Innovations in EdTech: Insights from BETT UK

Speaker A 00:00:00

Hello.

Speaker B 00:00:00

Welcome back to the Education on Far podcast.

Speaker B 00:00:02

On Thursday 23rd January, I was invited to BET UK to interview some incredible companies leading the way in education technology.

Speaker B 00:00:10

I had the chance to sit down with jamf, a company helping schools and businesses manage Apple Devices, rm, a UK based provider of tech solutions supporting IT infrastructure in schools and Kahoot, the interactive quiz platform that's transforming how students engage with learning.

Speaker B 00:00:25

It was such a privilege to speak with these innovators about how they're reshaping education.

Speaker B 00:00:30

Also, while I had the opportunity to be there, I managed to connect with two other amazing exhibitors.

Speaker B 00:00:35

Icancompose in, that's a platform empowering students to explore music composition and Ediflix, which offers high quality educational videos and resources for both teachers and students.

Speaker B 00:00:44

It was inspiring to hear how these companies are enhancing the learning experience and I really can't wait to share these conversations with you now.

Speaker B 00:00:51

If you'd like to see more from my visit to bett, I've also posted a video on the education on fire YouTube channel.

Speaker A 00:00:56

Check that out to get get a.

Speaker B 00:00:57

Closer look at the event and hear more from the incredible companies I interviewed.

Speaker B 00:01:02

Hello, my name is Mark Taylor and welcome to the Education on Far podcast.

Speaker B 00:01:11

The place for creative and inspiring learning from around the world.

Speaker B 00:01:16

Listen to teachers, parents and mentors share how they are supporting children to live their best authentic life and are proving to be a guiding light to us all.

Speaker A 00:01:25

Hello.

Speaker A 00:01:26

So welcome back to the Education on Far podcast.

Speaker A 00:01:29

We are here at BETT and I'm here with Soaj and I'm here with Matt and we are here talking all things jamf.

Speaker A 00:01:35

I had an interview with them two, three years ago.

Speaker A 00:01:38

We think it may well have been.

Speaker A 00:01:39

So it's great to come back and find out what they're doing this time.

Speaker A 00:01:41

So why don't you start us off.

Speaker A 00:01:42

First of all, tell us what your position is and what you're excited about being at BETT this year.

Speaker C 00:01:47

My name is Suraj Mohandas.

Speaker C 00:01:49

I'm the VP of Product Strategy.

Speaker C 00:01:51

On the education side, I'm always excited to be at bed.

Speaker C 00:01:54

There's always something I learn and there's so many people that are familiar faces now for me, we are very excited to come out with a new offer that is meant for K12 that has a lot of really new features.

Speaker C 00:02:06

That's really what's exciting and we've been talking about it all week.

Speaker A 00:02:09

Fantastic.

Speaker A 00:02:10

And I guess these conversations are always slightly different because people have got a slightly different take or a slightly different understanding of what that is.

Speaker A 00:02:15

But I say to be able to get that message across is so important.

Speaker A 00:02:18

So, Matt, tell us about your role and what you're excited about being here.

Speaker D 00:02:21

Yes, I'm Matt Pullen.

Speaker D 00:02:22

I am the product marketing manager for education at JAMF globally.

Speaker D 00:02:27

What am I excited about?

Speaker D 00:02:28

I think just seeing technology start to be used more and more, like having students actually benefit from that technology and seeing teachers really embrace what they can do with it.

Speaker D 00:02:38

And of course, from our point of view at jamf, we want to really make sure that we're empowering those people to get the most out of the devices.

Speaker D 00:02:44

Because if students have a teacher who doesn't like using technology, they're not going to benefit from the technology themselves.

Speaker D 00:02:50

So we really want to see that IT deployment all the way through to the classroom and beyond to parents as well.

Speaker A 00:02:56

So give us an idea in terms of how long jamf's been around and the sorts of things that it does for those who haven't heard about it before.

Speaker D 00:03:02

Yeah.

Speaker D 00:03:02

So jamf's got over two decades worth of experience, started in education, so initially was set up as a solution to deploying Apple devices in a university over in Eau Claire in the US and has had that long history of trying to solve problems.

Speaker D 00:03:17

So we work within the education, but also within the commercial fields as well.

Speaker D 00:03:21

From an education point of view, I think over the last few years, specifically when we've seen Covid hit and schools really amplify their speed to get to a full deployment, the notion of we would like to do this suddenly ramped up to we have to do this.

Speaker D 00:03:38

JAMF was there to really help those schools understand how to scale up and how to do that in a.

Speaker D 00:03:43

In a sensible way, but also as a very secure way.

Speaker D 00:03:46

Because giving out those devices to students unlocks the potential for so many other mishaps.

Speaker D 00:03:51

Cybersecurity, obviously, we know a lot about and making sure that the end use of those devices are not causing any additional issues for the network.

Speaker D 00:03:59

You know, because it's so easy these days as adults to accidentally click a phishing link, etc.

Speaker D 00:04:04

And you hand those out to children who don't know anything about cybersecurity themselves.

Speaker D 00:04:09

Really making sure those devices are pinned down is critical and really something that we're trying to focus on a lot at the moment as a kind of response to the amount of devices that are now out there.

Speaker A 00:04:18

And I think it's definitely that sense that you want security in the people that you're working with as well, aren't you?

Speaker A 00:04:23

So to have a company in an organization that can give you what they need, but also have that kind of touch point of we've got your back.

Speaker A 00:04:30

Beyond just like I say, having the devices and giving you the software and that kind of thing.

Speaker A 00:04:33

It's a really important thing.

Speaker A 00:04:34

So can you take us into this sort of the we said about the security element, which is a really big thing, you know, phishing.

Speaker A 00:04:41

What is it that JAMF are doing?

Speaker A 00:04:42

What are the tools that are available that are going to help people do that?

Speaker C 00:04:45

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker C 00:04:47

We obsess about keeping the student, the institution and the organization they're with safe.

Speaker C 00:04:54

What we also focus about is like making it easy to secure all of those individuals and resources.

Speaker C 00:05:01

There are three things that are mainly part of our software.

Speaker C 00:05:04

So phishing, malware, ransomware, cryptojacking.

Speaker C 00:05:08

Those are some of the common threats that we see out there.

Speaker C 00:05:11

And we want to make it as easy as pushing a button, deploying it onto the devices and not have to worry about it.

Speaker C 00:05:16

I think that is very critical, especially in K through 12.

Speaker C 00:05:19

As you know, there's not a lot of time that these admins have.

Speaker C 00:05:22

So that is a key part of what we focus on, that is part of our offer.

Speaker C 00:05:26

Those are key capabilities.

Speaker C 00:05:28

What we also try to focus on is digital citizenship like Matt was talking about.

Speaker C 00:05:32

That is critical because the vulnerability is as much with the individual as it is with the device.

Speaker C 00:05:38

And so we do have recommendations on digital citizenship courses.

