Here are 3 of the latest UK education and edtech news stories from March…

British teacher wins million-dollar Global Teacher Prize

A British teacher has won the million-dollar Global Teacher Prize in a glittering ceremony in Dubai. Andria Zafirakou was named as the winner at the end of the Global Education and Skills Conference in Dubai, where she was presented with her prize by Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and host of The Daily Show Trevor Noah. Ms Zafirakou used her victory speech to call for more importance to be placed on the importance of the arts, and to describe the students she works with as “phenomenal”. She also received a video message of congratulations from prime minister Theresa May, played before the audience of educators from around the world.

Are you looking for a prize for your school? Apply for the Promethean Grant to win 1 of 30 ActivPanels. You can get the latest in front-of-class technology using your digital skills, a dose of innovation and a spark of creativity. All you need to do is create a short video that tells us why your class or school would benefit from an ActivPanel. The rest is up to you!

The 50 people, projects and products shaping the UK’s ed tech

The Edtech 50 celebrates the work of the education technology sector in the UK, and shines a spotlight on those pioneering a new future in education through technology. In 2017, we saw innovative, creative and exciting educational technology transform teaching and learning throughout the UK’s schools. From vlogging teachers to student wellbeing apps to an interactive book experience, schools, companies and technologists have pushed classrooms into the future and provided pupils with new tools for learning, interacting and living.

Five ways technology can help engage students with literacy

UK government has made it clear that improving literacy among primary school aged children is high on its agenda. With a new Centre for Excellence for Literacy Teaching in the pipeline, the UK government has made it clear that improving literacy among primary school aged children is high on its agenda. Literacy in primary schools lays the foundations for a child’s lifelong ability (and sometimes fondness) to read and write. The great news is that technology in today’s classrooms can play a huge role in helping to engage and support students when learning to read and write, here’s how:

Gamification

Primary school children love games, and there are plenty of apps and interactive software available that can be used to improve literacy skills by helping them to practice their grammar, spelling and sounding out phonics. With children being exposed to technology at an increasingly young age, it makes sense to embrace a tool that engages their interest and gets them excited about learning.

Camouflage Learning

You can bring gamification into the mix here too, but essentially camouflage learning is when the students learn through play and aren’t aware that they are actually being taught something from the curriculum. Our Promethean Advocate, Mr Hunt, has some great ideas on using technology to support camouflage learning in the classroom. In a nutshell, it’s making use of everyday technology and not necessarily educational software, to engage students in lesson delivery. For example, using Angry Birds to create and solve maths problems, or asking Siri questions to solve quiz questions.

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