Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Texthelp Blog - Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

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The potential of edtech for teaching and learning

The ambitious goals outlined in the report are an encouraging vision into the future of education, and what’s especially refreshing is the DfE’s wide perspective on the use of technology for delivering teaching and learning. Not only do they recognize technology as a way to support learners with additional needs, but also as a benefit to all students and educators too - the latter aimed at cutting teacher workloads by reducing the burden of ‘non-teacher’ tasks, time spent on lesson preparation, and marking and assessment. 

All in all, it’s clear that the strategy is about supporting teachers in providing an inclusive education which improves educational outcomes for all, while enabling them to benefit with more flexibility in their job.

“We aim to support and enable the education sector in England to help develop and embed technology in a way that cuts workload, fosters efficiencies, removes barriers to education and ultimately drives improvements in educational outcomes.” - Department for Education

Facing real-world problems and reducing barriers

Amidst the enthusiastic vision for the future, the strategy remains pragmatic about real-world problems, from digital capability and skills of educators, to the need for modern infrastructure. 

One of the goals highlighted in the report is the rollout of full-fiber broadband coverage nationwide by 2033, giving all schools stable, high-speed internet connectivity that’s still sadly lacking in many places, especially rural areas. Even with bandwidth obstacles overcome, it’s hard to deploy truly effective edtech strategies without the classroom devices to support them. That’s where it comes down to the other big challenge – funding. While the £10 million edtech innovation fund administered through NESTA is certainly a welcome gesture for technology companies, there’s still a bigger conversation to be had around the need for access to devices and the funding mechanisms for schools to achieve this.

Taking that into account, it’s a big ask to meet the target timeframe of 2021 for delivery of the report’s other subsequent ‘edtech challenges’, which address the areas of administration, assessment, teaching practice, professional development and lifelong learning. So, rather than a ‘strategy’, maybe it’s better to see the DfE’s proposals as a vision looking out to 2025 and beyond. Indeed, as (now ex-) Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds acknowledges in his introduction to the report, it’s just a first step. Our leaders are right to recognize the importance of innovation, but it must be taken in the context of the pressing challenges already facing today’s educators. Vision takes planning, and implementation of that plan takes time. 

Ensuring educators are equipped for edtech

To accelerate the delivery of the Department’s vision, a great first step is to get our leaders, our teachers and the technology community talking openly to identify good practice and effectively implement the great tools that we already have available.

We have some amazing school leaders and some incredible teachers who are already delivering very effective practice through the innovative use of technology. Equally, we have technology companies providing powerful tools that are firmly grounded in academic research and supported by tangible demonstrations of efficacy. So now, it’s about harnessing good practice and supporting educators with continued professional development and upskilling - and it’s great to see that the planned launch of a network of demonstrator schools and colleges is already in motion.

Aligning educators and the edtech industry

Outlined as ‘a strategy for education providers and the technology industry’, the report delivered a vital message that technology providers and schools need to forge an effective dialog that lets pupils and teachers enjoy the full benefit of today’s solutions. The strategy also outlines the vital need for schools to plan their edtech investments wisely. For technology developers, that puts the onus firmly on us to clearly demonstrate the real-world efficacy of our products and solutions. This is where organizations like BESA are playing a vital role in facilitating this dialog, with its pioneering LendED initiative giving schools the chance to evaluate technology for free and review real-life case studies and testimonials before they buy.

We know from our experience that technology has the biggest impact on student outcomes when it is seamlessly integrated into the learning process. What’s important here is a shared vision for technology across all staff, which includes: 

creating regular opportunities to use technology within teaching

ensuring consistent access to technology across any device and platform

providing ongoing support to ensure educators and students are getting the most out of the tools 

promoting learner agency through the ability to self-select tools and personalize learning

With our mission to unlock everyone’s full potential through innovative technology, we are dedicated to ensuring learners and educators are enabled with supportive technologies that are woven throughout every aspect of teaching and learning.

To find out more visit: texthelp.com/unlocking-potential-with-technology

The Department for Education’s edtech strategy was warmly received this year by educators, with a refreshing and clear recognition of the struggles faced by teachers daily, and an emphasis on addressing these with practical solutions - solutions which not only realise the potential of technology in education, but react to remove barriers educators have when it comes to integrating edtech into their everyday teaching practices.