Speaker C 00:05:42

What we also don't talk about is the management layer that is core to our mdm that is just as much of a layer of security as anything else.

Speaker C 00:05:51

Prevention is better than the cure and the easiest way to prevent it is not have certain things made available to the end user so that they don't cause unwanted issues or unexpected issues for the network or themselves.

Speaker C 00:06:04

So it's really a package, really a bundled offer, all delivered through an easy to use interface for the IT admin to get it out there.

Speaker A 00:06:13

Now this is something I come across when I'm working in school.

Speaker A 00:06:16

So I'm a musician, I go into schools and do workshops in music, individual lessons and that kind of thing.

Speaker A 00:06:22

And sometimes you have the security is so tight I can literally get my email on, on Microsoft.

Speaker A 00:06:29

I can't get any music, I can't show any video, I can't do anything even on a site which I know is trusted and that kind of thing.

Speaker A 00:06:37

So how do you balance that?

Speaker A 00:06:38

Like you say the citizenship but within the school or the organization as opposed to we've got this covered, we've Blacked everything out.

Speaker A 00:06:45

But then they can't use what they need just to actually survive and to function and to thrive in a world where obviously technology is all around us.

Speaker C 00:06:53

I love that question.

Speaker C 00:06:55

What you will see today and all through the messaging is going to be about purposeful deployment.

Speaker C 00:07:00

Matt and I talk a lot about understanding the purpose of the device, but also understanding what the individual is trying to get done with that device.

Speaker C 00:07:07

So if it's a student that's in the school, there are certain things that they're trying to get done in a particular class versus just in school general or when they go home.

Speaker C 00:07:16

I think the nuance of the controls that we make available really focuses on how the individual is going through their day and when they need what, and also putting the power of making things available on the teacher's hand so that the teacher can say, okay, this is a mathematics lesson.

Speaker C 00:07:32

I notice I said mathematics and not maths.

Speaker C 00:07:35

Mathematics lessons.

Speaker C 00:07:37

So here are the apps that are critical to your class right now.

Speaker C 00:07:41

So everything else is going to vanish from the device.

Speaker C 00:07:43

So if you're someone coming in to do a music workshop, the security tool should be set up in certain way that they can open up settings for what you need to do, set it up ahead of time so that you don't have to stumble, you don't have to go knock at the IT desk and say, hey, can you make it available?

Speaker A 00:08:01

So that makes a lot of sense.

Speaker A 00:08:03

And I think for me it's often that ability to have that communication that you need, because I often find I get stuck because I can't access what I need.

Speaker A 00:08:11

But then what happens is there's one fill in this form which goes to someone somewhere that I've never met before.

Speaker A 00:08:17

And like four days later you get back to say, no, you can't access that.

Speaker A 00:08:21

So I think that communication, like you say, so that people within a department, teachers within their sort of senior leadership, that relationship between the teachers and the pupil, even so that they know what's okay, what's not, and why that's the case and having that open dialogue, which I think is so key.

Speaker A 00:08:35

But I guess that's a school by school, organization by organization kind of basis.

Speaker A 00:08:39

So take us into sort of how you work within schools.

Speaker A 00:08:43

Is it a sense of they just come to you?

Speaker A 00:08:46

Are you reaching out?

Speaker A 00:08:48

Is it, I guess here at bet it's that kind of just sort of awareness for people and then they sort of realize what's possible because it's not been in their awareness before.

Speaker D 00:08:56

Yeah, I think, you know, places like here we get to showcase the solution.

Speaker D 00:09:00

Like we can talk to people about where they are on their journey.

Speaker D 00:09:03

Some people are just starting, some people are kind of midway, some people are almost doing a refreshment.

Speaker D 00:09:08

So we will hold that messaging ourselves, but we work really, really solidly with our channel partners who take that solution to the schools.

Speaker D 00:09:15

So they will support them on that journey because we're only part of the solution.

Speaker D 00:09:19

You know, we help them with the management security and some of the classroom management piece they will also sell on some of the other things and obviously the devices in the first place.

Speaker D 00:09:27

So we also work with them behind the scenes quite a lot to help them understand our messaging so that they can relay that to the, to the schools as well.

Speaker D 00:09:36

Once it's in the schools, we do then often get kind of called upon to talk about like what's coming next.

Speaker D 00:09:41

And we work closely with schools that are deploying our solution to understand is it working?

Speaker D 00:09:45

Like great feedback to us is when the customers who have deployed something, you know, can showcase back to us like this has really worked and this has changed something and often that uncovers something that maybe we didn't even realize was going to be a really good benefit.

Speaker D 00:09:58

So you know, thinking about how they use some of the time based profiles, for example, and their nuanced approach to meet their specific needs is great for us to understand because then we could start to think differently about how we message that to other schools as an ongoing solution.

Speaker D 00:10:13

So yeah, that kind of community spirit, I think maybe everybody, everybody joining in together and you know, we couldn't do it without our channel partners that really help us.

Speaker A 00:10:23

So in terms of sort of rounding the whole thing up, what are you hoping that people take away from betting?

Speaker A 00:10:28

If there was one thing you wanted them to know about JAMF itself, we'll do one each.

Speaker A 00:10:33

So you can sort of say what that one thing would be that big takeaway.

Speaker A 00:10:38

Well, hopefully then you've got great messaging.

Speaker A 00:10:40

So what I'll start with you.

Speaker C 00:10:42

Well, I'll say if the last few years has been about getting a device to the student or to the education system, I think the next few years are going to be a lot about the why and understanding what they're going to deliver as outcome because we didn't have really that time to think through that process.

Speaker C 00:10:59

The key thing was to get the device out there.

Speaker C 00:11:01

So for me really getting to the core of is it serving the purpose you've intended it to be out there for?

Speaker C 00:11:08

From a varied individual's point of view, every child Learns differently.

Speaker C 00:11:11

Can you individualize it?

Speaker C 00:11:13

I think that's the promise.

Speaker C 00:11:14

I'm really excited that JAMF can be a partner with schools to deliver so that every student can reach their desired outcome.

Speaker D 00:11:20

Love that.

Speaker D 00:11:21

I think it's the same thing, but I'll say it from a slightly different angle, I guess.

Speaker D 00:11:25

I think one of the things that I'm really passionate about for schools to see is that this is not about it.

Speaker D 00:11:31

And although people are here today at an IT conference, it's not about it.

Speaker D 00:11:35

It's about students learning.

Speaker D 00:11:37

And what we hope to sort of fill is that opportunity, as I said, for teachers to feel confident to use the technology to meet the learners needs.

Speaker D 00:11:44

So many students out there can pick up a piece of technology and use it to develop their French speaking or develop their understanding of music or whatever it might be.

Speaker D 00:11:53

And that's the critical piece.

Speaker D 00:11:54

It's not it, it's not.

