Keeping education fun and engaging can be an uphill battle at times, especially so when the subject matter might not be the most captivating, or the course materials are a little stale and outdated. Incorporating technology in the classroom can bring about new and exciting ways to learn, whilst also giving students a new found spark for the subject at hand.

We all remember looking at the same old books in school and feeling uninspired – books often bearing the graffiti of past students who weren’t engaged in the lesson at hand. On the other side of this we also remember the teachers who made lessons more interactive and therefore fun, and it’s often those subjects that stick with us the most. With the introduction of technology into classrooms it’s now easier than ever before to make lessons interactive, fun and engaging just like our favourite teachers from yesteryear did. To help spark some lesson planning creativity here are 10 ways of using technology in the classroom to inspire you:

1. Gamification 

Gamification of the most mundane tasks can take them from boring to addictive in a matter of minutes. For example The Sims takes the banality of everyday life and makes it an addictive game whereby you can unlock life skills. This gamification can also be brought to the classroom too – teaching students to type faster by using typing games or honing their researching skills by hunting out clues within mystery games. 

2. Digital Content Creation 

The introduction of technology within classrooms has led to new levels of creativity within students which can be harnessed to also further their knowledge on a subject. Encouraging students to showcase their work in a way that suits their creative style will help them gather a greater sense of understanding of the subject, but also their individuality. Creative content can range from simple blogs and eBooks through to video or animation. 

3. Virtual Tours

School trips are a valuable tool for helping students to learn, however they can be a nightmare to arrange or as we have seen during the pandemic there may be restrictions on travel. This doesn’t mean that your students have to miss out though, as many places now offer virtual tours or virtual learning days. For example, NASA offers several ways to enjoy their museums virtually, they even have an augmented reality experience that can be accessed via their app. If you’re looking for a more interactive school trip check out Facebook as places such as Chester Zoo host Facebook Live sessions teaching their audience all about the animals and our planet.

4. Game Show Quizzes

Encouraging students to create their own quizzes for their peers will not only help them to research the subject, but add in the element of gamification for the other students too. Students can utilise Google Forms or Kahoot for their quizzes, or ‘buzzers for a more game show style quiz.

5. Multimedia Presentations

Presentations can be pretty boring stuff – we have all had to sit through our fair share of yawn inducing slideshows. Now imagine how presentations can come across to a room full of young minds… not the most engaging content for them. By using technology within your slideshows you can engage the audience and keep their focus on the subject. Here are some simple ways to spruce up your slideshows with some fun and grab your students attention:

• GIFs
• Video clips
• Social media clips
• Animations
• Music

6. Podcasts

We can’t all be masters of every subject we teach, so encouraging your students to seek out experts in a subject field can help to further their learning. Podcasts are a quick and simple way for students to delve deeper into subjects or find a show that fits their learning style. You can also use podcasts for digital content creation and ask students to make their own podcast – from the content structure to recording and editing.

7. Host A Guest

There are many different types of technology in the classroom that are available, one of the more basic being access to video calling. Apps such as Skype, Google Hangouts and even FaceTime mean we can connect with anyone around the world in an instant. The ability to bring in guests on subjects can break up lessons whilst also offering a unique insight into certain subjects. The use of video calling doesn’t just have to be for traditional learning, it can be a great way to connect with the local community too and virtually volunteer – for example buddying students with residents of a local retirement home. 

8. Simulations

Simulations can help students to process and reinforce the knowledge they have learned and put this into ‘real-life’ practice. Simulations are often more suited towards business study, for example economics or marketing. There are lots of apps and sites out there that host simulations, or you can create your own scenarios and encourage students to use technology to work through them. 

9. QR Code Hunting

Think Pokemon Go but with increased educational value. The premise is similar to a traditional scavenger hunt, but brought into the modern day via QR codes. Students can add an app to their phone that scans QR codes, with each QR code containing a question that leads to the next code. These can be placed around the school grounds and students can work in teams to help solve the puzzles.

