Monday 21 August 2017

Devices devices devices


For a self-confessed gadget geek, what can be more fun than the opportunity to test and play with a variety of cutting-edge (mostly!) devices? Well, getting to keep them all I guess!

Just recently we embarked on a journey to test devices for use by our teachers in the classroom. This is one of the first steps in our journey to embrace digital learning, and it is quite an exciting one!

We have bitten the bullet and purchased 7 devices that will be tested over the course of 7 weeks. And yes, because we bought them outright, we get to keep all of them! Even the ones we don't like...

Seven teachers will use each device for one week on a rotation system and complete a feedback survey at the end of each week, rating the device in terms of a variety of factors ranging from battery life all the way to ease of use. Already, after just one week, some practical design elements have been highlighted as being critical, but I won't spoil the surprise just yet.

Why are we going about it this way, I hear you ask? Surely there must be hundreds of schools that have embarked on similar journeys - could we not just use their experiences as a platform to make our own decision? Well, no. We have identified that we are a school with unique characteristics. We have a body of students that come from a largely comfortable financial demographic, an exciting mix of young and more experienced teachers, and an academic record that is second to none. All of these factors contributed to our decision to undergo our own rigorous testing to evaluate exactly what it is we need and what would have the biggest impact on improving outcomes for our students.

I would love to know what you guys think based on your own experiences? Are we going about things in the right way? What can we expect from our endeavour? Let me know in the comments below!