Speaker D 00:11:56

I'm developing this understanding of how to do filing or how to use the Internet effectively.

Speaker D 00:12:01

It's understanding that I have a fantastic awareness of a subject but I just can't do it in that traditional way.

Speaker D 00:12:07

And technology can unlock the opportunity for me to feel that I can achieve in school.

Speaker D 00:12:12

And school is a place for me if I just have access to something different.

Speaker D 00:12:15

So we talk a lot about accessibility, but I think it's a lot broader than that.

Speaker D 00:12:18

It's just personalized learning opportunities for students and build their confidence so that they want to achieve.

Speaker A 00:12:24

And that is definitely something I think technology has enabled people to do now, that sense that you can do it in your own way.

Speaker A 00:12:30

You can even find where that learning is as well as, like you say, the tools that you need to do it.

Speaker A 00:12:34

So thank you both for chatting to me.

Speaker A 00:12:36

Where's the website?

Speaker A 00:12:37

Where do you want people to go and visit so that they can find out more about it?

Speaker D 00:12:40

So we are www.jamf.com education that'll take you to all of our updated Messaging around the Jamf for K12 offer and how you can purposefully deploy to your schools.

Speaker A 00:12:53

Amazing.

Speaker A 00:12:54

Thanks for chatting and enjoy the rest of the event.

Speaker C 00:12:56

Thank you.

Speaker A 00:12:59

Hello, we are back.

Speaker A 00:13:00

I'm talking to Mel Parker and we're here with our M and she's going to tell us a little bit about what that company is.

Speaker A 00:13:06

But it's really the heart of what education is in the technology and I think the way that that kind of amalgamates itself into what's important for pupils, that's really what we're going to be getting at today.

Speaker A 00:13:16

So Mel thank you so much for being here.

Speaker E 00:13:17

Thank you very much for inviting me.

Speaker E 00:13:19

Yes.

Speaker E 00:13:19

So RM's a company that's been around for just over 50 years, and we solely work in education and IT, and we support schools in all sorts of ways, providing broadband, providing servers, but also moving teachers and schools into the cloud.

Speaker E 00:13:35

So they're much more working in the cloud services rather than just as they have done perhaps the last 20 or 30 years.

Speaker A 00:13:42

So do you think it's more and more important for schools to have a really good relationship with a company and an organization from a technical standpoint, and then the dialogue of how the educational side fits as well?

Speaker A 00:13:54

So I guess they feel secure that they're in good hands rather than a mishmash of bits of information and they're just pulling from elsewhere.

Speaker E 00:14:00

Definitely.

Speaker E 00:14:01

I think what we're able to provide is an integrated solution.

Speaker E 00:14:04

So there are some incredibly technical people within the company.

Speaker E 00:14:07

And then you get myself, who's not particularly technical, but actually has the educational side.

Speaker E 00:14:11

And what that brings together is all of those elements so that the schools hopefully can feel confident that they've got a complete solution that technically is sound, securely sound, but also then the educational side of things is also sound.

Speaker A 00:14:25

And I think evolution is a really important word here because I was sort of looking over the website and the history of the company and of course, every few years there's a big technological change, whether it's like you say you go into the cloud, whether it's a different type of computers, a different group of partners that are doing these things, the Internet, starting Google, whatever it happens to be.

Speaker A 00:14:46

And I think embracing that and realizing that everyone's finding their way, but with the expertise of people who are sort of the forefront of how that works means that you can keep that safety, but not being scared of it, but kind of embracing it is a really important factor.

Speaker E 00:14:59

Absolutely.

Speaker E 00:15:00

And it's interesting.

Speaker E 00:15:00

I was talking to a CEO in a trust just this week, and he was saying, how is it business moves so much quicker than education.

Speaker E 00:15:07

And that is always a fascinating thing.

Speaker E 00:15:08

But I think in schools we want to be absolutely sure that things are going to work.

Speaker E 00:15:13

We can't just trial things on students.

Speaker E 00:15:15

We have to know and be confident that that's going to work for them rather than, you know, we're challenging the lives of our students.

Speaker E 00:15:23

So we need to be very careful about what we do in the classroom.

Speaker E 00:15:25

But when it's right, it's absolutely right to move ahead.

Speaker A 00:15:29

And it's interesting, my kids have gone through school and the last One is just about to come out having doing our A levels this year.

Speaker A 00:15:36

And it's interesting talking to them about AI and the way technology's moved on because there are some things which really do make their lives much easier.

Speaker A 00:15:45

And I as a podcaster, I asked AI.

Speaker A 00:15:48

It was NotebookLM asked him to create me a podcast based on a certain number of episodes that I did.

Speaker A 00:15:54

And there was two people came back in less than five minutes doing a really interesting conversation about it.

Speaker A 00:15:59

And what I found was I was excited about this, obviously as a podcaster, but chatting to my children about it and my wife, and it was the sense that they said, well, what's really interesting is that if you learn in a different way and you need the summary you've already put into the, into the box in the conversation that you're having with the AI stuff that you know is correct.

Speaker A 00:16:19

I was only putting in my podcast that I knew what it was that was going to be coming back, but it's really to hear it someone else's sort of takeaways, their analysis of it and knowing already that the information is coming in.

Speaker A 00:16:31

It saved me an awful lot of time, but actually was very helpful.

Speaker A 00:16:34

And my daughter was kind of, oh yeah, well then we can do all that sort of thing all the time.

Speaker A 00:16:37

They were kind of oh yeah, this is just what we do.

Speaker A 00:16:39

And they were really quite smart and quite sort of understanding of what they were trying to do rather than I'm just going to get AI to do my homework for me.

Speaker A 00:16:47

But I think a lot of people are worried about.

Speaker E 00:16:49

And that's, oh, there's so much in that actually, that.

Speaker E 00:16:53

And students will do all sorts of things with AI, but are we guiding them enough?

Speaker E 00:16:59

Is my question really, is there enough support for teachers to say, what is it that should be doing in the classroom with AI?

Speaker E 00:17:06

How should we be introducing it?

Speaker E 00:17:08

What.

Speaker E 00:17:08

What is appropriate use of AI and for a student to upload their work and say, how can I improve this?

Speaker E 00:17:13

What great opportunity, what great learning that is.

Speaker E 00:17:16

But actually we need more direction, I think from trusts, from government as to what is the appropriate use ucas.

Speaker E 00:17:25

Interestingly, if you've got that age of children get guidance for those when they're writing their personal statement on how to use AI, which I think is absolutely brilliant.

Speaker E 00:17:36

But.

Speaker E 00:17:36

But I think we need that guidance right the way through the system.

Speaker E 00:17:39

Teachers need to understand it better.

Speaker E 00:17:41

There's a lot of fears out there.

Speaker E 00:17:44

There's some great things teachers can do with AI.

Speaker E 00:17:46

Education Endowment foundation have just done some research and they Think when it's used, well, you can save about 30% of time, which is just absolutely amazing.

