Welcome to a new academic year

August and September is an exciting time for many schools around the globe, as the gates open once more for another fantastic year of learning, growth and innovation. New pupils have joined your ranks, bringing their unique personalities and passions. What are you doing to spark these interests in your pupils?

It is easy to fall into familiar patterns; to stick to what feels safe. But, to be a truly forward thinking organisation, it is time to take stock and look to the future. What new paths can you take this year to adapt to a very fluid, tech-led world? Because the bottom-line is this: to be impactful we have to remain relevant and not stagnate.

Make way for the UX Agency

Practicing what we preach, we have recently gone through a total rebrand - looking to the future. We will continue to do what we have always done well, but continually adapt and roll with the times to do it even better!

We want to drive a forward-thinking, innovative approach to how schools not only market themselves but also how they can look to disrupt old-fashioned education models and adapt new principles relating to the #FutureSchool.

In the article, @SimonNoakes - our Founder and CEO - describes his vision to start the conversation. 

The #FutureSchool: Evolution or Transformation?

For hundreds of years pedagogy has formed the core to teaching and learning. 

Learning outcomes and academic results have become the focus for educators and the community around them - a narrow view that is having less and less to do with today's modern needs in education. While striving for educational greatness is not necessarily a bad thing, the single-mindedness desire to top league tables and churn out the best grades is failing our children. Schools need to be adaptable to new styles of education, otherwise the only losers will be those who are receiving an education.

"Schools tend to focus on buying technology, without considering the human impact."

Schools talk a lot about ‘educating the whole child’, and ‘giving them opportunities beyond the curriculum’ to thrive in what they are good at - but are we missing the point? 

The Reality

Before we start, let’s get this out the way - emoticons and emojis are not the same.

• Emoticons are formed by using typographical marks, such as :) or ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

• Emojis are actual images, such as or ‍♀️

Since their birth in Japan back in 1999, emojis have exploded into text speech all around the world. From  to , emojis can be used anywhere around the world to convey universal messages.

But what is it about emojis that makes them so addictive?

The use of emojis in text speech adds emotion to what you’re saying. How exciting!!! can quickly become sarcastic and negative just by switching the emoji to . Displaying clear emotions is most definitely a large part of the usage of emojis, but not its singular purpose.

They’re also quite often used to soften sad news. “Sorry I can’t make it tonight, but have fun ”. Or they could be used to express yourself in a more comfortable way. “️ ❤️ you”. And finally, they can be used when words are just not enough. “I bought you a car” and the reply “”.  

Emojis help us express ourselves, but is it really enough to call it it’s own language?

Emojis may not have set rules like other languages, but there is a universal understanding of what most of them mean. Let's give this a go....

POP QUIZ: Can you guess what these emojis are referring to?

1. (clue: dance)

2. ❤️1️⃣4️⃣ (clue: yearly event)

3. (clue: film quote)

4. 1️⃣➕⏰ (clue: song title)

5. (clue: film)

6. Can you guess the song below?

[1] Tech is redefining the game

It seems obvious to say but the gargantuan changes we have seen in technology, in the last 10 years alone, has completely changed the way we do many things. Education is no exception.

Some of these impactful tech changes include:

• mobile technology
• machine learning / artificial intelligence
• virtual / augmented reality
• cloud & data storage
• significant increases to internet speed (globally)

Tech evolution is not only redefining the ways we can teach but the actual curriculum of what should be learned. This is likely to continue, while we try to better clarify technology's place in the learning process.

[2] Mobile technology is opening new ways of learning

There have been ongoing arguments about pupils having mobile phones in school for many years now. The simply truth today though is that mobile tech has permeated into our lives so much that more people own a mobile phone than do not!

In fact, there is a slightly horrifying statistic that states more people in the world own a mobile phone than a toothbrush!

If we can accept the fact that mobile tech is here, perhaps we can begin to look at how it can be used in the classroom. Here are a few ways that mobile tech has positively affected learning:

• pupils can research topics online, explore subject content further and find inspiration for their work
• pupil engagement has been noted to increase in schools already integrating tech and mobile tech into their learning process
• different teaching styles are easier to implement with mobile tech - distant learning and collaborative learning for example
• consistent use of mobile tech provides more skills for pupils' futures, particularly around digital citizenship

[3] Remote learning is increasingly becoming simpler

We have all likely heard of (and maybe even tried) Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These are courses (many of which are free) where you can learn remotely by watching videos, reading course content and self-assessing your understanding.

MOOCs give people the opportunity to learn skills in almost anything you can imagine without needing to attend classes. 

[4] Learning can be more focussed around collaboration

This may be one of the more impactful changes we see in education, collaboration:

• pupil / pupil collaboration enabled by tech can be a powerful (and equitable) thing. Pupils who are perhaps introverts may find it easier to collaborate with their peers over a digital platform
• pupil / teacher collaboration is also enabled with tech. We have already seen platforms like Pinterest enable this collaboration, but in reality this can be taken to exciting new heights as the power of tech grows

Collaboration is an essential life skill, so having tech as a tool to better instil it as a quality can only be a good thing.

