July #Edu resources - part 3??

Happy Saturday folks, and welcome to the 3rd edition of July. It's the end of the academic year pretty much everywhere now, and i have seen a noticeabel slow down in #Edu news, albeit still lots on the #Ai front. So with that in mind, I am going to take a few weeks to work on another writing project (will share more below) and be back in a month to resume my weekly #Edu news.

So, here are a few quick highlights from this week. Firstly, and thankfully, it hasn't been quite so hectic and I have had more time to reflect and plan. I did have chance for a lovely chat with Nicola S Morgan at the beginning of the week, and a constructive co-production session with folks from the Department for Business and Trade on new international CPTPP guides on Digital and Tech. (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership). We had our last board meeting of the year at Hampton Academies Trust , and what a year, just such an amazing and resilient team. #Proud

I was invited to join a panel for the Multi Academy Trust Association (MATA) with a "Spotlight on: Taking your Digital Vision Forwards" alongside that lovely chap Daren White and Andy Mackey . I had a catchup with our Combined Authority Mayor discussing lots of positives and opportunities right now in our region, joined a roundtable discussion on planning for #skills in our region, and of course had lots of sensible and creative conversations with the NetSupport team.

Let's dip our toes into this week's veritable ocean of knowledge. ??

#Edu

?? So, as I alluded to above, I am working on my 4th book, this time with the lovely folks at?Routledge Education,?and as you all know, I always want to learn and reflect with others. So, If you work in Edu, i'd love to capture your views on a few topics. I have included a short form, which is just to register any of the topics you would be willing to share your perspectives on. I don't ask often, but your support would be hugely appreciated. Any system leaders would be really helpful too. ? Please take a look here and feel free to share if you know someone who would be interested.

And as always - Thank you!

?? Nick Dennis shared a good read from the Harvard Business Review on "The Discipline of Teams" which is definitely worth a read. Nick highlighted one quote that really resonated for him "Think about the difference between “the boss holds me accountable” and “we hold ourselves accountable.” It's well worth a read from here.

?? One for my readers in England, Tony Parkin shared the latest report from FFT Education on "The current state of play for MATs". Lots of really interesting data and evidence for the gradual move to larger MAts across the system. Have a read here.

?? Please read this post by SJ White this week, it will either make you angry, frustrated, disappointed or embarrassed, and I think I felt a bit of all of those emotions. Think personal safety, think respect, think inclusion and then PLEASE just read this post. This has also influenced my choices for this week's #CandleClub.

?? Simon Blower from Pobble Education shared "25 Sports-inspired writing activities" that might be handy for next year (when we have had time to forget about this week's results). Grab a PDF copy here.

?? Ross McGill shared "A NEW approach to marking" saying "If schools want to retain teachers and support their wellbeing, they should reconsider how they can take the dialogue of marking one step further towards a richer approach for quality assurance". You can find his short article here, and it's a nice intro to his new book (Congrats) "The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Feedback" which is available in September, but you can pre-order from here. I've included this in the wrong section, but heck, I'm a rebel, and I suspect (know) this will be hugely popular. It's on my Virtual Bookshelf below as well.

?? John Gougoulis MEd, FAIM, MICDA shared an interesting article from Education Review magazine titled "A lot of catastrophising:” Standardised tests don’t show decline" after a University of New England researcher has collated 25 years' worth of Australian students' test results and found there has been no significant decline in three out of the four major tests students take. Well worth a read here.

?? Talia Vilaire shared a good read from Education Next "Don’t Stop Reading to Your Kids" (Even when they’re avidly reading on their own), and this article highlights some of the profound benefits of continuing to read aloud to them! Have a read (aloud if you like) from here.

??One from Edutopia - George Lucas Educational Foundation with a common question (still) "Do I Need to Use Tech for That Lesson?" with some tips for finding the right technology for your students, and knowing when to go tech free. Have a read here.

??A handy share from Barbara Anna Zielonka from Digital Promise on "How Text-to-Speech Technology is Breaking Barriers for Math Learners", it's a short one but worthy of the list. Take a peek here.

