusted adult.

7 – Have a healthy balance

If you find yourself spending too much time online, take regular breaks away from your computer or phone. You don’t want to miss out on experiences with your family and friends in the real world!

The humble mobile app has transformed numerous aspects of daily life.
Our social media apps give us the freedom to chat with people all over the world in seconds. Our banking apps let us manage our finances at any time, any place. And gaming apps keep us entertained on buses, trains and in waiting rooms.
But school mobile apps have even more to offer: they provide schools with streamlined ways to stay on schedule, communicate with parents and educate pupils via interactive tools. Any designed to help pupils learn may be downloaded on a parent or teacher’s smartphone as an educational aid.
Many school mobile apps are available today, so how do you know which are the best?
We’ve picked the top 8 below.

#1. School Jotter – School Web Design and Mobile App

School Jotter’s CMS is a complete solution for schools, empowering you with the means to update your website, add content, advertise vacancies, manage CVs, communicate with staff through text messages and more.
The School Jotter mobile app is an excellent complement to the CMS, providing parents with various features and information. They can:

• keep up to date with the latest school events
• view calendars
• read newsletters
• check out galleries
• view maps
• see what homework has been set
• complete forms on the school website
• take part in surveys
• book appointments for parents’ evenings
• send free instant messages

This helps parents stay informed of their children’s school’s latest events, keep in touch with teachers and much more.

#2. Duolingo

Educating primary-school children on a second language can be a real challenge, but Duolingo helps to make it simpler.
It has been called the ‘best language-learning app’ by The Wall Street Journal and is (perhaps best of all) free! Duolingo is designed to help users learn multiple languages, including:

• English
• Spanish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Dutch
• Russian

Duolingo makes learning new languages fun and interactive, utilising quizzes and bite-size lessons. This school mobile app is available on Google Play and iTunes.

#3. My Study Life

Staying on top of homework, exams and special occasions at school is difficult for young children, but My Study Life aims to change that.
This isn’t just a calendar app — you can use it to:

• see when work is due
• view when exams will take place
• set reminders for classes and unfinished work
• create timetables to reduce the risk of missed deadlines

My Study Life is a helpful app for schools, helping staff and pupils alike stay focused on tasks without confusing dates or classes. It’s available on Google Play and iTunes.

#4. Khan Academy

This free app is well worth looking into, providing access to a huge catalogue of videos and other learning resources across many subject areas.
You can use Khan Academy to:

• watch over 10,000 videos and explanations on maths, economics, history, science and more
• make education more interactive with over 40,000 questions
• try exercises and read articles on countless topics

Khan Academy gives teachers and children a vast catalogue of information, serving as an educational aid when studying a huge range of subjects. Achievements can be unlocked for a touch of gamification too, helping to engage pupils.
It’s available for download from iTunes only.

#5. Quizlet

Quizlet is a learning app based around flashcards, with multiple functions. This can be used by pupils as an aid to learning and practicing for tests through all years of primary school, as well as for teachers brushing up on subjects.
Quizlet offers the following features:

• prepare for tests and exams with the Learn section
• check your memory using Write
• share flashcards with other users
• implement custom audio and images to reinforce learning

Quizlet is free for the first seven days of usage, and multiple paid versions are available with additional functions. You can download it from iTunes and Google Play.

#6. WolframAlpha

WolframAlpha refers to itself as a real-life counterpart to the powerful computers seen on Star Trek, offering information on a massive variety of subjects using cutting-edge algorithms to create answers / reports.
Apple’s Siri is used in some aspects of WolframAlpha. This app can help with:

• elementary maths
• algebra
• astronomy
• geology
• animals
• plants
• dinosaurs
• climate
• calendars
• weather
• geography
• oceans
• historical figures
• linguistics

And much more!
WolframAlpha is an impressive school mobile app that to benefit teachers in the classroom and pupils at home. It’s not free, but its low cost and real potential makes it a worthy investment.
You can find it on Google Play and iTunes.