‘Realising the potential of edtech’ - a refreshing vision from DfE

‘Realizing the potential of edtech’ - a refreshing vision from DfE

The Department for Education’s edtech strategy was warmly received this year by educators, with a refreshing and clear recognition of the struggles faced by teachers daily, and an emphasis on addressing these with practical solutions - solutions which not only realize the potential of technology in education, but react to remove barriers educators have when it comes to integrating edtech into their everyday teaching practices.

We’ve been selected, along with other fantastic edtech companies, for our innovative use of technology in order to overcome some of the biggest challenges facing schools and colleges today. Through this funding, we will develop and scale our WriQ[Ⓡ] product in order to tackle and reduce teacher workload with a particular focus on automating essay marking.

For many people working in education, technology has not always lived up to its promise of reduced administration, time savings and new opportunities that we've seen in so many other sectors. Instead, a disconnect between the experience of teachers and learners, and the potential of technology has in some cases created new pressures and problems.

The EdTech Innovation Fund is part of a £4.6 million funding program that aims to change this. The program will stimulate industry innovation, support the development of EdTech products, and involve schools and colleges in building the evidence base to ensure that technology lives up to its promise in a real world setting.

Joysy John, Director of Education at Nesta, said yesterday: “To be truly transformational, education technology needs to achieve tangible impact for teachers and students, be informed by robust evidence and be easy to implement.”

This of course makes total sense - think about how we all use technology in our everyday lives. It’s there to make life easier, to help us do things faster and smarter than ever before. One of the challenges for educators is identifying key areas where technology can bring benefits to the classroom, and in understanding that only small changes can lead to big impact. 

The TALIS report highlights that teachers spend an average of six to seven hours per week marking. Further anecdotal evidence suggests that at busy times of the year this can increase to 14 or 15 hours. That’s late nights and weekends outside of the classroom. With spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) being an integral part of the National Curriculum since 2014, each piece of assessed work has a focus on considering and marking across these three core areas. It’s slow, time consuming work, but nevertheless important to help build literacy levels and understanding for students. 

Fast, Efficient and Effective Marking with WriQ

What if SPaG could be marked automatically? What if within seconds of opening a digital piece of work, it’s marked, highlighted, labeled and graded? With WriQ, that’s now a reality - a simple Google extension that measures SPaG, accuracy, word count and time on task, in an instant. With literacy tools that are used by over 20 millions users worldwide, our expertise has informed the design of WriQ, which also measures vocabulary age and helps teachers to build a clear picture of writing levels. 

Taking things beyond the measure of literary accuracy, WriQ also enables teachers to assess contextual elements of written work, with subjectivity removed by providing standardized and custom rubrics or mark schemes. This empowers fair and consistent marking, and paired with the automated functionality, WriQ offers the ability to fully mark a written piece in just a few clicks. Add the ability to type personal feedback, which the student receives instantly in their document, and the entire marking process is complete in just a couple of minutes. It’s fast, efficient and effective, and that’s how marking should be. 

Through this funding, we will be able to take WriQ to the next level. We’ll be using it to support developments to improve links with the English curriculum, improve efficacy of WriQ in English pilot schools, and improve the Teacher UI Design through engaging with a teacher advisory board and gathering feedback.

Watch this space for more exciting updates in the weeks and months ahead...

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For Nesta, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. They use their expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society. Nesta has spent over 20 years working out the best ways to make change happen through research and experimenting and applied that to their work in innovation policy, health, education, government innovation and the creative economy and arts. Nesta is based in the UK and supported by a financial endowment. They work with partners around the globe to bring bold ideas to life to change the world for good. www.nesta.org.uk

We are delighted to announce that TexthelpⓇ has been selected as a grantee for Nesta’s EdTech Innovation Fund, a fund that will support more effective use of technology in education.

Texthelp is part of NESTA’s EdTech Innovation Fund!

We are delighted to announce that Texthelp[Ⓡ] has been selected as a grantee for Nesta’s EdTech Innovation Fund, a fund that will support more effective use of technology in education.

