On Friday, we exhibited at the second of five ICT for Education conferences in Manchester. Featuring a varied schedule of speakers, the event gave attendees an in-depth look into a number of current hot topics in the education technology sector.
With our live-demo showing throughout the day on our exhibition stand, we were able to speak to delegates about our brand new app, PenstripeEdu, we’re delighted to say that we got another great response!
Matt Hogan, ICT and computing teacher at Alderley Edge School for Girls, opened the event, and went on to speak about the importance of e-learning in the different subject areas. He also spoke about a topic that we recently tweeted about – breaking gender stereotypes in technology education.
One of the great things about the ICT for Education conferences is that they feature talks from UK school teachers, which gives the presentations real impact, as true-life examples are used to demonstrate key points. It’s also great to hear first-hand about how IT in schools is changing lives, and enabling pupils to achieve. Tom Sale, computing and science subject leader at Mereside Primary School, Blackpool, did exactly this, as he explained some of the projects he’s launched in school to enhance both teaching and learning.
Debbie Forster, UK Managing Director of Apps for Good, captured the audience with her presentation, covering how apps and technology give students the skills and confidence they need to build their own futures. She said that ‘technology has the potential to unlock learning for both students and teachers’. The PenstripeEdu team couldn’t agree more.
Bob Harrison, chair of the Teaching Schools Technology Advisory Board, explored the recent report issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the impact of investing in technology to aid learning. The day ended with Andy Hutt, educational ICT consultant, delivering the sequel to the presentation he gave at last year’s ICT for Education conferences. Named ‘Reasons to be cheerful’, Andy’s presentation was certainly a positive conclusion to this event.
Another inspirational day from the team at ICT for Education, we’re looking forward to travelling to London for the next conference on Friday the 6th November! Take a look at our tweets from the day @Penstripe_ and join the conversation.
Olaf Surtees has been with Penstripe for ten years; what he doesn’t know about teacher planners, student planners, and lesson planners isn’t worth knowing! He’s in charge of creating our blog content, helping teachers and administrators with helpful hints and tips, as well as our socials — see the links below to find out more.
