Jan #Edu resources - part 4

Happy Saturday folks. We are now in the "home straight" for the month of January, and (as I may have mentioned a few times recently), just about to head off to #bett2024 and for those lovely folks on the other side of the pond, the brilliant #fetc2024. It just gets busier and busier from here on in.

I am determined to keep this week's update a little more concise than last week's monster, so let's just dive into the important bits.

Future of Education Technology Conference is next week in sunny Orlando, running from the 23-26th at the Orange County Convention Centre. You can find all the details about the event (I was there last year, albeit it was in New Orleans then, and honestly, it was excellent) from this link. Plan your visit using the schedule of sessions from here, I'd also recommend you follow the fab Jennifer Womble and brilliant Victoria Thompson, M.S. for all the latest news and excitement. Of course, I am biased, but if you are attending, reach out to Maggie Layfield and meet her team at booth #2516. (more info here)

Do I need to introduce you to many things about Bett Global ? I am guessing most readers will be all too familiar at this stage. Other than the obligatory wearing of comfy shoes, bringing water with you, etc, the key to any successful event is planning in advance. Who do you want to meet, which vendors are of interest, which #CPD sessions you really want to join (and there are a lot), get them planned out in advance, and you will hopefully maximise the value of your visit. The key resources I shared are below again, for those who are a bit "lastminute dot com" ;)

? This quick guide to #Bett2024, sessions to attend, getting the most out of your visit alongside tips and questions for engaging with vendors. Download here.

? A load of BETT resources from the team at NetSupport. (Stand #SD50)

? The Bett buyers guide in conjunction with EdTech Impact. Download here.

? The #Bett2024 official preview guide. Download here.

? Register for a last-minute ticket (come on, you know you want to) - grab yours here.

? If you want to really maximise your visit to #bett2024, then attend the day before the ISTE at Bett Global (Tues 23rd) for their "Education Leadership program" - sign up here. Oh, and connect with Laurie Forcier as well.

? The lovely folks at Naace - The EdTech Association will be launching their new "EdTech: Where Are We Now?" research project at 11am on Friday in North Gallery Suite 15 at #Bett2024. They are looking to hear from thousands of schools from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales about the current stages of their journey with technology. You can find out more about the research and how to get involved here.

Naturally, I would love to meet you folks, so most of the week, between speaking and panel sessions, you can find me with the most amazing team of folks from NetSupport on stand #SD50, where other than copious amounts of hugs, handshakes and laughs, I'll be doing loads of on-the-fly interviews with interesting folks who just rock up, ready for future articles....so do come and join the conversation.

My #Selfie skills are better in #Ai than in real life, but fortunately, many of my buddies like Matt Jones , Kat Cauchi and Mark Anderson FCCT will also be on hand for a natter and much more professional "snap" ??. Can they compete with Abid Patel #SelfieKing ?!? There is a very cool new selfie wall on the NetSupport Stand that you will definitely want to check out ;) Just saying.

I saw a great post (and image) shared by the lovely Angela Fairs FRSA, MCCT, NLP Certified Coach last week; it really resonated with the spirit I have always tried to apply for everyone I meet in education, so consider this when meeting others at #bett2024 and you won't go far wrong!

If I may be so bold, do come and join me on a panel with the brilliant Laura Knight ? , Dr Neelam Parmar FCCT , Janice Ross and Adam Raistrick on Thursday at 3.15pm in the Teaching and Learning Theatre, for what is guaranteed to be a really informative session on "Why multi-school groups need a robust digital strategy to grow", and a very personal reminder, to come and get a signed copy of one of my books from the brilliant Kami team on stand #SF20 on Thurs at 11am.

My #wellbeing assistant 'Ferdi' has been busy sorting book supplies ready for the show. Hachette Learning / John Catt is becoming Hachette Learning

Well, the good news is that planning and prep, I did manage to capture some great #Edu sharing this week as well, so here are a few that might be of interest.

#Education

? A great one from Jim Knight to kick off this week, with a share from Andreas SCHLEICHER about the importance of emotional resilience alongside academic achievement. The article on the OECD - OCDE website "Building emotional resilience in times of change – insights from PISA" was published fairly recently but definitely worth a read here.

I loved this conclusion from Andreas "We need to advance from a world in which students are seen as consumers of prefabricated educational content, teachers as service providers and parents as clients towards a world in which education becomes a shared enterprise geared towards helping the next generation build a reliable compass and the tools to navigate with confidence through a rapidly changing world"

? I always expect something "meaty" and research-based from the fab Cristóbal Cobo, and this was just as expected; shared from 世界银行 : "Digital personalized learning: A cost-effective solution for math remediation for college students" is a really interesting read. Relating to a case study in Ecuador, with some positive conclusions about how personalised learning tools can help close the skills gap.

? Whenever I need to upskill my #SEND skills, you can be sure that Dr Pooky Knightsmith won't be far away. She is such a generous sharer with her resources, and this week, her focus is on "Meeting the Mental Health needs of Learners with SEND" - a brilliant 45-slide deck for you to download alongside links to loads of related resources. You can find it all here.