#7. Math Motion: Cupcake!

Many children struggle to learn maths, even at the most basic levels. Not only is the work itself difficult, but just the prospect of studying maths can be incredibly intimidating.
Math Motion: Cupcake! is a colourful, fun mobile app designed to help pupils develop their maths skills by running a cupcake business. It educates through such tasks as:

• fulfilling orders
• working out the cost of every cupcake
• paying loans back

Math Motion: Cupcake! shows how important maths is in everyday life in a practical, more engaging way. This app is available on iTunes only, for a modest price.

#8. Star Walk

Space is a fascinating subject to study at any age, but particularly in primary school. Today’s children have access to countless exciting resources on space, stars and astronomy, and Star Walk is a great way to help them learn.
Using Star Walk, you can explore the sky in real time, identifying planets and constellations using just a smartphone. It allows you to:

• locate and discover facts about celestial bodies
• study an astronomical calendar to find when eclipses, meteor showers, full moons and more will occur
• use the Time Machine feature to look at sky maps of the past and future
• explore the night sky with Night mode, making the app more comfortable to use

Many more features and functions are included, making Star Walk an indispensable aid to educating children on astronomy. It requires no internet connection.
You can download Star Walk from iTunes and Google Play for a small cost.

Each of these school mobile apps can help teachers, pupils and parents in a specific way, whether that’s building a reliable schedule, exploring historical events or even learning another language.
They’re simple to use and compatible with an extensive range of devices. Prices are generally kept low too, to suit schools on diverse budgets.
Have you used any of these apps, or do you have others to recommend? Let us know below!

Parents’ evenings are a common fixture in schools across the UK. These offer a valuable opportunity to discuss points (both good and bad) and ultimately build a stronger connection between the school and family unit.
Research shows a tangible link between parents’ evening attendance and test scores, highlighting just how important these events are in fostering progression in the classroom.
However, teachers and school administrators know only too well that organising a parents’ evening can be a real challenge — especially if you depend on outmoded processes.
A cutting-edge system designed to streamline the entire process is essential, but what can you expect from the best?

User-friendly accessibility is vital

Planning a parents’ evening can be much easier with the right software, but accessibility is crucial: any staff who struggle to use the system will feel frustrated and be more likely to make time-wasting mistakes.
The best parents’ evening system is well-designed and user-friendly, as welcoming to the novice as the seasoned, tech-savvy pro. Teachers and administrators of all levels should feel confident using the system to make bookings.
Parents, too, must be able to access the system to schedule appointments without becoming baffled. The aim of a good parents’ evening system is to minimise confusion and maximise convenience — and if someone has to pick up the phone to bypass the system, it’s a complete waste of time (and money) altogether.

Give parents flexibility to reschedule appointments

Plans change. Availability varies.
Parents may schedule an appointment with a teacher at a specific time, but be unable to actually make it due to commitments. Perhaps they can’t get away from work in time or have to see their doctor.
Whatever the issue, the best parents’ evening system will offer impressive flexibility, empowering parents with the freedom they need to reschedule appointments at any time.
Simply being able to hop onto the booking system to alter the time is a major convenience for busy parents, consuming far less time than having to call the school directly. Teachers and administrators can review the changes and be fully aware without depending on a receptionist to relay a parent’s message.
As a result, appointments are less likely to be missed and teachers will face less wasted time. A good system helps staff know exactly how much free time they have between appointments, enabling them to prepare for the next conversation or catch up on some marking.

The best parents’ evening system suits all schools

A good, reliable system will suit all schools: primary and secondary schools alike should be able to plan their parents’ evenings with equal ease.
Investing in software and tools is a big commitment for schools. We all know budgets are tight and every penny has to be accounted for. Paying for a parents’ evening system that fails to offer the simplicity and high performance you expect will leave you out of pocket for no good reason.
Busy staff simply don’t have the time to waste trying to wrangle a poorly-made, incomprehensible piece of software. The right system is easy to set-up and start using with minimal delay, in every school.

