How edtech enables schools to do more

Edtech is now an accepted part of the modern classroom. The most recent State of Technology in Education report found that nine in 10 educators view tech as integral to everyday life and education. 

As technology is more widely embraced, and technology is more tightly woven into the fabric of schools’ ecosystems, edtech can become more transformative still. 

When you think of ‘transformative tech’, your mind probably goes straight to emerging trends like AR and VR. And, of course, they have their place in engaging, delighting and inspiring pupils across a range of subjects. 

Indeed, putting the pupil at the heart of the lesson is key to transforming the learning experience. Creating seamless collaboration through intuitive devices and innovative apps gets pupils thinking and learning in new ways. 

These technologies are incredibly important in engaging and inspiring learners, but — for now at least — they’re the cherry on the cake. To truly transform your school through edtech, you need to establish an effective ‘bread and butter’ technology strategy too.

Because edtech, implemented effectively, can do even more than inspire learners and improve teaching. It can streamline IT processes, underpin budgets, make device management more straightforward, and enhance security. All of which will go a long way to making life easier for you, your SMT, and the teaching staff.

Edtech that empowers…

…better ROI

A strategic approach to edtech can save your school money.

From a software perspective, investing in cloud technologies can be an effective way of avoiding big CapEx costs. But with operational cost, comes operational responsibility. Consider tracking and managing the use of your software closely, so you have a thorough understanding of what is used, and what you can afford to lose.

Also, are you incurring high licensing costs? Perhaps audit your current licenses and establish which software us underused, which costs could potentially be renegotiated or moved to a free package offering a similar experience.

Are your school devices still under warranty? Check that they’ve all been correctly activated and make a note of when they expire. Working with a trusted supplier means you get honest, transparent advice on maximising the edtech in your school. 

Once you know what is and isn’t being used, you can find out why, and begin to reallocate resources more effectively. 

…easier device management

As edtech rises up the agenda, your contribution to the whole school strategy will be absolutely key. As well as driving the tech agenda, you’ll offer expertise on how technology can enable better processes and practices from the classroom to the staffroom. 

With the opportunity to create a more strategic roadmap, you can start to move towards interactive tech that is upgradeable and future-proof. Your digital graveyard of outdated tech should start to diminish as you steer towards solutions that will evolve with your strategy. 

…enhanced security

Working in schools, a focus on security and safeguarding has always been critical. But with more edtech comes an increase in endpoints connecting to the school network. Your focus on security must be sharper than ever. 

Purchasing technology that is specifically built for education is an effective way to keep your school, staff and network secure. Although some consumer-grade devices might do the ‘interactivity’ job you’re looking for, they are not built with the safeguarding of students and professional networks in mind. 

Technology that is designed specifically for education delivers on both fronts, offering true ease of use to teachers and students, along with the security and manageability needed by IT staff.

That’s why, in developing our new ActivPanel Elements Series of interactive flat panel displays, we worked hard to create a device that would be transformative for teachers, senior management and IT staff. 

For more insights into the issues impacting IT and network managers in schools, explore the edtech category within our ResourcEd blog.