What is Blended Learning and how can Tech help?

EdTech + Blended Learning In 2020, I ran an online workshop for academic colleagues on innovative ways to use Tech to aid teaching and learning. During the session, I asked what everyone thought “blended learning” meant. Here are a selection of the answers: Variety of delivery, can be employer, study based, online, in person etc […]

Read more
Gamification and EdTech: Here be Monsters

How gamification motivates people to do extraordinary things (sometimes) One of my recent reads has been Gamify: How Gamification Motivates People to Do Extraordinary Things by Brian Burke. The concept of Gamification has been around for a long time, it’s nothing new. But, how can Gamification be used for good? In the realm of education […]

Read more
Embracing ignorance and exploring the gap

Leaders and teachers do not need to have all the answers As a teacher/mentor/advisor, I found “The Ignorant Maestro” by Itay Talgam quite a liberating read. Even though I know quite a lot about some subjects, I often have to respond to students’ questions with “I don’t know” and then follow it up with “let’s […]

Read more
The Influence of Venture Capital on the Future of Education

EdTech VC investors are in a position of power and are able to influence the education agenda I recently attended a fascinating Digital Education session on the current trends in EdTech investment, and particularly Venture Capital. Essentially, VCs are investing in the future of education and therefore having a direct impact on what the future […]

Read more
Does analysis of EdTech focus on funding over revenue?

“Why does all analysis of EdTech always focus on funding over revenue?” I was recently asked this question. Firstly, I wouldn’t say “all” and I wouldn’t say “always” but I believe I understand where the question was coming from. I think the EdTech space is inherently different to the B2C market, for example, because it […]

Read more
The problem with EdTech…

I am generally positive about the post-COVID readjustment of (higher) education to be more inclusive/flexible/accessible, enabled by tech. Future spend on EdTech is expected to grow significantly, as shown in the graph produced by HolonIQ below. I do, however, worry that there will be a LOT of spend on systems by executive teams that don’t […]

Read more
Creating opportunities through connections and conversations

Guess what. Talking to people makes good things happen. I’ve written about this topic before but there are so many different angles to consider, one could probably write a book! Mental note: write a book. Networking might feel like a dirty word. What do you think of when you hear “networking”? Do you imagine a […]

Read more
Revolutionising School Education in Ghana with Tech

Say hello to RedHippo Virtual Academy. The vision: enable more children in Ghana to access high quality education despite limitations in technology, infrastructure and number of qualified teachers. What we’ve accomplished so far: Studio built in Ghana 300+ video lessons produced for Maths, English and Science across all schooling levels (Primary 1 to SHS 3) […]

Read more
A Celebratory Tale of Connections, Conversations and Creations

Human connections are important. They’re how things happen. Recently I visited the University of Surrey to discuss an associate lecturing opportunity with the head of their Digital Media Arts programme. A nice opportunity in itself; the chance to have another university listed on my professional profile (are we still calling it a CV?) and to […]

Read more
Bucks New Uni Digital Degree Apprenticeships Programme Development

As of June 2019, Bucks New University has 13 apprentices studying on the Digital and Technology Solutions Professional programme at Level 4 and Level 5. The majority of the apprentices are on the Software Engineering pathway and are employed at Sky. The remaining apprentices are on either the Data Analyst or Business Analyst pathways. Another […]

Read more