Communicate with parents quickly and easily

Communication is a vital element of any successful parent-teacher relationship. Both want the best for the child, and coming face-to-face at parents’ evening enables them to engage in an informal, honest way.
However, there are times when quick messages have to be sent to the parent, and the best system facilitates this with ease. For example, a teacher may want to confirm that the parent will be attending the appointment or check who to expect.
Sending messages through the system should be simpler and faster than drafting an email or picking up the phone. This allows teachers to enjoy hassle-free planning from their desk while they mark books or plan lessons; the right system streamlines this process, causing the least possible disruption to their day-to-day work.

Keep all bookings in one place

Your parents’ evening system keeps all information on appointments centralised, cutting down on confusion caused by scribbled notes and unclear emails. Messages passed from parent to receptionist to teacher may be delayed or miscommunicated, ultimately causing time-wasting mistakes on the evening itself.
A comprehensive booking and appointments system presents teachers with all the information they need to prepare for the parents’ evening. Parents can go into the calendar and book their own appointments, choosing those available slots best-suited to their own schedule; as a result, there’s less risk of troublesome double bookings.
Teachers and administrators can simply check the app at any time to clarify their schedule too, rather than having to track a hard copy down.

Gather data with reliable security

The ideal parents’ evening system empowers schools with strong reporting tools. You should be able to track parent attendance to identify those parents who failed to show, and monitor which teachers are fully-booked.
Full GDPR compliance is a must too, for everyone’s safety. Gathering data and recording people’s details demands a high level of effective security, providing peace of mind for all parents and teachers involved.
Administrators can organise and plan the parents’ evening without having to ask teachers about their appointments. All they need to help the event run smoothly is access to the app: once all slots have been taken, a complete rundown of the evening will be available.

Webanywhere’s Parents’ Evening System is the ideal solution for all schools, offering teachers and parents a simple, user-friendly way to manage bookings. The system has been designed to maximise convenience at every stage of parents-evening planning, and is a terrific complement to School Jotter’s other apps.
Want to know more about how our Parents’ Evening System can help your school organise key events? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert team!

Technology has already had a massive impact on the education sector, and none more so than mobile technology. We almost take for granted the fact that all manner of information is at our fingertips via mobile phones nowadays, but this can be hugely beneficial in an educational environment. Huge numbers of apps have appeared which are intended to improve the experience in education for pupils, parents and teachers alike. And that there is no doubt that these particularly resonate with young people.

Smartphone Dominance

Considering how culturally ubiquitous the smartphone has become, it is easy to forget that the concept is little more than a decade old. Indeed, the first iPhone only appeared in 2007, yet there are already more mobile devices in the world than people. And with technology on the horizon such as the Internet of Things, we can expect a lot more engagement with a wide variety of devices in the future.
If education is to remain relevant, let alone inspiring, to young people then it must harness mobile technology and the revolution that it represents. Businesses in all industrial sectors are taking advantage of the 24-hour accessibility that mobile phones offer. With the average person spending 90 minutes daily on their mobile phone, and many young people probably exceeding this figure, it is clear that mobile apps already have a captive audience.

Ease of Engagement

So an immediate advantage of mobile apps for schools and educational establishments is the ease of engagement involved. Mobile applications are precisely designed to be accessible, and easy for both parents and young people to both comprehend and utilise. There is no doubt that young people particularly enjoy using such technology, but school mobile apps can also boost parental engagement as well.
One of the big problems for many parents is simply juggling the commitments of their hugely busy lives. Very few of us are in a position where we can solely look after our children, without the need to earn a living. Unfortunately, this can often leave parents in a position where they are unable to engage with their children’s education to the degree that would be preferable.
This is where mobile apps come in. by providing and are easily accessible template, mobile technology can make it easier for parents to participate in the educational process, without having to make a massive commitment. Half an hour can invested here and there with any mobile platform, and young people can begin learning, and engaging with their parents as well, quickly and easily. Aside from bonding and connecting with their children, parents often even learn something from the process; enhancing their own knowledge of technology, and familiarising themselves with new concepts and information.