? Now I have reached an age where the topic of #Memory is one that I am both fascinated by and frustrated with. I'm sure some of you will know exactly what I mean. Carl Hendrick shared a great article on "The “important peculiarities” of memory". Now I know she sang a few songs ????, but I didn't know that Bjork & Bjork also researched that the human memory is not like a tape recorder or a computer. It has what they called “important peculiarities”, four of which are really important to know when planning teaching. Carl explains more here in a really interesting article.

? A very handy discussion resource from the lovely folks at Natterhub on "Embracing Responsible Screen Time: Shifting the Narrative on Parental Guilt", as the article concludes...."parental guilt surrounding screen time can be reframed into a proactive approach to safeguarding children online. By embracing the digital era and providing the necessary education and tools, parents can empower their children to navigate the online world responsibly." Have a look here.

? Melissa McBride ?? shared a great read from Schools Week "Can online schools solve the post-Covid attendance crisis?" and as she signposted, "It’s a commentary on the different needs of young people rather than tarnishing the reputation of schools." - I agree there is a need to recognise that one size doesn't fit all and we shouldn't see the rising choice of provision as a threat to the mainstream, but an opportunity to better meet every child's needs. Have a read here.

? Here is one you definitely need to grab, it's by the super lovely Dr Leila Khouja Walker - "8 Tips for Effective Lesson Planning" this is an excellent resource that you can download with a free signup here.

? I always like to spotlight new folks sharing great resources, so please connect with Bonnie Nieves and her newsletter "Educate on Purpose Weekly" Last week's issue was jammed with insights and ideas around "every teacher is a writing teacher." Do take a look and subscribe.

? Great share from Martin Fitzwilliam on "Unlocking Learning Beyond the Classroom: The Vital Role of School Trips" and how E-ACT incorporating well-thought-out and carefully chosen school visits into the primary curriculum is a reflection of their dedication to offering a holistic education for every single child. You can find his article here.

? A quick reminder that in just over a week time (Feb 1st), there is a great online event organised by the lovely folks at John Catt is becoming Hachette Learning , their "Wellbeing in Education Conference" You can find out more about the event from here, which features some great speakers, including Kirsten Colquhoun . Aidan Harvey-Craig , Clare Wood , Dr Kimberley O'Brien and more.

? A really interesting read from the very experienced Mark Steed in his Steed Education blog. "Why hybrid schools are the future of secondary schooling", it's an excellent read, well considered, and even preempts likely objections. Have a read and share from here.

? Superstar Abid Patel , alongside a few others shared a reminder that the Department for Education has just updated the advice on "Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges". You can read the updated guidance here.

? On a similar theme the department also released updates on their " monitoring of devices in schools and colleges." You can find a handy summary here as well as links to the guidance.

? The clock is ticking and it's only a few weeks until #SaferInternetDay (Feb 6th), I hope to be able to share plenty of resources by then, but as a starter, check out Natterhub it's a scenario-based online safety learning platform that teaches the soft skills that really underpin digital citizenship. With Safer Internet Day and Children's Mental Health Week coming up soon, I reckon it's a perfect time to take a look at their interactive lessons. Find out more here.

? Ok, well another #Superstar Mary Myatt , is introducing a new version of her Teachers Collection. She will be sharing all the details on Jan 29th online at 5pm and you can register here. (Think all library resources, planners, access to her Primary subject networks, knowledge bites, curriculum booster course and more) It's definitely one for primary educators.

? This is a bumper list, courtesy of top man Tom Tolkien from Schoolreadinglist.co.uk , with a recently updated "Online courses and training for teachers". So many great resources and ideas all in one place. Take a peek here.

?Mr "Microsoft Edu" Mike Tholfsen shared a bumper set of news and updates in advance of #Bett2024, check out all the news from Microsoft Education right here. Updates include news on Reading Coach, Teams EDU updates, including AI, Loop becoming available, Microsoft Copilot in EDU, Reflect and OneNote EDU.

? We all need to curate fresh ideas, think big, and think outside the box. Sometimes, it comes naturally, and sometimes we need a spark from others, so one newsletter I would encourage you to subscribe to is from Ben Whitaker "The Ideas Guy" - start adding to your "ideas box" from here.

#Ai

? A great share by Lynne Taylerson with a new primer from Jisc 's National Centre for Ai covering different types and functions of #Ai alongside practical uses in education. You can find the "Generative AI Primer" here. (This is version 1.3 of the resource, which was just updated in January.)

? Leon Furze has been blazing a trail of late, and I always discover an interesting read from him each week; earlier this week, he shared an article by Cory Doctorow "What Kind of Bubble is AI?". It's a really interesting thought piece, and as Cory says, "Tech bubbles come in two varieties: The ones that leave something behind, and the ones that leave nothing behind. Sometimes, it can be hard to guess what kind of bubble you’re living through until it pops and you find out the hard way."

? #Cheating & #Ai is never far from the discussion groups, and Clara Lin Hawking shared some interesting, updated statistics for 2023 on NerdyNav ( another new site to me). The "ChatGPT Cheating Statistics & Impact on Education" shares lots of stats sourced from a wide variety of surveys and adds some more context to the "where are we now" discussions. The takeaway from the article was, "Let’s teach students to use AI as a starting point, not the final product. Encourage them to create initial drafts with AI, then guide them on how to improve, add their own insights, and truly make it their work." Have a read here.