10. Review Web Pages

Encouraging students to review web pages will help in their research skills as they discern whether information presented on the web pages is factual, and if not what is the truth of the subject. This will also skill students with the power to question information that is presented as fact in their everyday lives, not just an educational setting. The information they learn can then be presented back to the class by using multimedia slideshows, or in other forms of creative digital content. 
There are many ways we can make learning even more fun, it’s all down to finding what works best for your students and the subject at hand. Trialing new ways might not always work for your classroom, but the fun is in trying, right?

10 Ways To Use Technology In The Classroom

Using technology in the classroom can transform education, making it more engaging and effective. Technology offers many ways to make learning fun and interactive, from gamification and digital content creation to virtual tours and game show quizzes. These tools help students retain knowledge and cater to different learning styles, fostering creativity and collaboration.

Technology provides innovative methods for teachers to enhance traditional teaching and save valuable time. It also equips students with essential 21st-century skills, preparing them for future success. While not every method will suit every classroom, experimenting with these tools can lead to exciting and effective learning experiences.

With the introduction of technology into the classroom over the last few decades education has changed dramatically – and never as dramatically as seen over the last year due to the pandemic. For centuries education was fairly rigid; we attended school each day, were given topics to learn by rote and then tested on our skills of retaining that information via exams. All that changed when computers entered classrooms and new ways of learning were explored, such as e-learning online.
Over the last year you have likely heard many terms banded around, especially ‘hybrid’ and ‘blended’ learning – oftentimes they’re used as one and the same, which is definitely not the case. But what are these new ways of learning, how do they differ from one another, how can they impact your teaching, and more importantly your students’ education? 

What Is Hybrid Learning?

As the name suggests, hybrid learning is a combination of more traditional face-to-face education coupled with offline and distance learning techniques. The combination finds the balance of face-to-face and online techniques to ensure the content meets student needs and maximises learning. For example, a five class a week course would meet once face-to-face and the remaining four classes a mix of distance learning such as e-learning online, online assignments or a Zoom lecture.

What Is Blended Learning? 

Blended learning is the mix of both online and offline – using online instruction as a way to supplement or support traditional face-to-face learning, but not replace it. For example, a five class a week course would meet five times face-to-face but the educator would supplement the learning with online assignments. 

Hybrid vs Blended: The Differences

As we previously mentioned the terms ‘hybrid’ and ‘blended’ are oftentimes used as one and the same, mainly because the subtleties between them are fine. While blended learning focuses on the combination of offline and online instruction with a lean toward face-to-face, hybrid learning seeks to find a balance that ensures the best experience for students needs via any possible learning technique. 

The Benefits Of Both Hybrid and Blended Learning

Due to the similarities of both learning styles and the offering of online interaction the benefits are also similar. The main benefits of blended and hybrid learning are:

• Accessibility 
• Flexibility
• Class capacity
• Tracked learning
• Scalability
• Increased engagement
• Ownership of education

The benefits don’t just extend to students, there are many benefits for teachers too:

• Increased collaboration
• Better work life balance
• Cost saving
• Ability to track and measure student abilities easily
• Expansion of educational topics and courses

The differences between hybrid and blended learning can be fairly subtle however, the outcome and overall lean towards technology are very different. All in all, no matter where or how students are learning, it shouldn’t hinder their needs or what they can achieve.
With schools preparing to return to classrooms from 8th March, you may be wondering how your students can benefit from a hybrid or blended learning approach. Jotter Learn could be just the solution you need. Read more about the platform here, or contact us if you’d like to arrange a demonstration with a member of our team.

If you’re a customer of School Jotter, you will have heard lots already about School Jotter 3 and many of the improvements that we’ve made from our previous website platform. But for those of you who are new to us, we wanted to tell you a little more.

The history of School Jotter

Since its original release in 2008, and with the School Jotter 2 upgrade in 2012, School Jotter has undoubtedly been one of the most popular school website platforms in the UK, with over 6,500 designed and delivered using this software.
But as always technology moves on, as do customer requirements, so we’ve rewritten the School Jotter software from scratch and in 2021 are bringing you school Jotter 3.

