EdTech News – February 2021

We've rolled into February, but for many of us, it's just a continuation of the same theme - lockdown. We may have even lost our sense of humour sometime during the first lockdown, which if we read this article is a bad thing, especially for those of us who are homeschooling. Appropriate and positive humour is consistently rated as one of the most desirable qualities in a teacher and greatly affects students' learning.

From the importance of humour in the classroom/ living room/ kitchen to the importance of empathy. A new study has revealed that encouraging empathy with school-aged children greatly improves their creativity. Furthermore, it can also improve students' overall engagement with learning. The study encourages children to solve real-world problems by thinking about the perspective and feelings of others.

Finally, two articles which focus more on the business side of learning. This article puts learning after Covid in perspective and questions whether digital learning will be 'the new normal'. Will schools continue their digitally enhanced approach? Investors in EdTech seem to think so, but where does this leave the digital divide and student engagement amongst other things? Contrary to what some may believe EdTech valuations still aren't sky-rocketing, but investors are seeing more exit opportunities. To read more, go here.