[5] Digital games are finding a solid place in the learning process

Game based learning and gamification were hot topics a few years ago. Many educators agree that using digital games in the learning process can actually help improve pupil engagement and give teachers useful tools to help analyse their pupils engagement.

We have seen some great innovations in the digital game meets education technology industry, Minecraft: Education Edition for example. 

[6] Information is easier to come by, but application still needs the guidance of a teacher

While all of the above are very positive regarding the impact of technology in education, there is one essential thing to bear in mind. This is that while the availability of information has been vastly improved (a pupil could be said to have unlimited knowledge in their pocket with smart phones) the application of this knowledge still needs to be taught.

And this is why the teacher cannot really be replaced! We explore this exact topic in our analysis of Virtual Reality (is it a supplement for teachers, or their replacement) and the outcome very much remains this:

2017 was a busy year for Virtual Reality, as consumers truly began to take notice. Tech companies were quick to identify this interest, and began to drive VR innovation across many different industries.

Travel, entertainment, hospitality and healthcare all benefitted from new tools based around VR, and now its the education sectors turn to contract the VR bug!

Here are 5 reasons why VR is perfect for education.

[1] Pupils can travel the world (and beyond) without leaving the classroom

Imagine trekking through the jungles of the Amazon, or across the freezing tundras of Antarctica, or even reaching the top of Mount Everest without leaving the classroom.

VR enables this. Even the most inaccessible regions of planet Earth can be viewed with VR. Take note of Google's growing library of Expeditions, allowing pupils to take field trips to virtually anywhere.

Expeditions are easily enabled by having a mobile or tablet device and a VR viewer (the cheapest option is actually Google's own Google Cardboard).

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2016 report, The Future of Jobs, it is estimated 5 million jobs will be lost to automation by 2020 (a number that will likely continue to grow). Jobs involved in office work and administration, manufacturing, and even law are likely to be hit the hardest.

With such dynamic shifts in the availability of work, which jobs should we preparing our children for? 

An unknown working future

[1] Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality [CORRECT]

We said: The technology and behaviour around VR and AR will evolve over the next 12 months, and further.

2017 has seen VR and AR come along in leaps and bounds. It is clear that the applications offered by VR and AR have a long way to go, but in a relatively short amount of time both platforms are readily available to everyday consumers.

• For VR, we have Google Card (incredibly cheap, to be used with a mobile device) and a whole variety of VR headsets, such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and gaming headsets like PlayStation VR. 
• For AR, the introduction of ARKit on the new iPhone models has brought augmented reality into the homes of millions.

VR and AR will undoubtedly remain a trend throughout 2018, expanding into other sectors outside entertainment. Keep an eye on the education industry in particular, as VR and AR become key learning tools both inside and outside the classroom. Google expeditions is already a prime example of this!

Creating videos for your school marketing does not need to be complicated or expensive. No need to hire Spielberg or rent out a £100,000 camera to capture your #SchoolStories.

Instead, make use of the tools that are readily available - you likely have a decent camera and full editing suite sitting in your pocket or handbag right now.

Being mobile

A large part of what we deliver to schools is this idea of capturing #SchoolStories as they happen. How? By using mobile devices (i.e. smart phones and tablets).

It gives the user the easiest method of recording a quick video - or montage of pictures, or audio bite or whatever it may be - without having to lug around additional equipment. It allows for spontaneity and mobility. 

Recording a video

Every modern smart phone will have a native camera app that allows for video recording. There are, of course, hundreds of other apps that can be downloaded / purchased, but try using the native one first to get a feel for it.

For hundreds of years pedagogy has formed the core to teaching and learning. 

Learning outcomes and academic results have become the focus for educators and the community around them - a narrow view that is having less and less to do with today's modern needs in education. While striving for educational greatness is not necessarily a bad thing, the single-mindedness desire to top league tables and churn out the best grades is failing our children. Schools need to be adaptable to new styles of education, otherwise the only losers will be those who are receiving an education.

Schools tend to focus on buying technology, without considering the human impact.

Schools talk a lot about ‘educating the whole child’, and ‘giving them opportunities beyond the curriculum’ to thrive in what they are good at - but are we missing the point? 

The Reality

Following on from last week's industry-specific predictions, we take a look at 6 predictions for schools in 2017.

So, let's get started...

[1] VR

2017 is a big year for virtual reality (VR). We've already had exciting hardware releases with Playstation VR and Samsung Gear.

Facebook is betting big on VR, with Zuckerberg believing VR will be the future of the platform.

Schools are going to play a big part with VR too - in both education and marketing.

Children in schools are going to grow up and enter a world that has heavily adopted VR - just as computers were. Google are already pledging to bring VR to 1 million pupils in the UK.

We'll start to see more schools using VR inside classrooms. We'll also see schools offering VR tours of the school, and to watch concerts, sports fixtures etc.

There's no more immersive way of a experiencing a school, without physically visiting it, than through VR.