What’s new about School Jotter 3?

We’re confident that School Jotter will give schools a more delightful user experience when it comes to controlling and managing their websites. But School Jotter 3 is not just a website content management system, it also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, which we’ll talk more about in our next post.
We’re proud of the research and development that has gone into the brand new School Jotter 3, we’ve really focussed on re-writing the software and designing a new architecture, taking into account much of the feedback we’ve received from customers over the years.

How different is School Jotter 3 from the previous versions?

School Jotter 3 has been written from the ground up using the latest technologies, with a focus on speed, security, and usability. By focussing on key areas such as page layout management and easy onboarding of users to the web and mobile platforms School Jotter 3 makes life easier for school administrators and teachers.
With the innovative technological approach with School Jotter 3, Webanywhere has planned a roadmap of features which will consistently deliver added value and useful functionality to schools; both to users of the web platform and the iOS and Android apps.

Still unsure about upgrading?

We think there are lots of compelling reasons to upgrade to School Jotter 3, but don’t just take our word for it.  Here are just a few stories of customers who are moving onto School Jotter 3, and why they’ve taken the decision to upgrade.
Simone Peters the Managing Director at Monarch Childcare recently chose to upgrade to School Jotter 3 to make use of the new visual editor. The nursery wanted to enhance their brand and engage better with parents, so alongside the website, they decided to purchase the premium mobile app too. This lets them benefit from the new features such as contact forms and booking management together with instant messaging. Simone saw this as having a competitive advantage over other nurseries in the area in a bid to appeal to new and existing parents who have children enrolled in her nursery.
Gail at Albany Village contacted us when she heard about School Jotter 3, she could see straight away from the short videos how the CMS had been simplified and was much slicker to use. Despite being in contract still for a number of months they have decided to upgrade early and get in the queue for the upgrade and subsequent new design. 
A member of staff at an Infant School in Buckinghamshire had inherited the responsibility of updating the school website from a predecessor. Although she could update it, she found it very cumbersome to upload anything, and found the page layouts so limiting that she decided to stop even trying to change them. 
Karen advised us she would be looking into alternatives as all she knew of Webanywhere was the 9 year old School Jotter 2 software. We presented the new updated version of the software, displaying how flexible editing the page layouts had become and how easy the photos were to upload. Added to that the update came with a brand new theme, Lynx Deluxe was here favourite. 
Martin Allen Deputy Headteacher and all round good sport, took the reins of the website and works alongside the admin staff in updating content. They struggled managing the file manager on School Jotter 2 and the structure of the information and wanted an easy and more efficient and effective way of updating this. School Jotter 3 seems to be the answer for Rawdon Littlemoors, issues and they are looking at the deluxes theme and in particular the Leopard theme which is responsive and fantastic on mobile. School Jotter 3 instant mobile was a game changer and may move them onto the platform. The school have been a loyal customer for many years and hopefully for many more years to come!

Find out more about School Jotter 3

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing lots more updates about School Jotter 3, but in the meantime, if you’re interested in finding out more about School Jotter 3 we’d love to have a chat with you. Book an appointment direct with a member of our sales team here, or get in touch with us at info@schooljotter.com

Following on from our recent post ‘What Is Educational Technology And Why Is It Important’ we will be looking at the core benefits of using technology in teaching and learning. As we previously discussed, education technology (EdTech) is very important in today’s landscape and that importance will only increase. With that in mind what are the benefits of technology on child development?

Personalisation

Customisation of education for students is one of the main benefits to introducing technology into the classroom. Not all students learn at the same pace and not all students have the same educational needs, so by using technology you can customise the students learning and development objectives to fit their needs. This will help to showcase a student’s true strengths as opposed to highlighting the areas in which they struggle, thus resulting in more confident students.

