08 | TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL
L ATEST INNOVATIONS
SCOUT
SETTING FORTH INTO T
Damon Jones examines how the latest technological innovations can be most productively used within the classroom and beyond.
M
odernist poet Ezra Pound’s call to “Make it new!” is gospel to many techno-fetishists. An eagerness to fl aunt the
latest fashionable gizmo is a notable high street trend, and, in education, technology is also deemed a credible (if not cool) investment. Of course, equating an initial novelty factor with lasting benefi ts may be a costly fallacy, as some analysts have found. UK schools spent over £1 billion on digital assets over the past decade, according to a 2012 report issued by Nesta, the charitable UK foundation. Yet, it concludes, “there is lit le evidence of success in improving educational outcomes”. A recent summary of digital education released by the Education Endowment Foundation concurs. “There is no doubt that technology engages and motivates young people,” it acknowledges. “However, this benefi t is only an
advantage for learning if the activity is eff ectively aligned with what is to be learned. It is therefore the pedagogy of the application of technology in the classroom which is important: the how rather than the what.”
To help achieve this, Nesta advises educators to “link home, schools and the community”. Softlink, an international developer of integrated library management solutions, adopted this principle during the development
of its new platform aimed at primary schools. Named Scout, the cloud- based system consolidates diverse assets, rendering them available not only to students, but also parents and teachers, via handheld devices alongside conventional PCs. “Scout is designed to assist and enhance primary schools’ literacy programs and initiatives, while delivering process effi ciencies and savings,” explains Chris McPhee, general
manager of Softlink Europe. The goal is to make accessing these resources functional – and, of course, fun.
Many schools store these resources in disparate locations, in varied formats. “Consequently, in many cases, assets are underused or forgot en,” argues McPhee. “To prevent this, Scout allows all assets to be maintained and sourced within a simple, easy-to- use ePlatform.”
“Scout’s design helps to engage young learners, off ering them ownership and independence,” continues Softlink UK’s general manager. Moreover, these tools can be made accessible to parents to encourage involvement, as can simplifi ed reports on children’s progress. Administrators too may benefi t from the system, which can integrate existing databases and virtual learning environments to enable holistic monitoring of school activities and inventory. Equipped with data from Scout, “staff can target the delivery and promotion of resources to particular students or groups, presenting new or relevant resources when they initially log on,” adds McPhee.
ABOVE: Scout's design helps to engage young learners, offering them ownership and independence
“Successfully naturalising new interfaces so that they’re as
comfortably familiar as a mouse
As the sophistication of devices increases, a simultaneous challenge for manufacturers is to maintain or simplify ease of use to ensure that their capabilities are fully exploited. Prestigio, a multinational electronics brand, has recently made an initial foray into this environment, launching a new digital whiteboard, based on its Multiboard product. Available in 42” and 84” sizes, the interactive units are pre-equipped with a suite of software, off ering several practical features. Handwriting recognition is supported, and the products are able to communicate with portable
and keyboard is key to sustaining any new technology”
devices. Pre-existing content can also be dynamically
adapted in real time, adding a kinetic fl ourish to classroom presentations and tuition. “Using tablets, students can share information such as pictures and videos in real time,” says Martin MacNamara, Prestigio’s UK sales director. Combining hardware and software, the devices can also support pre-recorded lessons, online learning and live, participatory sessions. Anticipating that voice for text, kinetic gesture technology and eye recognition may be the next standard set of features to be added to digital whiteboards, the
PRESTIGIO MULTIBOARD
company’s investment in the marketplace is an acknowledgement
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