Speaker E 00:17:55

But actually how many teachers know how to do that?

Speaker E 00:17:58

And then how many teachers really know how to introduce it in the classroom?

Speaker E 00:18:02

And it will be happening, but it will be happening in so many different ways.

Speaker E 00:18:05

So I think there needs to be some guidance and training for teachers on what is appropriate use.

Speaker A 00:18:11

And I think my feeling, AI specifically is the fact that there were people when we were first able to use the Internet to research, were like, I'm still going to go to a library.

Speaker A 00:18:20

And then we had the ability to have a search engine.

Speaker A 00:18:23

And then, and then we did that.

Speaker A 00:18:24

You still have to scroll through, you have to decide, is this a good website?

Speaker A 00:18:27

Is the information correct?

Speaker A 00:18:28

Can I cross reference?

Speaker A 00:18:29

And so the same thing is true with AI.

Speaker A 00:18:32

It's just the sense that now you get the information much quicker and it can be organized in a better way.

Speaker A 00:18:37

But I think the thought process is still the same.

Speaker A 00:18:39

So there are people who are fearful of it, but actually it's going to help a lot of people.

Speaker A 00:18:42

As long as you use it in the right way, I think it's going to be fantastic.

Speaker E 00:18:45

I totally agree, and I think you sort of broached on it there a little bit.

Speaker E 00:18:50

But enabling students to be really critically aware of what they're seeing on the Internet is vitally important.

Speaker E 00:18:57

So many things can look really plausible and if you don't dig into it to check, then actually you might be fulfilling and carrying on that lie to other people.

Speaker E 00:19:05

I know I was a secondary maths teacher and I would never say to anybody, I hate maths.

Speaker E 00:19:12

I created a video of myself saying I hate maths using an AI tool.

Speaker E 00:19:16

I didn't actually say the words, you just typed it in.

Speaker E 00:19:18

And it replicated my voice and my image.

Speaker E 00:19:21

And I showed it to friends and family and they were really shocked by what they saw.

Speaker E 00:19:25

And then when they looked at it three or four times, they can tell it wasn't really me doing it.

Speaker E 00:19:30

However, when you glance through videos on the Internet, that's what you do.

Speaker E 00:19:33

You glance, you look at it once.

Speaker E 00:19:35

Oh, okay.

Speaker E 00:19:35

And then you move on.

Speaker E 00:19:36

And so teaching students well, everyone actually that they need to be critically aware of everything now that they see, hear and read.

Speaker A 00:19:44

And I wonder if it's the pupils at this moment or in the sort of the worst case scenario, because students who were being born and coming into education, it's going to be all they know.

Speaker A 00:19:56

So I think the younger people often say, well, we know it's not all real.

Speaker A 00:19:59

So we don't look at it in the same way as an adult.

Speaker A 00:20:01

We're kind of like, you sort of understand what you think is happening and you sort of put your sort of older hat on it.

Speaker A 00:20:07

So I wonder whether they'll be like you say, we need that training, we need the people to be able to say this is how is a great way to use it, think about it, have that analysis and go from there.

Speaker A 00:20:18

The younger people who might just grow up thinking, well, we know that's the case, that's what we do anyway.

Speaker A 00:20:22

And it's kind of a sort of a double edged sword.

Speaker E 00:20:24

At rm, we did some research actually with students and parents, but the students were actually telling us that yes, they were using it, but they didn't know whether they were using it correctly.

Speaker E 00:20:34

They were worried it was going to impact on their exams.

Speaker E 00:20:37

So even though they are those digital natives that we often talk about, they actually still need some direction in terms of what is good use of it and then they can develop it further.

Speaker E 00:20:48

You know, they will be the creative ones that take it so much further than for instance, I would.

Speaker E 00:20:52

But actually they just need that initial setup with it to make sure that they are using it in an appropriate way.

Speaker A 00:20:58

And I think that's such a big point for education generally, isn't it?

Speaker A 00:21:01

There's the, there's the learning element, there's the modern world and how we use it.

Speaker A 00:21:05

And there's also, these are the steps that you have to do, whether it's Ofsted, whether it's.

Speaker A 00:21:10

Because this is the exam syllabus, this is how you have to do things in a certain way in order to sort of progress your education life in that really sort of system way.

Speaker A 00:21:19

And then sort of alongside that there's how are we learning, how we know the world is changing and maybe the education system isn't quite in the same pace.

Speaker A 00:21:26

And I say quite rightly, sometimes it needs to make sure it's giving proper information for those people.

Speaker E 00:21:32

And that's exactly it.

Speaker E 00:21:33

And it's not depending on the AI just to throw in a piece of work that they're, you know, putting out as their own.

Speaker E 00:21:39

And I don't think students know that's not the right thing to do, but actually the temptations there, isn't it?

Speaker E 00:21:46

And, and then there's the, you know, social media, that's a big thing, you know, X removing all the moderators.

Speaker E 00:21:53

How do students, when they see something online, how do they then make sure it's.

Speaker E 00:21:58

If they realizing it's not real.

Speaker E 00:21:59

What do they then do with that information?

Speaker E 00:22:02

And so there's.

Speaker E 00:22:03

There's a whole lot of things tied up in this that I think are really important for us to address as a.

Speaker E 00:22:09

On a national basis, but because otherwise it's.

Speaker E 00:22:13

We would get lost in the future.

Speaker A 00:22:15

I think that really is true.

Speaker A 00:22:17

And, and what I really like about.

Speaker A 00:22:19

We just spoke before we started recording about your journey in terms of education being your love and then working with RM&back and back and forward.

Speaker A 00:22:26

I think it's really important because you need the conversations between people who are the tech side and people who are the education side as well.

Speaker A 00:22:34

And you can do an awful lot in the classroom, but without having the conversations that you're having within the company and what you're able to help them with, you're sort of limiting what that can do as well.

Speaker A 00:22:43

So I'm interested in that sort of career sort of focus, as it were, about sort of straddling those two things.

Speaker E 00:22:48

Yeah, it's a bit interesting really.

Speaker E 00:22:49

So I started life as a secondary maths teacher, then I worked for RM for 14 years as a consultant and then I went back to teaching and I was back in the classroom teaching maths and I really didn't get back into it until Covid hit and I was a deputy head in a high school up in Wolverhampton.

Speaker E 00:23:06

And we didn't really know what our solution was going to be for home learning over that period of time and that we had this thing called teams and I said to the head, can you just let me have half a day and I can sort out what we're going to do?

Speaker E 00:23:18

So I sort of swung back into it really, and many schools after Covid went back to how they always worked.

Speaker E 00:23:25

And in our school we tried to continue working with the it and I sort of found my passion again, really about how you can get some really good, great tools within it, whether it's Google, Microsoft, Apple, and how can really make an impact in the classroom and make an impact for all students, but also send students with things like the accessibility tools that are available all free within the suite of things translation tools.