Before we dive into what’s been happening with EquatIO, I’ll introduce myself. My name is Louis Shanafelt and I have recently joined Texthelp to be the new Product Manager for EquatIO. I’ve spent the last 20 years of my career immersed in the education industry, working for the eighth largest district in the country at Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida. I’ve taught Elementary Education (5th Grade), Computer Education, Secondary Mathematics, and was a school based Resource Teacher. I then went to work at the district office as a Digital Curriculum Resource Teacher and was promoted to an administrative level position as a Coordinator for Instructional Design. 

I’m beyond thrilled to join the Texthelp team and look forward to working with EquatIO teachers and students to help make our products innovative and accessible for all. Amongst my first duties here is to share with you some exciting new updates to EquatIO that we’ve recently released. So let’s dive in...

User interface updates to EquatIO for Windows, Mac, mathspace and LMS 

Nearly all of our EquatIO products have just received a new user interface update. We’ve spent some time improving the look so you’ll now see things like:

This icon gives you the option of accessing “how to” articles and videos, explaining even more uses for EquatIO and providing new tips and tricks for your most loved features. 

This icon has been added so you can easily input any written text or instructions in-line with your math content. It’s great if you have text-specific items to insert into your math or want to deliver mathematical word problems.

The text color palette allows students to provide visual cues to show what math has been performed from line to line as they solve their math problems. Teachers can also use it to show corrections when giving feedback on a quiz or assignment.

Our friends at Desmos have released a new version (1.3) that includes the latest and greatest features that Desmos has to offer, including updates to statistical features. We have incorporated all of those updates into our Graph Input, which is powered by Desmos. Here’s a complete list of all Desmos’ latest updates.

Our latest accessibility updates will be particularly beneficial for people who use screen readers. We’ve listened to feedback from EquatIO users and added labels, buttons and pop-ups which will help EquatIO to be even more accessible. 

We love to hear your feedback. After all, we’re making EquatIO for you! As the new Product Manager, I would love to hear from you on where you’d like to see the product go next. What would you love to see added? Or maybe there’s something we could make even more awesome? If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment below. 

quatIO has had some updates and this blog will introduce the newest features and developments, as well as introducing our new Product Manager for EquatIO Louis Shanafelt.

New look, added accessibility and lots more in the latest EquatIO updates

The EquatIO team has been busily working away, building some awesome new updates to the product for you all to enjoy. In this blog, we’ll show you what’s been going on, but first, it’s about time that we introduced the newest member of the team. It’s me! Keep reading for my full introduction and all the latest updates. 

The theme for the 2019 International Literacy Association (ILA) Conference was Creating a Culture of Literacy. ILA believes that when literacy is infused in every aspect of education, it creates an environment where students can reach their full potential and sets them up for success in the classroom and beyond. And at Texthelp, we couldn’t agree more.

Regardless of an individual student’s ability and aspirations, literacy is a fundamental part of every young person’s learning journey throughout K-12 and beyond. The ability to read and write with confidence impacts all aspects of a child’s academic, social and personal development, from the early years right through to graduation and later life.

This is underpinned by ILA’s ethos when they state, “to become fully literate in today’s world, students must become proficient in the new literacies as well...literacy educators have a responsibility to integrate information and communication technologies into the curriculum to prepare students for the futures they deserve.”

So how do we create a culture of literacy?

As we attended the sessions, it became clear that the resonating response across the whole conference was one of equity, access, relevance and joyful interaction.

Pedro Noguera took to the main stage early on Saturday morning.  He shared with us that equity is not ensuring that all children receive the same thing, but rather about ensuring that every child gets what he or she needs in order to succeed. So it’s about meeting your students where they are, accepting the ways they need to learn and providing them access to the tools and materials they require in order to progress.

It’s about future proofing literacy too.  He said, “Ensuring that all students receive an education that cultivates their talents and potential is in all our common interest. Strong literacy skills - reading, writing, speaking are the key to a strong education.”