Attention

We have all suffered through classes that were a little on the boring side – even now as adults we oftentimes find ourselves yawning our way through meetings. With EdTech you can introduce fun ways to learn that will keep students, and teachers, engaged and interacting with the content being studied. Gamification of lessons, virtual tours and connecting with classrooms across the world are just some of the ways in which technology can enhance the learning experience for students, and keep their full attention.

Collaboration

The ability to work collaboratively is great for teaching students teamwork and enabling group learning, not to mention the ease in which homework, group tasks and presentations can be uploaded to cloud storage and accessed by other students and teaching staff. Not only can EdTech improve collaboration between students, but it can also increase and improve socialisation – especially for students who may find real life social situations difficult or challenging.

Accurate Information

Older textbooks that litter classrooms up and down the country can sometimes give a slightly biased view on topics, or showcase information that is no longer fully accurate or relevant. Giving students access to up to date and accurate information that showcases different points of view can encourage students to explore all avenues of information and form opinions on the world around them.

Management

With teachers able to access new EdTech tools such as skills assessment, grading and management it can free up time that can be used to plan lessons and really focus on their students’ progress. Oftentimes a student’s needs can be overlooked or missed due to the workload of teachers, but by using technology this workload can be managed more effectively and in a timely manner. 

Problem Solving

Many games centre around solving a problem or survival and without immediately realising it children are picking up and honing vital skills for later in life. For example, The Sims might seem like a fun way to pass some time, but it’s a great way for children to learn skills such as money management and career progression. They’ll have to get their character a job if they want to afford the top of the range television, and they will have to let their Sim study if they want it to progress in its career and become happier. Playing The Sims for 6 hours a day isn’t a recommended curriculum of course, but it shows that many games are subtly teaching children vital skills and that they can be harnessed in the classroom too.
What other benefits do you see from the use of technology in the classroom?

This year, possibly more than ever before, there has been greater demand put on schools to ensure they’re maintaining effective communication with parents and guardians. The school’s website and mobile app is an essential part of this.
School Jotter 3 is the biggest upgrade we’ve made to our school website and app software in recent years, making it easier than ever to keep parents engaged.
Sean Gilligan, Founder & CEO of Webanywhere said: “School Jotter 3 is the most advanced solution we’ve created and has been built combining the expertise of our development team, with feedback from customers. We’ve already had a number of pre-orders from schools who are excited to use such an intuitive platform, and we’re delighted to be rolling School Jotter 3 out to school’s all over the country, starting this month.”

Arthur Howie, Product Lead for School Jotter added: “The feedback we’ve received from customers has been invaluable in helping us to create School Jotter 3, which will be suited to schools of all types. Whether you’re an individual school or a multi-academy trust, we can create a beautifully designed website and mobile app, which is a breeze to update and maintain.”
One of the first customers to see School Jotter 3, Lindsey Caplan from Irlam Primary School, said: “Everything I’d have liked to see streamlined on our school website has been built into School Jotter 3. Building and editing pages has really improved, with far fewer clicks. I can really see this update saving us time, and making it much easier for other people in the school to become involved in managing our website.”
If your school is interested in using School Jotter 3 for your website and mobile app needs, find out more here, or speak directly to one of our education consultants by calling 0113 3200 750.

In recent months educational technology (EdTech) has seen a rise in use and popularity, and not just due to Covid-19. But, what is educational technology? Simply put it’s the use of technology in teaching, via a mix of software, educational theory and computer hardware, in order to enable learning and increase performance.
Education has come on leaps and bounds since the digital age and we are now discovering, and implementing, new ways to learn assisted by technology. Long gone are the days of solely learning by rote or copy, and the era or more methodical learning with technology is on the horizon. Educational technology can range from the simplistic such as interactive online courses for students, to robots able to take lecture notes – the scope of EdTech is wide and far reaching.

What Is The Role Of Education Technology?