Speaker E 00:23:51

I taught in a school with 48 languages and if I'd known about some of the translation tools that were available, it would just made a huge impact on the students and the parents and the communication we had with them.

Speaker A 00:24:02

The post Covid world I find fascinating because there were some of the conversations I had over that time on the podcast, which were, the world's different.

Speaker A 00:24:10

It's never going to go back.

Speaker A 00:24:12

Everyone's got technology.

Speaker A 00:24:13

Now, of course there's a disparity between those that have and those that have not.

Speaker A 00:24:18

But we've seen what's possible.

Speaker A 00:24:20

And an amalgamation of the two, the in person, the remote, the using technology to support people like you say, if they need extra help.

Speaker A 00:24:28

And so many people have either gone down, yes, embraced it and they've kind of allowed that to be their new focus obviously as the world sort of returned.

Speaker A 00:24:37

But so many people were like, we need to get back to normal.

Speaker A 00:24:40

And I think that that was probably an opportunity missed while you had everyone's attention and that technology was here and was available totally.

Speaker E 00:24:47

And I think what it was actually that exact scenario where schools just went, oh, we're such a relief we're back in school and we can work the way we used to work.

Speaker E 00:24:58

But then I think some of the schools have perhaps embraced the technology a little bit more during COVID found different ways of communicating actually then took it on board.

Speaker E 00:25:07

I had a student that when she came back from COVID she didn't particularly like me and she certainly didn't like maths and announced to the whole class that was the case on the first time I taught her after Covid and I actually think the technology helped me to break down a barrier with her.

Speaker E 00:25:26

So she was terrified of maths.

Speaker E 00:25:28

That was ultimately the thing with her.

Speaker E 00:25:29

And I would send her a chat message at night saying how was today's lesson?

Speaker E 00:25:35

Have you tried your homework?

Speaker E 00:25:36

Send me a picture of it.

Speaker E 00:25:37

And it only took me five minutes.

Speaker E 00:25:38

And yes, it was seven o'clock at night and every teacher can't do that for every child.

Speaker E 00:25:42

But it was absolutely by half term she still hated maths.

Speaker E 00:25:46

She announced to the class, but I was okay.

Speaker E 00:25:48

And once you get to that stage with a student, you're starting to break down the barriers.

Speaker E 00:25:52

And by Christmas maths became, well, maths is okay.

Speaker E 00:25:56

And it was using the technology.

Speaker E 00:25:59

I couldn't do that without the technology.

Speaker E 00:26:02

It was the only way I could get to her on a one to one basis.

Speaker E 00:26:05

School with over a thousand students, you just don't have that opportunity.

Speaker E 00:26:09

But five minutes at night just gave me that in with her and I think made a difference.

Speaker A 00:26:15

What a great way to end because I think we get so enthralled by the technology or overwhelmed sometimes, depending, whatever.

Speaker A 00:26:22

But I think essentially all we're trying to do is have human connections and human learning and like say whatever tool that we need in order to kind of support people.

Speaker A 00:26:31

And like I say, that's a great way and a Great story to be able to finish off.

Speaker A 00:26:34

Where do you want people to go in terms of checking out RM and what they're doing in education?

Speaker E 00:26:39

So our website is rm.com education fantastic.

Speaker A 00:26:44

Thanks so much for chatting.

Speaker A 00:26:47

So we are here with Kahoot and this is going to be a fantastic conversation.

Speaker A 00:26:50

It's a tool which we know is used in so many different ways in so many different schools.

Speaker A 00:26:54

But I'm delighted to have the opportunity to speak to someone who knows exactly what it's all about and how it's been run and also how it's going to be worked into the education system as well.

Speaker A 00:27:03

So Sean, let's start off with you.

Speaker A 00:27:05

Tell everyone exactly what your job is within Kahoot and exactly what you're excited about being here at Bethform.

Speaker F 00:27:11

Thanks Mark.

Speaker F 00:27:12

My name is Sean D'Arcy.

Speaker F 00:27:13

I'm the chief Solutions Officer at Kahoot.

Speaker F 00:27:16

So basically what I do is I make sure that we are making the right products for our different users and customers and making sure that those products are delighting them and hopefully they're getting value out of that.

Speaker A 00:27:27

And what is it about bet that some that you're able to display or showcase or whatever that maybe you don't get a different event?

Speaker F 00:27:35

I mean this is a really unique event in the edtech space because I mean I've been coming to this event for a few years.

Speaker F 00:27:40

I'm sure you have as well, Mark.

Speaker F 00:27:42

It just keeps getting bigger and better.

Speaker F 00:27:44

Sorry for the pun.

Speaker F 00:27:46

It's this year I think it's the most international bet I've seen.

Speaker F 00:27:50

There's folks from all around the world.

Speaker F 00:27:52

I've spoken to folks from Italy, from Korea, from Japan, from some, from Taiwan, from Brazil.

Speaker F 00:27:59

So I think what's unique about this event is that we can really showcase the global impact that our product can actually make.

Speaker A 00:28:06

And I'm sure so many people listening will be using the product to know about it but give them a sort of an overall idea of, you know, where's it being used, the sort of the vastness of how much impact is having around the world.

Speaker F 00:28:17

Yeah, so Kahoot's been around for a long time.

Speaker F 00:28:19

It's, it's been basically we've been in business since 2013 from originally from Oslo, Norway.

Speaker F 00:28:25

It's a game based learning platform currently used by about 8 million teachers actively every year and they play that with well over a billion participants.

Speaker F 00:28:35

So that's non unique students.

Speaker F 00:28:37

So you can imagine that's pretty vast across 200 different countries.

Speaker F 00:28:42

And we now have localization in about 20 languages as well, Sakut's being used both as a live.

Speaker F 00:28:48

I don't know if you're familiar with goot, you're probably familiar with the sort of the live game show type of format.

Speaker F 00:28:53

And it's also being used for asynchronous student LED gameplay as well.

Speaker F 00:28:58

And I think that's the area that we're really trying to build out and showcase here at BETT is these new ways to use code.

Speaker F 00:29:04

It's not just a quiz.

Speaker F 00:29:05

You can use it for reteaching, you can use it for student LED gameplay.

Speaker F 00:29:11

You can also use it for even professional development with, you know, adults, the big kids.

Speaker A 00:29:16

And I'm always curious, when you got such a large company like say international, when you're developing solutions and you're coming up with new ideas, is it kind of country led, Is it sort of theme led, is it idea led?

Speaker A 00:29:28

Where does that sort of, sort of thought process come from?

Speaker A 00:29:31

And how do you then develop it across the, across the business?

Speaker F 00:29:34

That's a good question.

Speaker F 00:29:35

I mean, I think it's, it's very much.

Speaker F 00:29:37

We are very in tune with the community.

Speaker F 00:29:40

So we work extremely hard to have a community of ambassadors, for example, all around the world we try to have like, we literally have a map with like little pins on the map and say like, do we have, do we have somebody there?