Cultivating a desire to learn is how we break down barriers…

Excitingly, technology has added another dimension to the equation, as it opens up a much broader and richer array of resources and information. Equity of access now includes access to devices to use digital content and connect and collaborate with fellow students, educators and experts all over the world. 

Technology can be used to find, analyze, create, communicate, and use information in a digital context to support literacy across learning, in particular:

Literacy means a whole lot more than just getting better English grades. Giving kids the confidence – and the appropriate supports – to read, write and express their thoughts with clarity has a direct bearing on their engagement and progress across all subject areas.  So does relevance too.

Educators need to tap into their needs and interests to make literacy relevant for all students. It helps to foster curiosity and creativity.  Students need to see themselves, and their own culture, reflected in the materials that they study.  Each child has the potential to craft a unique voice, and to make that voice heard across the curriculum.

It takes a community!  The real joy in fostering a positive culture of literacy means that the job doesn’t simply fall to the ELA department or library.  It’s about buy-in from all levels...students, teachers and parents.

For the student - Joy in taking ownership of and driving their own learning, collaborating with their peers

For the teacher - The joy of witnessing a busy classroom of learning

For Hamish Brewer - The joy of relentless spirit, relentless optimism and relentless love, “of never giving up on ourselves, each other or our school.”

“Don’t ever quit on a kid”, he says, “give them the opportunity to read, give them the opportunity to write, give them the opportunity to change the world.” 

The wonderful power of literacy really has the ability to change lives, to be completely transformative.  It allows:

Improves the development of the wider community

Empowers students to take part in and take charge of their own learning and their destiny 

“There has never been a more important time for literacy to be front and center.” 

If you were as inspired as we were at this year’s ILA - we’d love you to share your thoughts on how we can create a culture of literacy.

AND...if you missed our session at ILA, ‘Beyond the Red Pen, providing feedback that deepens learning then watch this space...we’ll be hosting a webinar with Mark Schwartz and Amy Mayer in the next couple of weeks.

A recap of our key takeaways from the ILA Conference

Community, Creole Cuisine and Creating a Culture of Literacy

The brass band has come to represent the real distinctiveness of New Orleans and what a wonderful NOLA welcome we had at this year’s ILA conference! Of course they had a band on opening night and of course they were serving Creole cuisine at lunch too!

This unique visual feature removes barriers that typically make reading and hearing text difficult, allowing users to look up the meaning of any word and see the dictionary definition in the form of an expressive illustration. Not only does this make your online content easier to understand and digest, but more accessible to wider audiences.

With 10 supported languages (English, Arabic, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish - and Swedish language capabilities coming soon), Browsealoud’s latest innovation enables those with visual impairments, dyslexia, or other cognitive or language challenges to easily engage with your online content and services. 

Amongst other benefits, this latest update helps Browsealoud users to:

Easily digest the information supporting the text and audio with imagery

Remember and comprehend information easily

The written word can often prove a challenging hurdle for those with unique ways of processing information, or those with language barriers. A visual accompaniment can open up information to a wider audience and offer support for those who need it most. 

We are visual creatures! We process images at an alarming speed, with the human brain able to recognize a familiar object within 100 milliseconds. 

When people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information after three days. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retain 65% of the information three days later. (1) 

Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. (2)

According to a study republished by Forbes, “91% of consumers now prefer interactive and visual content over traditional, text-based or static media.”

New to Browsealoud? It’s easy to add to your website and it immediately helps your web visitors with dyslexia, low Literacy, mild visual impairments, and non-native speakers to better consume your information.

If you’re an existing customer using the ‘always updated’ version of Browsealoud, you will have received the new picture dictionary automatically. No action is required!

For customers using ‘versioned’ Browsealoud, you can visit Get Browsealoud to get the latest version (v2.6.0).

For customers using SRI Hashing, please be sure to update the SRI code when updating Browsealoud. The easiest way to do this is to copy the new code from our website at Get Browsealoud.

Not sure what version you’re using? Sign into your account in the Browsealoud Portal and all the information you need will be there. Those of you with a keen eye will notice we’ve made a few tweaks in the portal to make your user journey that bit easier. We hope you agree!