At its core the role of EdTech is to improve education via technology, however it has many roles depending on who is applying it and who the audience is. For example, it can play a vital role in helping students with additional needs to show their true potential, unhindered by their needs or disadvantages. In a recent report Candida Dearing, SENCO at City of London Academy, explained the role of EdTech when it comes to students with Dyslexia:
“By using the technology, pupils can show people what they can do, as opposed to what they can’t do. If you have someone who has illegible handwriting or un-decode-able spelling errors etc., all you’re going to see are the errors and not the good work that’s behind them. So using the technology means that you get a truer sense of their underlying ability in the subject”.
In this way EdTech can level the playing field of education by making it easily understandable and accessible to all abilities. In a show of support for the role of EdTech the Department of Education recently pledged £100m to provide devices and internet access for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK, as well as ensuring every school has free access to tech support. This commitment and investment from the Department of Education shows just how important the role of EdTech is, and will become over the next few years. 

Why Is Education Technology So Important?

EdTech is important to help students learn new skills, interact with their peers in new ways and to discover new technology to help them build a solid knowledge database. But the importance goes much further than the students; it is extremely important for educators and students’ families too. Parents and guardians are able to have access to their child’s educational records and thus the ability to help with targeted education in the home for areas in which the student may be struggling. Education can be digested anywhere and at any time, meaning learning isn’t just bound by the walls of a school or the presence of a teacher. It means that education can be at a students fingertips whenever and wherever.
A study by the University of Cincinnati found that advancements in technology within classrooms had been beneficial to teachers, with 92% of respondents stating EdTech has had a major impact on how students learn and interact with each other. Research by Harris Interactive & Online Universities.com also found that 86% of teachers think that the use of EdTech is essential, with 92% stating they would like to see the use increased.
With such support and high praise from educators across the globe it’s easy to see why the EdTech industry is very much the talk of the town right now. The educational, time and cost benefits that can be gained from implementing even the smallest of technological changes within the classroom are vast. These benefits can be seen on a multitude of educational forums and social sites since the start of more home based learning due to Covid-19, with many teachers sharing new ways to make distance learning fun and showcasing their results. 
The future of learning is technology based and we would be remiss not to embrace this exciting industry and learn with it. The educational possibilities that properly implemented EdTech makes available in classrooms across the globe is inspiring, especially when both educators and students alike are driving those possibilities.
What are your thoughts on technology use in the classroom?

This year is a year like no other, and alongside managing the risks of day to day school life, schools are also encountering problems with fundraising in a safe and fun way. As a Co-Chair of a local village primary school, I am going to share some ideas we have had for fundraising efforts that could easily be replicated in other schools.

1 – Sponsored Walk to the North Pole

This one has a Christmas twist. Hurry! The idea is simple, your school needs to reach the North Pole for Christmas to meet Santa Claus. You create a walking or running target for each child and family participating, and then those groups get sponsorship to achieve their part of the walk. The World Walking App are offering bespoke routes to schools allowing parents to download the app and track the route to the North Pole. 

2 – The Smartie Challenge

An oldie but a goodie! Simply send a tube of smarties home with each pupil to eat. The child keeps the tube and needs to do some good deeds to fill it back up with coins. This can be done over the weekend and during half terms. Once the activity is complete parents just leave the tubes outside each class in a basket so they can be collected and counted. The class that raises the most money gets a mini prize. Some small village primary schools have been known to make over £1,000 on this activity alone. 

3 – Create a Cookery Book! 

Ask all the parents and guardians in each class to provide their favourite recipe to feature in your very own school’s cookbook! Companies like Cauliflower Books can create these for only £5 each, and you can probably sell them for around £10 each. To make it even more fun, you can ask pupils to write out the recipes or even add drawings to the pages. 

4 – Virtual Balloon Race

This is a seven day computer simulation race where everything is real apart from the balloon. You can buy one or more virtual balloons for just £3 each and give them a name, shape or pattern. The software designed to run the race uses live weather data to determine the progress of each balloon and each entry can be tracked on Google satellite map once launched. The winner is the balloon that has travelled the furthest in a straight line from the starting point. One company that offers this is Eco Racing. 

