#130 – Saving teachers time
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This episode was recorded at The Edtech Podcast Festival 2018 and is sponsored by Cool Initiatives. Thanks to The Teacher Toolkit Podcast for leading the discussion. You can register your interest for the next festival here.
What’s in this episode?
This week on the podcast we look at the critical issue of saving teachers time. Where can tech help? And where do new tech solutions add to workload? Plus, a quick cutaway to an edtech podcast listener and throwback to past Cool Initiatives competition winners Flash Academy.
People
- Sophie Bailey is the Founder and Presenter of The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @podcastedtech
- Cameron Mohammed, Teacher of STEAM| Twitter: @cleftasunder
- Ross Morrison McGill, Founder, Teacher Toolkit | Twitter: @RossMcGill
- Rory McGrath, Deputy Headteacher, New Wave Federation | Twitter: @rjmgteach
- James Bowen, Director, NAHT Edge,The NAHT Podcast | Twitter: @JamesJkbowen
- Laura McInerney, Co-Founder of TeacherTapp | Twitter: miss_mcinerney
- Veejay Lingiah, Founder, Flash Academy | Twitter: @FlashAcademy_HQ
Feedback
We’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, and questions! Record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Or you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page or Instagram. Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to us on any of our social media platforms.
Thank you to this week’s sponsors – Cool Initiatives
Cool Initiatives is seeking to support, develop and invest in ideas or EdTech businesses that will help schools and teachers to operate more efficiently and effectively.
As you are listening to the Ed-tech podcast, you may well have a great idea or know someone else who has an idea that you think would help schools and teachers to do this, and we’d be delighted to talk to you.
We’re very happy to discuss administrative tools as well as learning technologies, or you may have a non-digital product or other service that you think would be useful.
Cool Initiatives already works with over 12,000 schools every day, with 20 years experience of building and sustaining a profitable business, we want to be able to use that experience to support others at the very start of their journey and build something great together.
So, you may have already started a business and want to take it to the next stage, or just have an idea and don’t really know how to turn it into a business. You may not know your CAC from your LTV, your IP from your MVP or your burn rate from your churn rate, don’t worry – Buzz-Word Bingo is not our game! We’re want to help turn a great idea into a flourishing business.
To find out more about our investment approach, take a look at our website coolinitiatives.com and please, just get in touch. We would love to hear more
Quotes from this episode
“Workload is pretty intense. We’ve found that use of our technical devices has allowed a more flexible approach to that workload.”
“We have thrown out our system of assessment. It was weighing the pig constantly. Now it is streamlined, not the minutae.”
On flexible working: “I think that is driving workload (that feels flexible but that is actually quite bad for you.)”
A good question to ask is: “Do you feel that the expectations on you are realistic?”
“What’s driving the workload? If you go to specifics, it’s the marking, it’s the data entry, and the planning.”
On inspections: “So much is preparing things just in case.”
“If you’re not sleeping at night…that level of stress is as much a problem as the workload.”
On email: “I wonder if this is one of those cases where technology allowed us to do more so we did more.?” email
“The joint headship” – It’s a recognition that it’s an enormous job. It allows us to have our family life and be a headteacher.” It reflects the scale and the enormity of the job.”
References
Shacklewell Primary School
Department for Education Workload Reduction Toolkit
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