If you’d like to see just powerful Browsealoud can be at providing accessible, inclusive support for your users, or you’d like to get the latest updated version with picture dictionary support, simply visit Get Browsealoud.

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(1) https://blog.polleverywhere.com/visual-content/

(2) https://www.fastcompany.com/3035856/why-were-more-likely-to-remember-content-with-images-and-video-infogr

Texthelp Workplace Blog | A Better Browsealoud coming October 17th

A Better Browsealoud: Picture Dictionary Support Coming 17th October

Browsealoud, our flagship accessibility software tool, has helped countless organizations provide accessible, online digital content for millions of end-users since its launch. From October 17th, it’s about to get even better with dedicated picture dictionary support.

From bluechip company directors to non-profit operations managers, and the people on the ground in between, the variety of attendees and speakers reflected a supportive mindset that has struggled to gain wider recognition until surprisingly recently. 

Luckily, the Texthelp team were in attendance to offer guidance and technological advice for those seeking to offer their staff the daily support to thrive at work. But we were also there to learn, and learn we most certainly did. 

Read on to discover some of the most important and enlightening insights we had the pleasure of discovering at the D&I Leaders Disability at Work Summit 2019.

Many of the sessions and panel discussions revolved around how companies have implemented and continue to build upon their D&I strategies, by focusing on the needs of the individual rather than policy. Even in the opening remarks, we heard from Tim Fallowfield, Chair of Sainsburys’ Disability Confident Business Leaders Group, who said “By removing barriers for those with a disability, inclusion works for everybody.” 

Graeme K Whippy MBE, who lead the day’s proceedings, made a salient point when he remarked: “Helping one person might not change the world, but it will change that one person’s world.” And so began a wealth of discussion around starting from a place of empowerment and supporting staff to come together to form Disability Confident groups within organizations. These groups then directly inform policy, procedure, and make it easier for reasonable adjustments to be communicated and accessed by everyone who needs them. Simply put, advocacy from within is powerful when everyone who needs to have a say are empowered to have that say.  

A staggering 70% of disabilities are hidden disabilities, and in the workplace it can be daunting to reveal such personal information. That’s why many leaders, including Loraine Martins of Network Rail, advocated taking a top-down approach to diversity & inclusion. Start at board-level and when there’s senior leadership buy-in, this sentiment cascades down through management, and an environment of acceptance and empowerment can truly develop, benefiting everyone. When those with disabilities aren’t afraid to reveal what they need to succeed, organizations thrive. 

Reassuring, if not unsurprising, technology was a talking point that expressed the need to equip staff with the technology they require to not only do their jobs, but to work productively, independently, and without barriers. With the average cost of reasonable adjustments costing approximately £600, and considering organization’s typically have around 2% of staff with disabilities, technology or tools to support people really are a minor investment with major benefits. 

Despite the different opinions and subjects that came up throughout the day, an inherent message was that people are the most important aspect to consider when building out a diversity & inclusion strategy at work. Put people first - their needs, their emotions, and their adjustments - and you’ll find that they can feel confident to do their jobs and inform policy. This not only helps companies to take a modern approach to disability confidence, but inspires colleagues to speak up and be part of an inclusive workplace that’s welcoming to everyone. 

If you’d like to learn more about how our technology solutions can help make that happen, or how they can fit into your organization’s reasonable adjustments planning, simply get in touch for a free trial!

Texthelp Workplace Blog | D&I Leaders Disability at Work Summit: Key Learnings

D&I Leaders Disability at Work Summit: Key Learnings

Last week saw a fantastic grouping of the UK’s best and brightest diversity & inclusion minds come together in London to celebrate and build upon the strategies, tech, and talent that has given the D&I agenda a major foothold in the modern workforce. Read on to find out some of the day's most pressing takeaways.

Blog

‘Realizing the potential of edtech’ - a refreshing vision from DfE

Texthelp is part of NESTA’s EdTech Innovation Fund!

New look, added accessibility and lots more in the latest EquatIO updates

Community, Creole Cuisine and Creating a Culture of Literacy

A Better Browsealoud: Picture Dictionary Support Coming 17th October

D&I Leaders Disability at Work Summit: Key Learnings

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