Speaker F 00:29:51

Do we have people there?

Speaker F 00:29:53

And we really work with them to sort of co develop the product for the local conditions, whatever they may be.

Speaker F 00:29:58

A lot of it comes down to is the product localized into the right language?

Speaker F 00:30:02

Do we have the right content on it?

Speaker F 00:30:04

Are there things that we haven't thought about, like special.

Speaker F 00:30:06

Like for example, in Japan there's a slightly more power distance between the teachers and the students.

Speaker F 00:30:12

Do we need to have a different kind of approach, for example, rather than what we have in the, in the United States or in Canada?

Speaker F 00:30:19

So all of these things we have to really consider essentially.

Speaker F 00:30:22

So it's all about being in touch with the local market, especially the educators, because they're ultimately the ones that are going to use the product with the students.

Speaker A 00:30:29

Well, that's a really good sort of segue in for Mira here because like I say, you have the technology, you have the tools, but it's how it's being used and how it's an integral part of supporting teachers and learning overall.

Speaker A 00:30:40

So tell us a little bit about your position in the company and sort of how Kahoot is sort of an integral part of what you want to get across.

Speaker G 00:30:46

I got it.

Speaker G 00:30:48

My name is Mehra.

Speaker G 00:30:49

I'M a learning designer here at Kahoot and I do a lot of things.

Speaker G 00:30:52

I was an educator myself for about 10 years in Finland.

Speaker G 00:30:55

Finland.

Speaker G 00:30:55

I've been a teacher trainer as well for the university.

Speaker G 00:30:58

I've used Kahoot firsthand so I know what it can do and how it can be used.

Speaker G 00:31:03

What I do.

Speaker G 00:31:04

While coming back to product development, one of my jobs is to see that we bring the learning into the product.

Speaker G 00:31:10

So we're not building just features after features or things that could be nice or shiny or nice to promote or market.

Speaker G 00:31:16

We want it to be something that is very hands on and what that means concretely.

Speaker G 00:31:21

I go to a classroom almost every week.

Speaker G 00:31:24

I am stationed in Paris at the moment, but in Finland, wherever I am, I'm traveling to test out things like let's say we're building a game mode and we want to have more student conversations and collaborations.

Speaker G 00:31:36

So I'm literally hosting different kind of prototypes, testing out things, talking to the teachers, talking to the students as well.

Speaker G 00:31:43

Seeing what kind of a mood is in the classroom.

Speaker G 00:31:45

Is the thing working at all?

Speaker G 00:31:47

Then I'm coming back with the findings.

Speaker G 00:31:49

The theme we iterate, we go next week, we try again, we try again.

Speaker G 00:31:52

And I think that's what learning is for the students as well.

Speaker G 00:31:55

We try and try and try, we fail and then we iterate, we keep on going and keep on going until we have something that we're very proud of that teachers love, the students are engaged and then we move on to the next issue that we want to solve for the educators.

Speaker A 00:32:09

And it's a very gray area.

Speaker A 00:32:11

And I love this part of the conversation because so many students, I won't put my hands up, I don't want to appear not to know.

Speaker A 00:32:18

I'm.

Speaker A 00:32:19

I don't want to put my head above the parapet and that's not a way of learning and to growing and that kind of thing.

Speaker A 00:32:25

The game based idea, everything that you've just spoken about is so positive and so an obvious way to do it, as you can say, but like I say, not always obvious in other ways.

Speaker A 00:32:34

I love the way that an organization like this is able to sort of bring that ethos of what learning is into the classroom.

Speaker A 00:32:40

It doesn't disrupt what everything else is going on, but it supports it in that particular way.

Speaker A 00:32:46

How do you think that's kind of married?

Speaker A 00:32:48

Why is it that the teachers really love it and the schools really love it, even though like you say, sometimes it's a, it's a results led business in education.

Speaker A 00:32:56

You know, it's about making sure you tick the right boxes and you're getting the right learning across.

Speaker A 00:33:00

And it's like I said, it's a gray area.

Speaker A 00:33:01

But I think it's a really important one to be able to get both of those things in.

Speaker G 00:33:05

Like I say that I know there is a lot of anxiety in for students for going to school after Covid being a bit socially nervous.

Speaker G 00:33:14

Am I going to fit in?

Speaker G 00:33:15

Is my voice going to be heard?

Speaker G 00:33:17

Will people notice me?

Speaker G 00:33:18

Will I just exist?

Speaker G 00:33:19

Do I contribute to this community?

Speaker G 00:33:21

And I think it's very inherent in us as humans to be wanting to belong to a group, really wanting to belong to a community and be accepted.

Speaker G 00:33:30

So I think what is always been important for Kahoot is that we bring kids like a campfire moment.

Speaker G 00:33:36

Right?

Speaker G 00:33:37

They're together, just not competing.

Speaker G 00:33:39

It's a friendly competition.

Speaker G 00:33:40

Right.

Speaker G 00:33:40

It's funny, it's engaging, but you're doing it with other people.

Speaker A 00:33:44

Right?

Speaker G 00:33:44

You're doing it with your friends.

Speaker G 00:33:46

And we've tried to, like, imagine.

Speaker G 00:33:48

We have some really cool game modes where we wanted to imagine, like, how could we get students to talk to each other more?

Speaker G 00:33:55

How can we award them in a way that they can go out outside of the class and be like, like, Mark, amazing job.

Speaker G 00:34:01

I really love how you did that amazing job with this.

Speaker G 00:34:04

You know what, having that first moment of, you know, getting a friend, being accepted, finding peers to learn together with and having a learning community in the classroom.

Speaker G 00:34:14

So I think that's something we're really proud of.

Speaker G 00:34:16

We're really committed to that.

Speaker G 00:34:18

And I think educators notice because the students are asking, let's play a Kahoot.

Speaker A 00:34:23

And I think for me, certainly as my kids grew up, it's that kind of they want to play games.

Speaker A 00:34:28

They love the failing, they love the chance to move to the next level.

Speaker A 00:34:31

And of course, in this day and age, they love the fact that they can play with their games in your sitting room, but more importantly, around the corner, across the world, wherever it happens to be.

Speaker A 00:34:40

So it makes sense that they really sort of lock into this way of doing it.

Speaker A 00:34:43

And I guess it sort of merges that boundary between learning and education in that traditional setting.

Speaker A 00:34:48

So is that something you're aware of and something you're sort of pushing?

Speaker F 00:34:52

Yeah.

Speaker F 00:34:52

I mean, just to rip on what Maida was saying here, I mean, we are all about social learning.

Speaker F 00:34:57

I think that's a very important aspect for us.

Speaker F 00:35:00

And it's not just about game based learning anymore.

Speaker F 00:35:03

It's actually about creating that kind of feeling of belonging.

Speaker F 00:35:07

I Think that's a really great way to put it.

