EdTech News - September

For many of us, September means the start of the new school year. This year, there's a lot of uncertainty and changes to the usual set-up. Some students aren't going back at all, some will have a hybrid model and others will sit in a classroom that looks and feels very different from before. Over these last six months, a lot has been written about the effect of COVID on Education and a lot more research will need to be done to assess the full effects. However, we do already know that some changes will be here to stay. Some people even say that the new desk set-up in the primary school classrooms, with all pupils facing the same direction towards the teacher, will increase attainment.

This article gives you some more insight into what the future of the classroom may look like. Hologram teachers are only just the start.

Two contrasting scenarios are offered here about EdTech and content consumption. First of all, a report by Credit Suisse, which claims that education is having its own Netflix moment. Secondly, how EdTech companies in South East Asia are partnering up with Telecoms providers.

This article explains that where internet access is scarce, students, teachers and parents are turning to 'old-fashioned' television for their lessons. It is lacking the interactive element, but in countries like Brazil, this has become the dominant model over the last couple of months. It certainly is better than nothing and it looks like some countries are going to invest more in their televised educational system.

At Makematic we continue the roll-out of Untold History stories during September, and this article offers some food for thought around history textbooks and the way that history is taught.

What do you think, are we teaching our children enough critical thinking skills?