5 – Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Sale

Obviously you would need to wear masks and gloves for this one, but this is a super easy way of making money! After all, who doesn’t love a doughnut? Krispy Kreme offer a special discounted price on their original glazed doughnuts at £5.50 per dozen, which works out at 45p each. Selling the doughnuts at £1 each would quickly raise some funds for your school. Setting up this activity is easy, just order your donuts on the Krispy Kreme website with at least 10 days notice, collect them and on the day get a few volunteers to sell them at a social distance. 
As an added extra….Create a community directory of all local businesses (not for profit)
Lastly the school’s PTA could compile a directory of local businesses that any parents might be involved with, showcasing the products and services available. This is a great way for your community to show support for local businesses within their extended parents family.
With any of these activity and fundraising ideas, all of the relevant information could be easy to circulate to parents using the School Jotter Mobile App.
If you have any great and inventive fundraising ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Email them to info@schooljotter.com and we’ll update this blog post with our favourites.
Blog post authored by Claire Morritt

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting guidance from the Department for Education, has continued to effect the way our schools are able to run now and will do so moving forwards.
When it comes to working with our school customers, we want to help you stay on top of what’s happening in as many ways as possible, so as well as ensuring you have regular contact from our team direct, whether that’s by email or phone call, we’ve also continued to create some great and informative new episodes of the School Jotter Podcast. Here’s an overview of some of the latest episodes, available on Google Podcasts and on Spotify.

New Coronavirus Act 2020

Sean talks with Sharon and Lawrence about the new Coronavirus Act 2020 and about how schools need to ensure education continues.

Parents Evenings

Sean talks to Arthur and Lawrence about how schools can handle parents evenings in the current social climate.

Remote Education in Local Lockdowns

We examine different approaches to remote education during recent local lockdowns. We explore the use of video, learning platforms and the use of off-line work packages.
There are many more episodes of the School Jotter Podcast available, if you’d like to find out more about any of the topics covered or you’d like to suggest a topic yourself, please do contact us.

Online learning has become increasingly vital to the education sector since the onset of COVID-19, but what lessons can we take from this shift away from the classroom? Like so many other effects of Coronavirus on our society, few could have foreseen the reliance on laptops, virtual learning and study portals from schools, colleges and universities. 
With this enormous shift towards students learning at home, have we taken a step closer to eLearning platforms earning their qualifications as the flexible new future of education? 
It seems certain that the changes we are experiencing in learning environments will have a lasting impact on academia, with the positives of the shift towards online education resources becoming clear ⁠— as well as assessments about what still needs to change to drive effectiveness.
Let’s take a look at how much higher education courses may focus on eLearning and remote learning in the future, especially in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Innovation and Online Learning Systems

In recent years, many schools and universities have successfully moved towards an increased use of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and Virtual Learning Environment (VLEs). As these platforms have continued to grow and become increasingly common, their evolution provided a fantastic grounding for learning during lockdown. 
These digital channels provided a ready-made solution for schools, colleges and universities who needed to reach students online and communicate over long distances. It’s hard to disagree with the idea that without the technological advances available in the education sector, navigating this incredibly difficult situation may have been almost impossible. 
From education software all the way through to apps for schools, it’s heartening that there are so many practical and innovative approaches being taken to aid teaching and learning. 

Changes to Exams and Qualifications

The sudden and intense escalation of lockdown following the arrival of COVID-19 in the UK led to immediate challenges for teachers and lecturers. One of the most pressing issues was around how to solve the dilemma of exams for students who would ordinarily have been sitting for their written assessments this spring. So how has this unforeseen difficulty been approached?

Examinations in Higher Learning 

One way around this dilemma that’s been taken up by institutions including the University of York is sharing exam questions via their VLE and emailing them directly to students. A fixed time frame was given to students to complete the work, which they then completed using a word processor or other software, before submitting their work online to be marked.