Affordability

Another attractive aspect of mobile applications is their affordability. The potential for mobile software to effectively provide additional educational support should not be underestimated. Before the advent of technology, such a role could only be performed by an adult guardian or carer. This would mean parents would either need to be in possession of a significant amount of technical knowledge on a certain subject, or else they would need to hire a specialised tutor. Needless to say, this would turn out to be more expensive, and often time-consuming, than utilising a convenient mobile app.

It should also be stated that mobile apps are particularly intuitive, and deliver an immediate interactivity that appeals to all users. Research indicates that people of all ages learn more quickly and effectively when they are able to interact with information, and this is undoubtedly one of the major strengths of mobile apps. Computer software is precisely designed to be interactive, and this can result in better educational outcomes for pupils, while parents can also pick up the information more readily as well.

Direct Interaction

Mobile apps also open up the possibility of direct interaction between children, parents, and schools. The connectivity of technology means that schools can be copied into the learning process, meaning that it is often possible for parents to communicate directly with teachers, and for the progress of young people to be monitored more easily. This sort of integration was, again, impossible before the advent of mobile technology, and represents a massive advantage of the niche.

Vast Information

And another obvious advantage of the mobile revolution is that it offers children and almost limitless palette of information and subjects to digest. Just a few decades ago, the subjects taught within school environments may have been rather limited, but mobile technology opens up massive possibilities in this area. There really is no boundary to what can be accessed and understood via mobile apps, with the process always being enhanced by rich interactivity and learning environments.
Research indicates that interacting with technology enhances the intelligence and cognitive processes of young people. When coupled with the sheer depth of data that mobile applications can deliver, this means that we are breeding a smarter and more well-rounded generation of young people. As more mobile apps become available, so this process will be enhanced.

Budget Pressure

With pressure on budgets in education departments and schools all over the world, it is clear that mobile apps, and technology in general, can play a major role going forward. If students are to gain access to the best quality of educational material, mobile apps are certainly one of the best sources of this information. Furthermore, they deliver teaching in a form that is compelling and easily comprehensible for young people, and encourage interactivity between children and parents.
It is no wonder that schools are enthusiastically embracing school mobile apps, and classrooms of the future will feature this technology as an inevitable fixture.

Increasing parental engagement can bring a wide range of benefits to any nursery or school. Studies have shown that it can improve the home learning environment, help with behaviour management and develop a real partnership between school and stakeholder. With this in mind, here are some straightforward steps that a school can take to attempt to ensure that parents don’t disengage from their child’s education.

Create learning for everyone

Offering workshops and courses based around subjects that your parents may find useful such as key developmental issues, behaviour, literacy or innovative play ideas can go a long way to increasing parental engagement.
These workshops are added value, and for a small investment in time and effort, a primary school can show that it wants to reach out to parents, involve them with some of the issues that they might be facing at home and go beyond the usual parents evening system or a quick chat whilst filling in an incident report at the end of the day.
Workshops and courses don’t have to be massively detailed, but if they include practical advice, a warm and welcoming atmosphere and something for parents to take home and consider, they can be a great way to build bridges. For maximum effect, make sure that these workshops occur at times where the most parents are available and if possible, try to change up the location – they don’t necessarily have to be held at school – to ensure as many people have the chance to access them as possible.

Make positive moments of contact

It’s often the case that negative contact can lead to parental disengagement. If the only time a parent hears from their children’s school is when something is going wrong, it’s understandable that the parent may withdraw.
To combat this, going out of your way to make sure that there are moments during the day where there is positive contact from school to parent is a simple and effective way to promote parental engagement. Showing a parent that it’s not just the negative things that get noticed and communicating with them some of the successes their child has experienced is a great way to bring them back into the partnership.
These can be planned into the daily routine (drop-off and pick-up points are obvious times) and support staff can also be utilised to make sure that there is always a point where the good things that are going on in your school are conveyed and a parent never feels as though communication with the school is undesirable. This is a simple, cheap and effective technique that can be broadened and embedded into a school’s ethos.

