VIEWS & OPINION


Mobile devices offer a tried and tested route in to home learning and


teaching innovation Comment by CRAIG SMITH, UK Education Business Development at jamf


The increase in mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones has enabled new methods of teaching - closely connecting parents with teachers outside of the classroom. Successful Flipped Learning, for example, has meant that when there is a need, children can easily continue their education at home. For educators, it can lead to larger


benefits such as increasing registrations for courses and resulting revenue that could be put towards


supplies for students. For some, it has enabled the world to enjoy the benefits of their education – Eton College recently provided access to its courses for State-run schools. The rise of mobile and remote learning has even helped


educators to continue to teach in places that may not be easily reached, after disasters and during pandemics.


Go with the familiar Education technology has bridged the gap when remote learning has needed to come into play quickly. Using devices that students are already familiar with, reduces the need for students to first learn how to use their equipment before joining online classes – this can often be a deterrent in successfully implementing a remote learning environment. If the technology needs to be purchased, choose products that parents can also manage in terms of sourcing IT support and accessories.


Managing content and accessibility Teachers need the space to educate and interact rather than spend valuable time on managing the accessibility of content, updating software, placing security controls or device maintenance. Having an agreement on what can and can’t be accessed by students, with stringent controls and policies in place, will ease complexity. This will allow teachers to educate with the freedom to install necessary apps and review student work – remotely and easily. Device management forms a vital pillar of digital learning as


educational institutions look to maintain a holistic view of all devices. When these devices number into the hundreds or even thousands, there is a risk that the IT department will be overwhelmed if there isn’t a simple way to have an overview of it all. A device and app roll-out strategy doesn’t have to be


complicated – especially if it has needed to be done quickly. As long as there are device management capabilities that offer the both the IT team and educator the visibility and ability to manage the access of content, curriculum and assessments, students and parents will feel reassured.


Tolerance in a time of


coronavirus Comment by FELICIA JACKSON, Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation


At Learn2Think, much of the work we do through our Tolerance Day programme is around understanding how to prevent conflict, the importance of mutual understanding and dialogue. This ability to feel and express empathy is a vital human skill, never more important that when the world is facing a crisis like COVID-19, which lays bare the inequities of our current system.


Earlier this year the World Economic Forum warned that the global


economy was at risk. In an economic mindset where growth is the one and only goal, the WEF warned that the world faces many challenges. The report said, “climate change is striking harder and more rapidly than expected, and a fragmented cyber space threatens the full potential of next generation technologies — all while citizens worldwide protest political and economic conditions, and voice concerns about systems that exacerbate inequality. The challenges before us demand immediate collective action, but fractures within the global community appear to only be widening.”


Those fractures, the separation between the haves and the have


not’s, those with access to healthcare or not, those with legal residency or not, are worsened when people have no empathy, no tolerance for others. The ‘otherisation’ of those outside one’s own social group is the first step, and the placing of blame another. In the US, the president has been calling COVID 19 the Chinese virus, while Chinese media have reported rumours that the virus was brought to China by the US military.


What matters here is not who is to blame. Global pandemics


appear in cycles and warning of our unpreparedness was released in a study as recently as September 2019. Given the encroachment of humanity into nature, it’s not surprising that a new disease has taken hold. What does matter is how we respond to it. Does the US rethink a model which leaves 26 million without access to healthcare? Do the world’s top 1% think about the redistribution of some of their wealth? Will pharma giants like Gilead be stopped from profiteering during this global blight?


With around 20% of the global population under quarantine and


up to 40% under restrictions, and potentially millions of people around the world now unemployed, we need to work together more than ever. This has been recognised to an extent by governments, who are putting economic stimulus in place to ensure that work continues for as many as possible. There has been a recognition that our societies are interconnected and interdependent, as are our economies. What the coronovirus crisis has highlighted is that if people can’t pay their rent, buy food, service debt, pay bills, the economy will collapse. Money runs throughout the economy like water through an ecosystem – if one part of that system fails, then a cascade effect can occur. What we need to do is ensure that every member of society is taken care of.


The first step towards taking care of each other is ensuring that we


value each other. That means empathy and that means tolerance – giving to others the rights we demand for ourselves. We stand at a pivotal point in our development as a global society and it’s important that we move forward in the right way. A focus on what we have in common, from responding to emergencies, doing no harm and building a peaceful future together, can transform the way our societies work. Mutual understanding and dialogue underpin a better world.


April 2020


www.education-today.co.uk 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36