Speaker F 00:35:09

One of the things that we actually launched at this event, or we launched actually in the fall, but now we're building on it here is something called Kootopia, which is a class, class reward system.

Speaker F 00:35:19

So you can think about it.

Speaker F 00:35:20

You played.

Speaker F 00:35:20

A lot of kids have played a lot of apps where they get rewards for doing, you know, they're learning on their own.

Speaker F 00:35:25

This is the class has to work together to actually learn together.

Speaker F 00:35:28

And by doing that they can unlock new rewards on their so called class Island.

Speaker F 00:35:33

Of course they've all played, you know, Roblox or, or, or Minecraft or something like that.

Speaker F 00:35:38

They're familiar with building something and this is a way for them to work together actually to build, build up their island.

Speaker F 00:35:44

So it's a, it's a showcase, a trophy case, if you want to call it that, of all of the learning that they've actually accomplished during a semester or a school year.

Speaker F 00:35:53

And that's something that we're really happy about because part of the ethos is about, you know, that social learning and working together as a group, not just as an individual.

Speaker F 00:36:02

And we really love that.

Speaker F 00:36:03

And that's something that we're trying to show here.

Speaker A 00:36:05

And I love that about the classes because I mean, so many schools for decades have had this idea of being in a group, whether it's a house or a different year group, and they're like, say they're not necessarily even competing, but they're sort of their sort of friendly rivalry or we're going to do some singing or we're going to be doing this competition or it's sports or whatever.

Speaker A 00:36:23

Exactly.

Speaker A 00:36:23

And I think to sort of bring that in, in that technical way, I think is really, really, really fantastic.

Speaker A 00:36:28

And I think the main thing for me, and I hear it a lot on the podcast generally, but certainly here today, is the fact that this is a technology event, but it's actually a learning event.

Speaker A 00:36:38

But more than that, it's a human there.

Speaker A 00:36:40

And I think everyone is more and more aware that we need that human connection and we're using all the technology and the tools to bring people together in a way so that it's a supportive thing rather than a barrier.

Speaker A 00:36:51

And I think so many people in the past might have thought, oh, you're on the computer, there's too many screens, there's too much of this involved.

Speaker A 00:36:57

It needs to be more interaction.

Speaker A 00:36:59

But the interaction has changed now and it always will have been different internally since COVID In terms of what you think the device is or the interaction within a classroom.

Speaker A 00:37:07

So I really like the way that it's actually sort of brought all that together in a way, like I say that so many millions of people have been able to, to use as well.

Speaker A 00:37:15

So you mentioned about that particular launch you're doing here.

Speaker A 00:37:18

What else are you showcasing today?

Speaker F 00:37:20

I mean so that's really on the student side.

Speaker F 00:37:23

So we're really focused on that.

Speaker F 00:37:24

The student led learning toolkit that includes lots of game modes and if we have a little bit time we'll walk around and show you all that stuff.

Speaker F 00:37:32

But on the teacher side we're also of course continuing to build out our AI assistance.

Speaker F 00:37:38

So last year when we stood here this time last year we actually launched it for the first time.

Speaker F 00:37:43

If you're familiar with ChatGPT, you know, you could just prompt and it can create a kahoot within seconds.

Speaker F 00:37:47

Since then we've actually added support for URLs, we've added support for PDF or documents.

Speaker F 00:37:54

So you can literally just drag and drop your lesson or whatever it might be into Kahoot and boom.

Speaker F 00:38:00

Kahoot will make you a full basically kahoot quiz in seconds for you.

Speaker F 00:38:06

And late in the fall we actually worked a little bit closer with Wikipedia because the next sort of level, some of the feedback we got was you know, coot, that's great, this is really convenient, saves me a lot of time.

Speaker F 00:38:21

But it's still the quality is not high enough.

Speaker F 00:38:23

It's the open Internet like it's, it's like you're making goods from anything.

Speaker F 00:38:27

So the next level is actually to work with trusted, so called trusted sources.

Speaker F 00:38:32

The first of which is we work with Wikipedia as a great showcase for you can actually derive and make cahoots from specific Wikipedia articles in like any language essentially.

Speaker F 00:38:44

So that's a really great way to ensure the quality is there.

Speaker F 00:38:47

Still not curriculum aligned but it's definitely a lot better than it has been in the past.

Speaker F 00:38:51

That's one thing.

Speaker F 00:38:52

And then further to that in this particular event we actually announced a partnership with Microsoft where we actually doing a integration with a copilot PC which copilot plus PC I should say where on those specific PCs, if you have any documents again lesson plans or whatever, you'll just be able to very quickly spin up a kahoot using Copilot on that PC.

Speaker F 00:39:17

So I think, I think that's kind of the future is really making it really quick, really painless hopefully.

Speaker F 00:39:23

What I like to say is hopefully we're saving Sunday evenings for teachers who are not, you know, using that Time making cahoots and they're spending the time with their, you know, their family and having that quality time.

Speaker F 00:39:35

So we're saving them time.

Speaker F 00:39:36

And hopefully the cahoots especially going into the future are getting more and more relevant, higher, higher quality and of course benefiting the kids even more.

Speaker F 00:39:43

So that's the other side of the equation at this event.

Speaker F 00:39:45

Students, Kootopia and then all, of course the AI suite that we're building out.

Speaker A 00:39:49

Well, there'll be a lot of people clapping and getting a bit more rest on a Sunday night.

Speaker A 00:39:54

And it's value for money, which is, which is incredible.

Speaker A 00:39:57

So yeah, we can wander around and have a look at some of those things.

Speaker A 00:40:00

Well, we'll get some video of that so people can see if they're going to be watching that on YouTube as well.

Speaker A 00:40:04

The thing I really liked about that is the trusted sources thing.

Speaker F 00:40:07

Yeah.

Speaker A 00:40:08

Because I saw a post recently from someone and they just put in to an image, sort of AI show me someone who's successful and it came back with 30 something, man in a suit, glass window, office, whatever.

Speaker A 00:40:22

And so what you ask, but more importantly what you bring in as part of your kind of research, as it were, for AI to give you something is incredibly important.

Speaker A 00:40:31

So I think like you said, the partnership idea, so people feel like they're getting that information from a trusted source and a group of people that they know and love and trust is such an important thing.

Speaker F 00:40:41

I just go, absolutely.

Speaker F 00:40:43

And it's actually a shout out to the industry.

Speaker F 00:40:46

So, you know, come and talk to Kahoot.

Speaker F 00:40:47

We were more than willing, if you have a data set that you think would be relevant for educators, either K12 or higher ed, you know, come and talk to us and we'll see what we can do about including that in our AI assistance.

Speaker A 00:41:00

And how do you find it being I said you were in Paris in terms of that sort of thing.

Speaker A 00:41:05

So how does the international flavor kind of work for you in terms of speaking to people in different countries and obviously being here in London today, I.