Use mobile apps

With the development of digital technology, making sure there is an open channel of communication and therefore enabling greater parental engagement has never been easier. A bespoke mobile app that allows a parent to easily access things such as school calendars, upcoming events like trips, and gives them a window into what is going on in a nursery goes a long way to closing the distance they may feel. Other barriers to communication such as time or geography are also overcome as parents can access this information wherever they are and at a time that is suitable for them.
Using a smart school website or mobile technology as a way to increase parental engagement means making use of tools that a vast majority of parents already own and are comfortable with. More details of Webanywhere’s own Mobile Jotter can be found here where you can explore some of its features.

These suggestions are simply the tip of the iceberg. They can act as a jumping-off point for a more in-depth consideration as to how a school can consider the best way to ensure that parental engagement is at the forefront of their practice. With these suggestions, a primary school can start to think about the best way to increase parental engagement, leading to stronger ties and better outcomes for all involved.

With the introduction of Amazon’s Alexa cloud based voice service, a whole world of interactivity between voice and technology has been opened. The key question for me however is; can we use the Amazon Alexa skills kit within schools.
With Alexa, you can build natural voice experiences that offer users a more interactive way to interact with the technology they use everyday. Using the Alexa skills kit you can add a usable skill to the Amazon Alexa device, for example, you could ask it to recite a school calendar date, or a parent could use it to monitor a child’s homework.
So how could Alexa be used within your school?

Head Teachers Blog

A Headteacher could use Alexa to create and curate a headteachers blog. From this, they would be able to do weekly updates or even daily updates on the progress of the school giving praise to children and inviting parents into the school making them far more involved.
We all know how busy parents are and we all know how busy headteachers are within a school. Using Alexa would be a quick and easy way to interact with parents without intruding on their already very busy lifestyles. Parents will be able to listen to the weekly or daily update from your school, while carrying out their other daily chores, not hindering they’re already very busy schedule. Headteachers or school Communications Officers will be able to use voice messenger apps like Sound Branch to leave brief audio notes on what is happening that day. Parents will be far more engaged with the goings on within the school and a lot less questions would be asked relating to a child’s daily activity.

School Calendar

In the future, a schools calendar will have the ability to be accessed via voice communication. Once the schools calendar has been synced with the audio technology any parent will have the ability to ask there smart speaker about upcoming events at the school. This can save the parents lots of time having to check an online web based calendar. Imaging asking a smart speaker when the next school football game was and getting an accurate response? This would dramatically reduce the time searching online calendars and ensure events are not missed.
iSAMS calendar integration with Alexa means parents can get audio notes from the school about what is going on, without any members of staff having to even get their phones or laptops out to record a single thing.
This service would be free of charge to any parent once that have a smart speaker at home at the school and would interface with any smart speaker on the market. As this technology becomes more prominent in society, more parents will rely on this form of communication. Some devices start from as cheap as £20 so it won’t exclude any demographic. The school would be charged a licensing fee based on the number of users which will allow even the smallest of schools to get this service.
Various providers of learning platforms in schools are working on integrating with smart speakers which will be used in class to help teachers workload and improve pupil performance. Webanywhere CEO, Sean Gilligan said: “We are reaching an inflection point where are Alexa echo and Google assistant are becoming quite prevalent both of mobile phones and smart speakers.”
He added “This new voice technology brings a multitude of possibilities to schools parents and children in terms of teaching and learning and communication.”

