We're kicking off the second season with some quick chats with friends at BETT 2025, the largest EdTech festival in the UK. Every kind of hardware and software vendor is here, focusing on convincing their audience that their product is the one to transform learning and teaching.

For many though, it's a chance to connect with peers from across the country as well as take back what is good, better and best to your schools.

In this short, often audio-imperfect episode we're asking why people come to BETT and what they can take away. It would have been a much longer episode but the storms on the Friday sent many of us packing on Thursday. We'll be back with a guest in the studio next week!

In our last episode of Season 1, we talk to  Darren Tobin from the mighty Sphero, discussing all things robots and the impact of Sphero's innovative products on STEM education. We explore the evolution of Sphero's offerings, including the Bolt Plus, Indi Little Bits, RVR+ and Blueprint, emphasizing the importance of concrete, hands-on learning and engagement in the classroom. 

With Computing Science still trying to find its way into the curriculum in some areas, we champion the need for effective teacher support and curriculum resources to facilitate the integration of technology in education and the role of experimentation, creativity, and failure in the learning process. 

You’ll discover how Sphero solutions enhance STEM learning, and the importance of continuous innovation in education technology, and hear inspiring stories from educators and students. 

A great way to finish the year! See you all again in January

Discover more about Sphero:

https://sphero.com

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

In this episode, we address questions from the Best in Class mailbag, covering some of the things that have interested you over the past 9 weeks or so.

Q - Related to the 2042 question from last week - what should schools be doing now to prepare that young person for 2042

Q - Ai - what are the biggest challenges in implementing AI in Education

Q - About AI - how could I start using it as an educator in a way that is meaningful in my practice?

Q - The Screen time question - how much is too much and how much is too little

Q - App rationalisation - how many is too many

Q - Instead of apps - what are the best websites

We'll emphasise the importance of foundational literacies, infrastructure and devices to develop digital skills, and the need for a balanced approach to screen time.

In this episode, Michael heads off to Aberdeenshire for their PedTech Festival, “Effective Pedagogy using Digital Technology“, focusing on integrating educational technology in teaching and learning. You’ll hear from Julia Rickard and Jim McLean who set the whole thing up, as well as some of the attendees, discussing the importance of events like this in promoting digital learning, the challenges faced in implementing technology in education, and the need for experiential learning to prepare students for the future.

The Aberdeenshire Loves Learning team spends a lot of time supporting practitioners and leaders, highlighting the evolving landscape of education technology and the collaborative efforts required to keep pace with advancements.

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

In this episode, Michael catches up with Jon Neal from Quizizz, discussing the evolution of formative assessment tools and Quizizz's fantastic innovative features. With an amazing FREE plan for teachers, they’ll explore the importance of diverse question types, interactive lesson creation, and the integration of AI to enhance the teaching experience.

Quizizz empowers teachers to create engaging and personalised learning experiences for students, accommodating diverse learning needs and promoting effective assessment strategies. Engagement is critical in the modern classroom, and Quizizz provides you with a suite of tools to help keep the pace and challenge right for your learners. You’ll also hear how Quizizz has gone to great pains to deliver comprehensive professional development support for educators.

Find out more at :

https://quizizz.com/

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

What can technology do for Maths? Especially in the everyday work of solving problems and showing you work? 

In this episode, Michael talks to Daniel Hagstedt from Magma Math, discussing the innovative educational technology designed to enhance math learning. They explore the origins of Magma Math, its focus on personalised and adaptive learning, and the importance of students showing their work, highlighting the significance of feedback and the value of handwritten solutions in math education. Additionally, they discuss how Magma Math aligns with curriculum standards and supports teachers in delivering effective lessons. 

In this conversation, Daniel discusses the innovative features of Magma Math, emphasising the importance of providing teachers with comprehensive resources and adaptive learning tools. From reducing teacher workload to providing data-driven insights for continuous improvement in math education, Magma Maths is the game changer you didn’t know you needed. Every teacher we’ve demoed it with has come away with the same observation: We should have been using this years ago. How can we get it?

Find out more at :

https://www.magmamaths.co.uk/

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

In this episode, we speak to Andrew Campbell and Danielle McKernan from Texthelp about the importance of accessibility in education, particularly through their product Read & Write. Always passionate about this area, they are on a mission to reach a billion people and are well on the way. As well as discussing the origins of this fantastic accessibility tool and its evolution, we also touch on some personal stories illustrating how technology breaks down barriers for learners, fosters engagement, and supports diverse needs.

This is the kind of conversation we love having—highlighting the significance of normalising accessibility tools in classrooms, the impact of technology on groups like EAL learners, and the universal support we all use now—be that dictation, translation, read-aloud, or many of the other features you’ll discover that are not just “necessary for some, but useful for all.” 

This episode emphasises the need to give our children agency and independence, showcasing how technology can empower them in their learning journey. The discussion also highlights the importance of community involvement and accessibility in education and the evolving role of AI in creating inclusive learning environments.

Find out more about Texthelp and their Read & Write toolbar here:

https://www.texthelp.com/en-gb/products/read-and-write-education/

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

It has been the school holidays up here in the north, so we’ve taken a little detour down another avenue of EdTech, the often overhyped but always interesting world of Artificial Intelligence, which is sometimes the elephant in the room in education circles or the end of civilisation in others. In this episode, Michael discusses the evolving role of AI in education, exploring its potential benefits and challenges. He emphasises the importance of understanding the hype cycle associated with AI technologies, the innovative tools available for educators, and the ethical considerations that must be addressed as AI becomes more integrated into teaching and learning. At XMA, we advocate for a balanced approach to AI, encouraging educators to leverage its capabilities while remaining critical of its limitations and implications.

We looked at 4 examples of AI:

Gemini from Google

https://gemini.google.com/

NotebookLM from Google           

https://notebooklm.google/

HeyGen – video translation

https://www.heygen.com/

Magic School AI                          

https://www.magicschool.ai/

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

Would you rather have only one person in a class who knows how to use a particular piece of edtech, or would you prefer 30?

That’s one of the intriguing questions Michael Conlon from XMA and Frazer Williams from OLUS discuss as they explore how OLUS Education approaches professional learning and building capacity in schools. OLUS Education is a unique solution that aims to make teaching digital skills easier for teachers and level the playing field for all students by having a platform where they can learn together and independently. They emphasize the need to teach students digital skills and the importance of teachers being comfortable with technology. They also discuss the flexibility of OLUS Education's platform, which allows teachers and students to learn at their own pace and whatever devices they happen to have. 

XMA always highlights the need for a strategic approach to technology adoption and proficiency in schools. OLUS (Online Learning Support) is a platform that tries to address the challenges of teaching in schools, such as the constantly changing nature of technology and the limited time and resources available for training. OLUS offers a unique approach by allowing teachers to have their students taught through the OLUS platform, which curates lesson plans that develop their digital skills for use across the curriculum. 

The platform has received positive feedback from teachers and has an over 90% renewal rate each year. OLUS covers a wide range of applications and platforms, including Apple, Microsoft, and Google tools, and is constantly updating and adding new courses. The platform is known for its simplicity and user-friendly interface, making it easy for teachers and students to navigate. OLUS is available in the UK, Ireland, and South Africa, with plans for global expansion.

https://www.olus.education/

Get in touch:

https://linktr.ee/xmalimited

Workflow is tied so closely to workload, and we should all be in the business of making teachers lives easier, not harder. Whilst Showbie at the outset feel like a fantastic way to assess, mark and give feedback – it is – if you ask us on a deeper level where its value lies, we’d say it clearly reflects good pedagogical practice and shapes a workflow that really has an impact on workload.

We’re lucky enough to speak to Abdul Chohan, Vice President of Learning at Showbie, to discuss the importance of pedagogy in EdTech and how Showbie supports teachers and students in direct instruction, independent practice, assessment, and feedback. He emphasised the need for a pedagogical strategy when implementing technology in schools and highlighted the power of simple solutions like capturing teacher explanations through screen recording. He introduced us to the concept of the DNA of learning and how understanding how research will help us find the goal of providing every student with a consistently good learning experience.

Showbie is a powerful tool that supports teachers in providing feedback, assessment, and direct instruction to students. It promotes consistency from primary to secondary education and integrates with different apps and platforms. Showbie also facilitates parental engagement and allows them to see their children's progress and provide support. Based on user feedback and research-based approaches in education, it is continuously improving.

Takeaways