She also shared another really interesting read, given all the discussions around phones in schools of late. "3 Schools, 3 Principals, 3 Cell Phone Bans", three schools have recently implemented policies banning mobile phones in some or all areas of the school—but each has taken a very different approach. Have a read here.

?? A very helpful share from Beth Havinga on work undertaken by the European Edtech Alliance where they had discussed the surge in the number of frameworks for the evaluation of #Edtech products, and the need for greater collaboration and alignment among stakeholders. You can access their full workshop summary and resources from here.

??Another great share from Claire Emery , this time on a new report from the National Governance Association on "the time it takes to govern in schools & trusts." Claire commented "This NGA report highlights (again) why every governing board needs effective support from a paid Governance Professional. Organisational context and complexity determine the level of skills, knowledge and experience required of the postholder (as well as the board). Leadership of governance in multi-academy or school trusts involves working with multiple stakeholders to facilitate the development and implementation of highly effective governance policies, systems and practice." Take a look at the report here.

??A bit more of a "Meaty" read with this share from the top man Bob Harrison of a report by John Traxler "Policies, Pedagogies and Technologies to Complement MOOCs for Teacher Professional Development" ..that's a Massive Open Online Course if you aren't familiar. As John explains, "the report explores innovative uses of digital technology to support and deliver teacher development in low-income countries and disadvantaged regions. The report also emphasizes flexibility, sustainability, and cultural sensitivity through social media, emerging pedagogies, and technological solutions and addresses the challenges of delivering scalable, cost-effective solutions while working with diverse, hard-to-reach communities". Worth adding to your summer reading list here.

?? Matthew Koster-Marcon shared an "important rallying cry" from Jaine Stannard in her article for Schools Week "Why we need an ambitious ‘net zero’ target for attendance" suggesting a moonshot goal to see every child in school and ready to learn by 2050 could galvanise society to put an end to the attendance crisis. You can read the article here, and read the roadmap from School-Home Support from this link.

?? Jamie Clark enjoyed his conversation with Dr Nathaniel Swain on a recent episode of Teachers Talk Radio that he designed a fab poster about it. All about #SOL (the science of learning). Check out his post here with links to the discussion.

?? I loved this one from Tom Bolton , reminding us that "Educators need to become storymakers." As Tom explained "I don’t mean they need to learn how to tell a story - even though that's a useful tool in a teacher’s arsenal. No, I mean something else. Teachers need to craft learning experiences like writers craft stories." You can discover more here.

?? A good share from Ellen Ullman and a different perspective from EdWeek Market Brief with "School Librarians: the Overlooked Ed-Tech Influencers" noting that for education companies, school librarians can serve as important points of contact – particularly because their sphere of influence touches not only students and teachers, but also in many school systems, top-level administrators. Have a look here.

?? A fab one from the lovely Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith linked to her work with LEO Academy Trust in The Guardian last week, titled "Teaching and tech: the pupils getting a head start in the digital world" highlighting "Schools and colleges that are trailblazers in the use of educational technology are keen to share what they’ve learned with other institutions" Have a read here, it's a good one.

??I suspect many of you UK side will have seen this, but just in case, John Dolman shared this article from Tes "OCR review set to call for curriculum and exams overhaul" stating that the "Exam board review has found that the balance of assessment at secondary is ‘completely wrong’, according to a former education secretary." You can read, with a subscription, from here.

?? Mike Tholfsen shared a great Infographic on "Digital Tools to Support Dyscalculia" utilising Microsoft Education tools. The guide was written by Heather Aird and after taking a look at her fab website, it turns out she has loads of amazing "quick guides". You can find them all here.

?? Well, we are all thinking of creative ways to mitigate our recruitment and retention challenges in our schools, so this article on Schools Week caught my eye with "United Learning to offer alternative pension and boost starter salaries to ￡45k", in essence an offer to have more in your pocket in return for a smaller pension contribution by your employer. Union's are alarmed, but at least they are trying to think of options to meet the recruitment challenge. I know we would just like more funding and national pay increases, but this could be a pragmatic solution (for some), while funding remains unlikely to change significantly. Have a read and see what you think.

??The lovely Jo Malone, FRSA from the The Foundation for Education Development shared an excellent (and free) "Climate Change and Sustainability Toolkit" offering a wealth of resources and guidance. Take a look here.

??One for schools and organisations in the East of England, check out the fab Form the Future CIC team and their work supporting young people to find their route through education into employment, and provide employers access to their future talent. Take a look here and connect with them.

?? Ben Whitaker has definitely become a regular in my newsletter, and this week he shared some breaking news from UCAS about changes to their application process. "UCAS to replace personal statement essay with three questions to help disadvantaged people", this feel like a positive, and as Ben commented, may well be linked to availability of Ai use in application essays. Have a read here.

??Have you discovered the "Talking Out of School" #Podcast with Matt Zalaznick ? I hadn't until Maggie Layfield shared a recommendation. Some great conversations, where Superintendents, principals and other key figures in education share their experiences, strategies and forecasts for K12 public schools. The most recent episode is with Atiya Y Perkins where she talks about emotional intelligence and the important role it plays in her leadership. She emphasises the importance of not rushing decisions but taking time to breathe and think before acting.?(I have lessons to learn here). Well worth a listen here.

#Events .... (for the next academic year)

?? UNESCO have their "Digital Learning Week" in Paris from the 2-5th September. Digital Learning Week is one of the “UN Intergovernmental and Multi-Stakeholder Digital Cooperation Bodies and Forums” to convene the community of digital education leaders, policy-makers, researchers and practitioners from various organizations, including UN agencies, governments, NGOs and the private sector. Find out more here.

?? It's never too early to get your ticket for Bett Global 's #BETT2025 in London. If you are in education you can get your free ticket from here. Come and join the fun, always an excellent event. You May (or may not) be a fan of awards, but if you are, then the submission for the BETT Awards in January are now open, you can find all the categories and details here.

??There is also the GESS Dubai conference in November, the leading education conference & exhibition in the Middle East region. You can register for a free ticket to attend from here.

?? Top Banana Martin Bailey announced "The Ultimate Coding Course", taking place at The Hilton Hotel on Gateshead Quayside on Wednesday, 13th Nov. He'll be Joined at this event by some superstars including Carol Allen , Steve Bunce and Julian S Wood . They will be sharing exciting new ideas for teaching and integrating coding within your school curriculum. Find out more here.

?? Another UK event, The Schools & Academies Show features again in November, and yes, you can already get your name on the list and grab a free ticket. Just head over here to find out more.

?? The folks at Dutch Edtech have their "EdTech Summit" on October 4th, you can find out more here.

?? The fab folks at British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) have an online event in October "Unlocking AI’s Potential in Education" which is well worth adding to your CPD library. You can find out more here.

??One for the European contingent, Matthew Wemyss is busy shaping the second "AIDUCATION" Conference for February 2025 in Bucharest, featuring folks including Dan Fitzpatrick , Ben Whitaker , Philippa Wraithmell , Alex Gray ....and also an Al Kingsley (Yay can't wait). To find out more and book a ticket, head over here.

#Ai

I saw this conversation on Meta Facebook this week (yes I still go there), and it really encapsulated so many #Ai discussions I have heard and seen.

?? "Ask ChatGPT how many "r's" in the word strawberry, and you'll see it's not taking over anything anytime soon."

?? "Ask a fish to climb a tree! Don't judge things based on what they don't do well, judge based on what it does do well"

And that, folks, for many, is where the discussion has been for too long. Keep reading to get better informed.

??This one always remains top of my #Ai section, an excellent newsletter, "Perpelexing Tech" ??that covers the world of #Ai through a wider lens. It is written by Niamh Kingsley my daughter, a product innovation and #Ai specialist in #FinTech. Please take a look and subscribe here ?

??Now don't get too excited, but I have shared another article on Forbes Technology Council with this time "6 Considerations For A School District’s AI Strategy", one for covering the basics for those early on their journey, but you may find it helpful too. Take a look here.

?? Just in case you haven't seen, ChatGPT-4o mini is now out and available for everyone. You can now upload docs and images in the free model, data set is up to October 2023 and lots more. The best bit is it's available to everyone for free. Have a read of "GPT-4o mini: advancing cost-efficient intelligence" for more info here.

?? Gary Henderson shared an article from MSN. titled "Can you tell which of these exam answers was written by an AI chatbot?" prompting his post "So AI generated answers are very difficult for examiners to spot so do we work harder to prevent or detect, or do we accept the new norm and look to review how we assess, and maybe also what we assess?" This is a very popular topic of discussion right now. Have a read here.

?? Kimberly Pace Becker, Ph.D. was quite explicit, saying "Claims that AI is revolutionizing everything are getting old" In her post, she explains why she likes Stuart Selber 's framing of it more as an ??????????????????. Have a read of her excellent article here.

?? The fab Chris Goodall shared an "AI in Education - A View from the Chalk Face" in this excellent Youtube video, it's really worth a watch (15 minutes). Take a look here.

?? Another good share from the lovely Jennifer Womble of an article from WIRED "Ai Can’t Replace Teaching, but It Can Make It Better" Even?techno-optimists?hesitate to say teaching is best left to the bots, but there’s a debate about where to draw the line. Have a read here.

?? A great read (as usual) from John Dolman "Being Transparent about AI Assisted Teaching - How much AI do I use?" explaining "There have been a number of very useful discussions around the idea of transparency in AI use. As a teacher I know that one powerful way to instruct students is to model the behaviour that I want them to exhibit, just as we might model an answer as a class. Can being open about my own AI use be a way to change the behaviour of my student and bring AI out of the shadows so we can discuss it more freely without the stigma of the 'cheating machine'?" Take a look here.

??A slightly more challenging topic from Barbara Anna Zielonka with a share from Duke University Press "AI Comes for the Author" quoting the final conclusion from the article "I fear the challenge is much greater, and we already see glimpses of ethical reasoning that Chomsky insists cannot exist (Elkins and Chun 2024). All of our imagination is needed to envision the alternative forking paths that lie before us. Many discoveries await, but our oldest stories tell us that with discoveries and inventions—like Prometheus's fire and Icarus's wings—dangers await. We do not yet know how this story will unfold but await each step, unfurling like the words of Chat-GPT, one after the other after the other." Well worth a look here.

?? She also shared this interesting read titled "AI Enhances Story Creativity but Risks Reducing Novelty" from Neuroscience News where a new study shows that AI helps make stories more creative, engaging, and well-written, especially for less creative writers. The research found that AI assistance boosts novelty and usefulness, making stories more enjoyable and less boring. However, it also warns that the widespread use of AI may reduce the diversity and uniqueness of creative works. Have a look here.

?? Clara Lin Hawking shared news for UK based schools of the Govt commitment that promises to introduce “binding regulation” on companies developing powerful AI models and to support the AI sector's growth. Read the Financial Times article here.

?? Paige Johnson (she/her) shared that it was "great to see organizations like Digital Promise promoting AI literacy to support people in critically understanding, evaluating, and using these systems and tools. Centering on human judgment and justice, their new AI Literacy Framework offers practical strategies and "look fors" for easy implementation." Take a look at their "AI Literacy: A Framework to Understand, Evaluate, and Use Emerging Technology" from here.

?? Pete Dunford was in a very open mood and revealed he had some confessions to make, saying that "I’m not the person that many of you think I am." It's a good self-reflective read and it is lovely to see, none of us should be tech for tech's sake, but with our focused sharing of tech topics, it could imply that's how we live our lives. Have a read of "Confessions of a Digital Guru" from here.

??I'm always happy to include resources and advice from Rose Luckin , and last week, she wanted to share "7 thoughts about where she believes we are currently when it comes to AI in Education." You can read her first thought "Ai is here to stay, but what does that mean" from here. Insightful as always.

?? Some more balance on the broader #Ai conversation shared by Dr. Sasha Luccioni from The Atlantic titled "AI Has Become a Technology of Faith", a really good read by Charlie Warzel

?? Stella Lee, PhD. shared her "Summer Reading for AI Enthusiasts!" list. 5 great suggestions and plenty more in the subsequent comments. Take a look here. (i've added them all to my bookshelf below).

?? Often it really doesn't feel like an #Ai section update without some words of advice from Cristóbal Cobo , so this week, he shared some "Helpful policy guidance and recommendations for incorporating artificial intelligence in K-12 classrooms" based on a guide from the Mississippi Department of Education . Well worth a look here.

?? Fancy crafting some tunes, but cautious after recent copyright challenges with Udio and Suno? Well Leon Furze shared a great alternative, Beatoven.ai which is an AI audio generation model, but, which has also obtained the Fairly Trained certification, demonstrating that the model datasets have been appropriately licensed. As Leon said "Fairly trained, licensed data used to create small, fit-for-purpose AI models is one of the future pathways I'm much more hopeful about.". Go and rip up some tunes here.

?? Mike Tholfsen shared another of his regular updates from Microsoft Education , covering "5 new AI features in Microsoft Teams for Education", you can watch his YouTube summary here.

??Another weekly update from Dan Fitzpatrick for Forbes titled "7 Ways Schools Are Stunting Children’s Prospects in an AI World" themed as Dan explains "around John Taylor Gatto, the late educator and philosopher, who identified this disconnect in his groundbreaking critique, "The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher." Have a read here.

?? For those wanting a deeper dive on #AI in a european context, Kevin Fumai shared that now the "EU AI Act is official, here are some key resources to navigate its requirements". It's all "grown up" stuff, but he has curated an excellent summary of the resources you might be inclined to peruse. Take a look here. As an extra help, Clara Lin Hawking provided a very handy "10 page explainer" which you can find here as well.

?? And in parallel to the above, Tom Mullaney was asking "Is the Ai bubble about to burst" which is a good read, citing perspectives from various sectors. Worth dipping in here.

?? I had to share this one from the team at Educate Ventures Research who have spoken to hundreds of teachers about AI over the past 6 months and the conversations often turn to safeguarding and the threats AI may pose to our learners. The two graphs above represent snapshots of average responses taken at different events where participants were asked to rate their worry levels around AI. Not a good trend sadly. This has prompted them to design a new "Safeguarding AI Essentials course"; you can find out more information from here.

?? Mark Anderson FCCT seems to have shared Prompt Guides for almost all curriculum areas over recent months, and this week he shared his "12 ChatGPT Prompts for Music Teachers" you can find the prompts and a custom GPT, from here.

?? On the other hand, Gary Henderson asked the question "Is using Ai cheating?" saying "Concerns with AI and "cheating" or misuse of AI abound, but is it that the assessment system needs to change, and if a student can misuse AI, what might it look like for them to successfully and appropriately use AI?" You can read his article here.

?? Rebecca Winthrop shared a good read from the World Economic Forum "Education is a place where we build democracy'. Why a teacher's union isn't afraid AI will replace teachers", as Rebecca shared "Generative AI is a powerful tool and like all tools can do much harm or much good. It depends on us. Many are rightly concerned with the impact generative AI will have on jobs but one of the professions least at risk of automation is TEACHING, which at its core is fundamentally a relational enterprise." - have a read here.

?? Well, this one isn't explicitly an AI article, but we have seen a lot about understanding algorithms of late, so when I saw this share from the lovely?Sharad Agarwal?with a guide to "Understanding the Google Algorithm", I suspected that it would pique your interest. As Sharad said "Did you know that Google now processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average, translating to over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide?" Have a read here, interesting stuff.