Listen to Sean Gilligan’s podcasts on this topic:

1. Alexa Skills for Schools
2. 10 Reasons to use Sound Branch and Voice Technology

The world of videography is changing rapidly with the introduction of affordable drones in the market. Their ability to carry HD cameras and fly over inaccessible areas makes them ideal for capturing amazing photos and videos. Total drone unit sales climbed to 2.2 million worldwide in 2017, and revenue surged 36% to $4.5 billion, according to research firm Gartner.
You have probably seen websites that already use drone footage on their homepage. This is becoming a trend now with more and more website owners being able to afford such unique and stunning graphics.
The most obvious advantage of a homepage with drone footage is that it grabs people’s attention. If you are a school looking to attract parents with your website there’s nothing you could add to your page that is more attractive than showing video footage of your school facilities and students playing, exercising or studying.

Adding Drone Footage to your Homepage

Drone footage is extremely customizable. If you use a school website provider that has their own drone, you have the opportunity to incorporate exactly the kind of footage you need for your school. You can tailor the material you get to your school’s brand, or your school website provider can do this for you.
If you are planning to purchase a drone for your school to create videos, you will need to get a drone licence from a CAA approved provider.

How to tell a story with your drone footage

Using drone footage is an ideal way to tell a unique story about your school. As you probably know stories usually follow the simple structure of: beginning – middle – end. Try and think of this structure in terms of daily school life. What do parents look for in a primary school? You should use this insight and respond to them with the right video shots. This will help you tell a story that parents can empathise with. It is the emotion within these stories that will resonate with the school community.

Examples of school websites using drone footage

St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary and Hawksworth Primary School are two of the first schools in the UK to use drone footage for their homepages. Webanywhere created the two websites using the leading school website builder, School Jotter.

As a result, the two websites attract more visitors and make the school community proud.
With a School Jotter website, it is easy to embed drone footage to your homepage without knowing how to code. School Jotter is known to be one of the easiest website builders to use and this is why more than 4,000 schools in the UK have School Jotter websites and mobile apps.

Webanywhere can help you create quality aerial footage of your school in the UK. We are known for our creativity, technical skills, and experience. Check out an example of a school website we recently created using drone footage and please feel free to contact us to discuss your next project. We look forward to hearing from you!

Transcript:

1.
EdTech is big business
“Investors state around 8.15 billion dollars in education technology in 2017 so EdTech is big business.”
2.
$9.5 billion EdTech market is 2018 with growth in China
“China has the world’s biggest market for school-aged children and it predicted 9.5 billion dollars will be spent in 2018 in Edtech.”
3.
18% year on year growth for EdTech
“Overall the rate of growth in the EdTech market is 18% year on year and the total global market is said to be worth 130 billion dollars.”
4.
Apple to challenge Google’s dominance of Education
“In order to challenge Google’s dominance of education Apple has just introduced a low-cost iPad with hopes of muscling its way back into schools.”

5.
200GB of free iCloud Storage for Education
“Alongside the introduction of low cost iPads, Apple is also offering 200gb of free iCloud storage for those in the education system.”
6.
Chromebooks vs iPads costings
“Last low-cost iPads at £212 or $299 Chromebook is still only $150 to buy.”
7.
Imbalance between the Tech and Education issues in EdTech
“Quite often the frustration from teachers in the EdTech market is that there’s more focus on the Tech than on the Education side of the coin.”
8.
83% of the market is dominated by Google, Microsoft and Apple
“Presently the EdTech market is dominated by Google, Microsoft and Apple with 83% market share what’s needed is new innovative companies coming into the market.”
9.
Learning Analytics, AI, augmented and virtual reality are trends to follow in EdTech
“Currently there is a shift away from tablets style kit to augmented and virtual reality tools artificial intelligence and learning Analytics.”
10.
Technology to make teaching easier
“Education technology needs to be carefully deployed to make teaching easier more efficient and more effective.”
11.
Technology will not replace the Teacher
“And a final word is that the technology will not replace the teacher the technology is merely the enabler to accelerate learning.”

Listen to our podcast about social media and young people’s mental health and wellbeing: