features
to peer into the crater of a volcano, visit
other planets, or navigate the human
digestive and circulatory system is just
one aspect of the push forward: exciting
new technologies are enabling progress
in every part of the curriculum. Year
8 pupils at Nord Anglia are involved
in a ‘Drones for Good’ project, in
which they design, 3D print and then
programme drones which could be
used to solve real world problems,
while Year 3 pupils use Minecraft to
recreate Ancient Greek Landmarks in
History lessons, exploring each other’s
creations in a shared virtual space.
At GSIS (German Swiss International
School), coding is being introduced as
an extra-curricular option for students
as young as five years old. At Kellett,
one of the students has used a robotics
kit to design and build a prototype of
a shopping trolley that can move up
steps. Kellett’s Assistant Head of School
with responsibility for Technology Clive
Dawes, says many STEM or STEAM
projects are investigational in nature,
requiring students to identify and solve
problems with the aid of computer
programming, robotics, or ‘making’.
“The publicity surrounding STEM has
meant a huge number of companies
are providing resources to schools,
from programmable robots to small-
scale robotics and construction kits,” he
says. “Many schools have also created
bespoke ‘Makerspacers’ [a place where
students can gather to create, invent,
tinker, explore and discover using a
variety of tools and materials] to expose
students to these kind of activities, and
encourage them to tackle tasks in an
entrepreneurial spirit”.
Technology is helping teachers
operate more efficiently, too. Dawes
says probably the single most
important development in education
technology in the past few years has
been the whole-scale adoption of
G-Suite (previously known as Google
Apps for Education). This platform
gives schools free access to Google
tools such as Docs, Slides, and
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Sheets, as well as other products
such as Google Maps and Forms.
Using school-provided accounts and
passwords, students can work within
these tools anytime and anywhere,
sharing and collaborating with their
peers and teachers. Management
systems like Google Classroom enable
teachers to distribute, collect and mark
work in online environments, providing
comments and even verbal feedback.
A rapid increase in Learning Analytics
means teachers can now collect data
from personalised, adaptive tests
to make predictions about future
grades for learners. These predictive
models, compared with thousands of
datasets across the world combine,
to help educators make adjustments
to learners’ needs, and potentially
personalise their learning experiences.
New Apps allow teachers to receive
instant assessment feedback on a
whole class in a second, providing
vital information about who
understands, who needs help, and
what everyone’s next steps should be.
In subjects like maths, for example,
VR-enabled immersive
experiences, robotics,
3-D printing and iPads
in the primary
classroom – welcome
to the new age of
learning
the rise of VI software learns with the
participants, allowing work to become
progressively more challenging as
the student improves. “These kinds
of developments have allowed one
of the most valuable commodities
to be multiplied - time,” says Naima
Charler, Head of Curriculum at Nord
Anglia. “Now, with software to help,
one teacher can serve so many
more pupils in providing instant and
individual feedback”.