??Talking of #Algorithms and #Bias, Kimberly Pace Becker, Ph.D. shared a great post, titled "?????? ?????????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ????-???????????????? ????????????" advising that a new study has uncovered concerning trends in how AI language models perceive and respond to different dialects. Have a look at the key takeaways here.

?? And another great read from Phillip Alcock , "Unravelling the Tapestry of Thought: AI as Our Cognitive Mirror". I'll share the introduction " In a captivating conversation with Ryan Tannenbaum , a dialogue spanning from world-changing ideas to political bias in LLMs, we explored a fascinating aspect of artificial intelligence relating to thought. As we explored the depths of AI's potential, we unearthed a pivotal insight: "Artificial intelligence is almost like a cognitive mirror, reflecting not just what we think, but how we think." Well worth a read here.

?? Last, but by no means least is a handy share from Matthew Wemyss . Now i have started to realise that my memory isn't as good as it used to be, in my case faces and names, but it turns out with tools like ChatGPT there are times where you need to either seed or delete some of its "memories" from previous conversations. This is a really handy video clip to show you how to add, or delete memories in chat GPT. The fact he used liking dogs as an example was just the "pièce de résistance". Take a look here.

#Summer Newsletters

I do my best to keep everyone well informed, but am by no means alone in sharing, so these are just a few fresh suggestions out of many that I get on a regular basis delivered to my inbox. I have included quite a few #Ai focused ones to keep you out of mischief over the summer and hopefully keep you best informed.

?? Weekly Wellbeing Roundup - by Mark Solomons

?? Ai Bytes - by John Dolman

??Ai Frontier - by Steve Nouri

??The 3 Rs - by Alex Quigley

??EdTech Digest - by Victor Rivero

??The EdUp WrapUp - by Joe Sallustio, EdD

??LEAP:IN - by LEAP

??AIxPBL - by Phillip Alcock

??My EdTech Life - by Alfonso Mendoza Jr., M.Ed.

??The Pragmatic AI Educator - by Nick Potkalitsky, PhD

??Join the Inclusion Revolution! - by Global Equality Collective

??RISE Magazine - by Kat Cauchi

??EdTech Bites Times - by Gabriel Carrillo

??The Sunday Ai Educator - by Dan Fitzpatrick

??Signals from the Future - by Jarno Duursma

??AI in Education - by Ray Fleming

??TechWise Parenting - by Clara Lin Hawking

??Dyslexic Ai - by Matt Ivey ??

??Neurodiversity 101 - by Prof. Amanda Kirby MBBS MRCGP PhD FCGI

??The Skinny - by Educate Ventures Research

??Connected Learning - by Sarah Horrocks and Michelle Pauli

??Control Alt Achieve - by Eric Curts

#Books

??Don't forget you can find all of the books I cover on my Amazon bookshelf, You can find my curated list here.

?? The team at NetSupport have curated a fab bookshelf of "top tomes" to keep you out of mischief over the summer, well worth a quick peruse of this hady 3D flip book from here.

?? Barbara Anna Zielonka shared the ebook "Building Artificial Intelligence for Education 2024" by Ceibal , discover more from here.

??I promised to give this one another mention for the lovely Gabriel Carrillo and I am sure will be a popular addition to your reading list. So check out "Cooking Up Experiences In The Classroom!" from here, and get subscribed to his excellent newsletter here.

"What makes your students want to come back to your classroom the following day? This book examines different strategies to build memorable experiences in the classroom and the kitchen. Each chapter of this book highlights lesson components that can help create these experiences with our students and shares a delicious recipe that is mentioned in that chapter. Nourish your students and family with these recipes for the classroom and kitchen. Buen provecho!"

?? I am a fan of the excellent "The Connected Curriculum" by Matt Pitman , this summary of the book and supporting framework is well worth a read, from here.

?? Matthew X. Joseph Ed.D. shared that the brilliant Namya Joshi has a new book "#EachOneTeachTen" where you can discover the power of collective knowledge sharing in this dynamic exploration of digital citizenship. Find it here.