? Never mind cheating, #Ai guru Darren Coxon is starting to feel #GasLit by ChatGPT. If you have started to feel your #Ai tool is starting to get a bit lazy then had a read of his post here, as usual, he is right and I suspect this will resonate with many.

? Fab one from Chris Goodall , "AI in the Classroom – Are You Ready to Engage?", who has designed his own model to help when talking to teachers about their classroom practice. Similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You can read his article here, which also includes a link to a handy slide deck PDF.

? Another great share from Barbara Anna Zielonka from ZDNET "AI will have a big impact on jobs this year. Here's why that could be good news", it's a good read with some interesting perspectives, and with more #Ai adoption by companies one view shared "People will be able to do things, not only faster, but more cheaply and they'll actually spend more time on the human elements -- the thinking time, the decision-making time -- that are essential to value-added processes." The sooner we recognise the value of those true human skills, the better for all. Have a read here.

? Becky Allen shared a handy read in her blog "Artificial Incentives: Will students feel motivated to work for their?AI-masters?" as she concluded, she "does suspect the future of education will leverage the strengths of technology, materially changing the structure of lessons and independent learning, while retaining the irreplaceable human elements of mentorship and emotional support" Have a read here.

? Not an #Ai one, but handy for all those 谷歌 educators, with a great share from Patrick H. on how to share Google Drive files to Google Calendar Meeting attendees. Have a read here.

? A very interesting one from the genuinely top man Jon Tait featuring a new #Ai solution called Vibbl , taking a quick teacher brain dump and turning it into polished feedback or end of term report comments. It looks really interesting, so have a quick watch here.

? Now, at some point, you have likely been sitting having your breakfast and thought to yourself, I really need to understand this topic better..."What is Multimodal Generative Artificial Intelligence?", well as if by magic, Leon Furze has a very informative summary just for you. It's a great read and worth taking time to dive in here.

? Another weekly #AertsAlert from Carla Aerts (looking forward to seeing you next week), on a really hot topic, this time on Sifted.eu "AI has a trust problem — meet the startups trying to fix it" highlighting how young companies are trying to build new AI architectures that fix a lot of the big problems around trust and reliability of today’s latest models, Have a look here.

? Never complain when I get a 2-for-1 from Carla, so also check out this great share from 麦肯锡 "In digital and AI transformations, start with the problem, not the technology"..companies need to understand the problems they want to solve and rewire their organizations for continuous innovation. Really interesting read here.

? Have you checked out the website Day of AI ? It provides a comprehensive curriculum designed to introduce students of all ages #Ai. It's definitely worth investigating here. in addition Ben Kornell shared the great #Ai literacy lessons from Common Sense Media , which you can find here.

? Amanda Bickerstaff shares so many brilliant resources, this one I spotted was a "Student Guide for AI Use" whch has an excellect and really clear infographic you can download for your students. Check it out here.

? This one certainly got my grey matter working hard, Lisa Durff PhD shared this artice from EdSurge "Anthropomorphism of AI in Learning Environments: Risks of Humanizing the Machine", very interestign read an of course I support the focus on using #Ai to complement those uniquely human abilities. Have a read here.

Just another reminder, if you are heading to any conferences in the coming weeks, courtesy of the lovely folks at Educate Ventures Research ; when considering #EdTech utilise the recently published DfE EdTech Quality Frameworks and Standards Review (co-authored by some of the Educate Ventures Research team) which identified some key characteristics of "quality" #EdTech products. They are listed below.

1?? Quality #EdTech products meet users' needs - product design demonstrates an understanding of the real-life demands of the educational ecosystem.

2?? Quality #EdTech products enable and support digital pedagogy - learning sciences research and best pedagogical practices inform the design of products that enable greater levels of learner motivation, engagement and personalisation.

3?? Quality #EdTech products develop digital competencies for learners and for teachers - using EdTech products provides the opportunity to develop transferable skills such as digital creativity, solution design and interactive collaboration.

4?? Quality #EdTech products adopt an evidence-informed approach - design processes that are under-pinned by evidence and research offer reassurance and facilitate user evaluation.

When it comes to evaluation, considering the quality of evidence underpinning EdTech products is crucial. Connect with their review team, including Rose Luckin , Dina Foster , Muhammad Ali , Dr. Ekaterina Cooper , Laurie Forcier to find out more and if you haven't seen it, check out the EdTech quality characteristics: framework and standards review here.

Ok once again, this ended up being bigger than I planned and I think that's definitely enough for today... see you at Bett on a stage or at stand SD50 ( I'll likely be the one and only person in a sports jacket ;)

I've hit that point where a coffee refill is needed. Have a fab weekend and remember to keep lighting those candles!

Al.

??2023 EduFuturist of the Year

??2023 Outstanding Achievement winner - Educational Resources Awards (ERA) Awards

??2023 Inspiring Leader winner - British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) Awards