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What’s the true state of edtech today? Getting closer to the edtech coal face


There’s no doubt that the edtech market has evolved significantly in recent years. We’ve come a long way from the early interactive white- boards to the convergent classrooms we now see today, and there’s no sign of this evolution slowing any time soon. But aside from the market statistics on units sold, how do we really know what is happening in the edtech market? And more specifically, what do educators actually think about the role of edtech in teaching and learning environments?


That’s where the State of Tech- nology in Education Report UKI plugs the gap. Now in its third year, this survey of over 1,800 educators reveals some telling trends with regards to the ed- ucation technology market in the UK and Ireland. Produced by global education technolo- gy company, Promethean, the State of Technology in Educa- tion Report is a valuable tool for delving deeper into the challenges and opportunities facing schools today.


From a channel perspective, the findings of the report pro- vide crucial intelligence that will help to guide current and future


against peers. So, given that Promethean


now has three


years’ powerful data on trends, where are the opportunities emerging and what do schools really want from the edtech sector?


Time to reflect


sales conversations as well as identify where technol- ogy can alleviate some of the pressures facing schools. Crucially, the report seeks in- put from school leaders, teach- ers and ICT Managers, giving unique insight into the individ- ual perspectives of these audi- ences. With greater engagement and even more participants than previous years, the 2018 State of Technology in Education (UKI) report has fast become a reliable and independent resource for benchmarking


Based on this year’s findings, it’s clear that the role of tech- nology in education continues to evolve as new innovations emerge and schools increasing- ly embed ICT as part of teach- ing and learning strategies. But how can we effectively map this evolution and monitor trends to help inform future visions? As an education technolo- gy company, Promethean is committed to understanding the current and future needs of schools, making significant investment in bringing this report to market with the aim of delivering insight, guidance and inspiration. In this year’s findings, over 54% of respon- dents recognise the potential of edtech in classrooms and be- lieve that technology is a great way to engage students (more than double what it was in 2016). This demonstrates that


edtech is now firmly embedded in UK classrooms. This brings the need to invest in training to the fore, and probably explains why more school leaders than in previous years have identi- fied staff training as a funding priority.


The prominence of teacher workload in UK education has long been debated, so it’s not surprising that it has emerged as having a negative impact on learning. What is


surprising,


however, is the gulf of opinion that exists between senior lead- ers and teachers. Given that technology in all walks of life is known to save time, simplify processes and spark


innova-


tion, could we be better lever- aging this potential to ease the workload burden on teachers?


Impact of workload


The education landscape is changing with more pressure being put on teachers than ever before. The impact of workload and stress facing educators is widely publicised, but the State of Technology in Educa- tion Report (UKI) has discov- ered a staggering 82 per cent of teachers surveyed believe workload is having a negative impact on pupils’ learning. With teacher workload ad- dressed for the first time in the edtech survey, a number of trends have emerged relating to the impact of teacher well- being.


The report identified that 62 per cent of teachers surveyed believe workload is contribut- ing to high levels of stress, only 14 per cent of heads and dep- uty heads agreed. The figures highlight a possible misalign-


ment between how teachers feel and what school leaders see. Only 8.9 percent of educa- tors who took part in the survey confirmed workload is manage- able in their school.


“Increased class sizes and fewer


qualified teachers in-


crease workload and stress of all teaching staff,” comment- ed a Teaching Assistant at an academy secondary school in South West England. “The problem I see is that the main source of extra work does not directly benefit my pupils, it just makes me more stressed,” added a teacher at a local authority primary school in Scotland. Teacher workload and well- being is widely believed to be having a negative impact on recruitment and staff retention in education. Figures from the State of Technology in Educa- tion Report have reinforced this argument. Over 33 per cent of respondents see staff retention as a challenge, and this rises to 40 per cent who see recruit- ment as an obstacle. Fewer than 4 per cent of respondents thought that their school is ad- dressing either issue.


A teacher from an academy secondary school in the West Midlands, said: “We are al- ready losing staff. Workload stress has a direct impact on the quality of teaching, with staff having to do administra- tive tasks while students are working in classrooms. Staff don’t feel they are teaching properly, and they are probably correct. The whole system does not contribute to a healthy edu- cation system.” Despite the concern the re- port has raised over teacher workload and wellbeing, it has also identified many successes in schools around the UK:


• Over half of educators who took part in the survey are us- ing technology to innovate in their teaching


• Although school leaders sur- veyed agreed budgetary con- straints will again have the big- gest impact on their strategic


P10 AV News November 2018


visions this year, this dropped by 13 per cent last year, and has dropped a further 10 per cent this year • 94 per cent of respondents recognise that edtech can im- prove engagement levels to some degree • Of those surveyed, 72 per cent think behaviour can be potentially improved with tech- nology


Ali Hayward, Head of UKI & ANZ Markets at Promethean, commented: “Based on all the headlines surrounding teacher workload and wellbeing these statistics


are not surprising,


especially how teachers believe this is having a negative impact on pupil’s learning. But what is refreshing to see is how teach- ers are continuing to innovate in the classroom and use ed- tech positively to enhance their teaching and alleviate some of the pressures they face. Pro- methean


works closely with


many teachers and recognises the tremendous amount of work they put in.”


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