?? Matt Pitman was at the book launch for "The Art of Skimming Stones: Leading Sustained Improvement in Schools" by Steven Trotter . You can order online from Amba Press using this link. I've also added it to my Amazon bookshelf.

??Another one for the summer reading list "How to Teach Ai: Weaving Strategies and Activities Into Any Content Area" by Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth - grab a copy from here.

All the books I include each week are added to my virtual bookshelf, You can find my curated list here.

#CandleClub

Let's wrap up with my weekly Candle Club. Hopefully, you will know what this section is for, built on the message that "a Candle never Loses any of its Light while Lighting up another candle" - it costs nothing to help support and highlight others in our space, so here are some really good people to connect with, and this week it's inspired by "Sammy" SJ White and her article earlier, so this list is 100% amazing women in our space.

I know I always ask, but please don't forget to give this edition a like and a share ;) Then connect with all of these brilliant #CandleClub members below, your PLN will be much richer for it ????

Bukky Yusuf SJ White Emma Darcy Gemma Gwilliam Georgina D. Cat Lamin Kat Cauchi Mary Myatt Katie Cavill Confidence Osein Philippa Wraithmell Linda Scaife Amanda Bickerstaff Caroline Wright Julia Garvey Bonnie Nieves Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Petra Hosey Beverly Clarke MBE Karen Wespieser MBE Dr Zo? Elder FRSA Carolyn Hillarious Maggie Layfield Monica Burns, Ed.D Victoria Davis Katie H. Shonogh Pilgrim Clara Lin Hawking Carla Aerts Naomi Toland Emma Rogers Marie Sweetlove-Smyth Marie-Clare Kelly Antoinette Hamilton Lucy Coy Jennifer Womble Embeth van der Wal Grainne O'Reilly Misbah I. Jaime Donally Kathi Kersznowski, M.Ed. Carrie-Ann Gibson Nic Ponsford FRSA FIESE ?? Laurie Forcier Tricia Fuglestad Tracey O'Brien Petra Hosey Becky Keene Sue Atkins Ashley Bryant Melissa McBride ?? Caroline Barlow Aileen Wallace Sarah Horrocks Lou Mycroft Rose Luckin Carla Bell Morgan Whitfield (she/her) Deb Millar Wendy Peskett Dr. Fumiko Pescott Jade Parkinson-Hill Nicola Allen Nicole Rennie Louise Jones Rachel Coathup Anna Bailey Anne Bailey Charlie Rosier Anu Manthri Annie MacIver Louise Holland-Salmon Sarah Finnemore Caroline Allams Manjit Sareen Dr Leila Khouja Walker Zaitoon Bukhari Kaylee Baldwin Aleks House Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith Jane Woods Lisa Durff PhD Ashley Bryant Leisa Grace Wilson Tracy House Frances Corcoran Wendy Peskett Namya Joshi Barbara Anna Zielonka and of course Niamh Kingsley .

There are a thousand other names I could have included and some that I will have forgotten (sorry), but if anyone hasn't figured yet, given we have so many amazing women across the sector, many who are absolutely leading the way, it doesn't hurt to proactively signpost. (climbing back off my soapbox now Sammy). Anyway, add all these fab folks to your PLN and I promise you will never be short of insights, advice and smiles.

Right that's a wrap once again. Thank you as always for all that you do across Education, thanks for your friendship and support, and for all you share. You Rock, one and all.

So, share the love folks, light those candles, enjoy the well earned summer recharge, (fill in my form??) and I'll see you in a few weeks on the other side of "the holidays".

Al (and the amazing Ferdi ?? )

You can book me to come and cause some fun and disruption at your event via Katie Cavill and The Learning Line via this link. Please also reflect on the diversity and representation of your speakers and panels at your events when reaching out.

??2022 EdTech Leadership Awards winner - EdTech Digest

??2023 Edufuturists of the Year.

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

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

??2023 Education CEO winner - EdTechChronicle .

??2024 Top 100 Influencers in Education - District Administration magazine.

??2024 Top 25 Education Technology Influencers - Feedspot .