Speaker G 00:41:12

Mean, I love it.

Speaker G 00:41:13

I have to be honest that I'm practicing French and I'm reminded how difficult learning is in fact, that you have to show up every day and it's not always easy and super fun, I mean, can make it a bit more engaging.

Speaker G 00:41:28

But it is work, it is hard work.

Speaker G 00:41:31

So I'm happy that we have tools for students to really learn by themselves and learn to learn and make the thing work for themselves.

Speaker G 00:41:38

So I'm happy for that.

Speaker G 00:41:39

As a person, I'm thrilled I'm like seven years into the company.

Speaker G 00:41:43

I love meeting these creative people and just having this variety of thoughts from every country and having the representations and being an inclusive company as well.

Speaker G 00:41:54

Like you said, we don't want to think that a success, success means a 30 year old something white man in a suit.

Speaker G 00:42:01

No, it looks different for different people and it like everyone can lean into their strengths.

Speaker G 00:42:06

And I find Kahoot a very curious and playful company.

Speaker G 00:42:09

And I hope that curiosity kind of goes to the educators, to the students as well, that they look at the world with curiosity and awe because it's an amazing place.

Speaker G 00:42:17

We have a lot of issues to solve.

Speaker G 00:42:19

Yes.

Speaker G 00:42:19

But we can do it together, I feel.

Speaker A 00:42:22

And I think that's a great place to finish because that idea of collaboration and being able to bring that creativity into the classroom in a way that is with a tool they're already working with, they're feeling it and experiencing it without having to have a curriculum which is creative and all that kind of thing.

Speaker A 00:42:36

It's all just developing and it's sort of melding like one big sort of pot of amazing sort of creativeness that they can see and experience on a daily basis.

Speaker A 00:42:45

A daily basis, rather than it's something I need to learn or something I need to become part of.

Speaker A 00:42:49

Thank you both for chatting.

Speaker A 00:42:50

It's been fantastic and we're gonna gonna wander around and have a look at some of the things.

Speaker A 00:42:54

So thanks so much indeed.

Speaker F 00:42:55

Thanks so much, Park.

Speaker G 00:42:56

Thank you.

Speaker B 00:42:59

I really hope you enjoyed those three podcast interviews.

Speaker B 00:43:02

I'm gonna wander around now.

Speaker B 00:43:03

It's sort of dying down a little.

Speaker A 00:43:04

Bit at 5 o'clock but show you.

Speaker B 00:43:05

A few more of the stalls.

Speaker B 00:43:06

I've had a chat with a couple of people which has been exciting.

Speaker B 00:43:09

A couple of podcast related people and Hoxton Max, who were fantastic in terms of refurbished Max.

Speaker B 00:43:15

Great to chat to them.

Speaker B 00:43:16

So I'll try and grab another couple of people to chat to.

Speaker B 00:43:19

Hopefully something in the arts, music related, always like to support those and I really hope you've enjoyed my day at bett.

Speaker H 00:43:27

I Can Compose is an online music education platform for secondary music teachers and their students.

Speaker H 00:43:33

And I set it up because I was a music teacher and found that one of the big challenges was managing a class of students who all want to work in different styles of music and compose different pieces.

Speaker H 00:43:48

How do you manage that class?

Speaker H 00:43:49

How do you make sure they're all on task and how do you make sure they've got what they need for their chosen style?

Speaker H 00:43:55

So I've written online courses which Students can work through in their own time, in school and at home and successfully create their own piece of music.

Speaker A 00:44:07

So how do you manage to do this?

Speaker A 00:44:08

Are you still teaching as well or is this becoming sort of your full time focus?

Speaker H 00:44:12

This is my full time focus in.

Speaker A 00:44:14

Terms of secondary school.

Speaker A 00:44:15

I'd certainly know from.

Speaker A 00:44:16

I sort of do VMT teaching is drums and percussion.

Speaker A 00:44:20

The secondary school system is very different to the primary, isn't it?

Speaker A 00:44:23

Where it's just that kind of just keeping the engagement of music if they're not already playing or performing as part of the curriculum's hard.

Speaker A 00:44:29

So I can see why this is such a good idea.

Speaker A 00:44:31

But how did you sort of find it sort of on the coal face, so to speak?

Speaker H 00:44:34

I really enjoyed being in the classroom.

Speaker H 00:44:36

I love the creative side of it.

Speaker H 00:44:38

I find that students really lacked confidence when it came to composing.

Speaker H 00:44:43

They perhaps didn't know how to come up with their ideas or what to do with their ideas to make them into a full composition.

Speaker A 00:44:50

So now I think having the structure like you said and the course to be able to guide you through that is.

Speaker A 00:44:54

Is a really helpful thing.

Speaker A 00:44:55

Fantastic.

Speaker A 00:44:56

Tell people where they should go to find out more.

Speaker H 00:44:58

So go to icancompose.com and you'll find everything you need to know.

Speaker A 00:45:03

Fantastic.

Speaker A 00:45:03

Thank you so much.

Speaker A 00:45:07

So we're still here at BETT and I've just come to the store of Eduflix and they're going to tell us a little bit about how they've got 20 years of experience which is starting to go into the UK market.

Speaker A 00:45:16

So thanks very much.

Speaker A 00:45:17

Tell us exactly what is Eduflix and how is it working here?

Speaker I 00:45:20

Well, we produce education movers that have been done so for many years in Sweden.

Speaker I 00:45:26

And now we are having this launch today at Beth where we have all English content and at the moment we have about a thousand movies and we add about 150 only produced movies yearly and about the same amount that we license also.

Speaker I 00:45:47

And what's special about our movies is they are specially made for the curriculum.

Speaker I 00:45:52

Swedish basically.

Speaker I 00:45:53

But it turns out it works in other countries too.

Speaker I 00:45:57

When we are in these kind of subjects where we are like biology, physiology and so forth.

Speaker A 00:46:04

It looks fantastic and I think to have that sort of database of, let's say a thousand or so sort of films which are then being extended each time.

Speaker A 00:46:12

And it's.

Speaker A 00:46:13

Tell us about the practicalities of it is you sign up for it and then it gives you instant access.

Speaker A 00:46:17

It's for teachers, it's for schools.

Speaker A 00:46:19

How does that work?

Speaker I 00:46:21

Well, when you sign up, you do it for the whole school, actually, so both all students and teachers can use it as much as they like.

Speaker A 00:46:30

Fantastic.

Speaker A 00:46:31

So do go and check that out.

Speaker A 00:46:32

It's Eduflix and it's a new film service for schools.

Speaker D 00:46:36

Yeah.

Speaker A 00:46:36

Great to chat to you.

Speaker A 00:46:37

Thanks very much.

Speaker I 00:46:38

Thank you.

Speaker A 00:46:40

Thanks for listening to the Education on Far podcast.

Speaker B 00:46:43

For more information of each episode and to get in touch, go to educationonfire.com Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.