Qualifications in Schools and Colleges 

In contrast, exam boards for GCSEs, A Levels and AS Levels reached out to schools, colleges and other exam centres, asking them to submit a ‘centre assessment grade’ for students in each of their subjects. Essentially, that meant asking for predictions of the grades they would likely have achieved, based on evidence such as classwork, non-exam assessments and mock exams results.
Both of these approaches reveal fascinating possibilities for the future, showing signs of how the education sector can adapt quickly — with technology often leading the way. It will be fascinating to see how the education sector builds on these new ways of working, as well as observing what other noteworthy innovations arise.

Boosting Students’ Access to Digital Texts

One way publishers have been able to help learners during the pandemic is by giving university libraries increased access to online texts. This is a boost to both students and lecturers, helping to ensure everyone has the necessary resources to ease the disruption to their studies. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see expanded access to digital books and journals continue for some time to come.
The library at King’s College London shows one example of this process in action. Although their website makes clear this is a temporary solution, a telling paragraph advises students that any feedback received about the extra availability of resources is ‘useful and can feed into future decisions’. This shows how shifting approaches brought on by necessity could lead to outcomes with the potential for great positive change.

Ensuring Equality to Address the ‘Digital Divide’

An important consideration as we move towards increased levels of online learning is making sure everyone can access the tools and resources they need. Universal access to fast broadband is an idea that has gained increased traction during lockdown, with plans put in place between BT and the Department of Education to temporarily provide free broadband access to disadvantaged young people, so they can study online.
A further issue to consider is the possibility of making equipment like laptops available, helping to make sure everyone is able to access online learning resources and no-one is left behind. The UK government has already put plans in place for distributing equipment to vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils, which is a truly encouraging step.

There are clear signs that the future of education is increasingly virtual, and it’s essential that we continue to build at scale to create a level playing field for students of all backgrounds. 
How do you see the future of teaching changing in the current circumstances? Do you have any examples of inspiring successes that involve using technology to benefit students? Get in touch with us on Twitter or LinkedIn to share your stories.

In these unprecedented times, families around the UK are scrambling to ensure their children have the necessary resources to continue learning at home. But almost two months into the lockdown and many parents have discovered that this is much easier said than done. 
With so many distractions at hand, from TV to games consoles, keeping children engaged in learning during the lockdown is proving difficult for many families.It’s important to understand that this is a very tough time for children too; being away from friends and having routines thrown out the window, all while being told they need to stay indoors for the foreseeable future. 
Whilst it’s important to ensure that your child remains engaged in learning throughout these difficult times, it’s just as important to look after their mental health. Often, these two things come hand-in-hand, which is why we’ve put together this helpful guide.

Maintain Routines

One of the most effective ways to keep your children engaged in learning is by keeping their routines as close to normal as possible. This means if they usually go to bed at 9pm on a school night, then make sure they continue to go to bed at a similar time. Maybe your child used to have football practice on a Tuesday evening; why not trade this for a weekly family kickabout in the garden? 
This should also be applied to the school day routine; for example by setting start and end times for the day, as well as break and lunch times. If you want to take this a step further, try to replicate the lesson schedule, too. So, if your child is used to having a history lesson at 1pm on a Tuesday, find some topical resources and aim to follow the same structure.

Regular Exercise

The benefits of regular exercise are well-proven; from better mental health to an improved immune system. The NHS recommends that young people between the ages of 5 and 18 should spend at least 60 minutes exercising each week, with adults recommended to exercise for at least 150 minutes per week. Depending on how old and active your children are this length of time can vary, but 60 minutes should be a bare minimum during the lockdown period.
Taking regular breaks can also help with this. If your child is used to running around the playground with friends at school, then why not encourage them to go out in the garden every couple of hours for some play time? Alternatively, you could make a trip to the local park, walk down to the shops, or even go on a short bike ride.

Don’t Just Stick To Textbooks

While it’s good to ensure that your child sticks to the school syllabus, encouraging them to only use textbooks is bound to result in boredom. Incorporate fun ways to learn into their day; for example, by taking part in one of the many online celebrity lessons, playing some fun online STEM games, or even putting together your own daily/weekly quiz (with prizes, of course). 
In addition, you could also teach your children other skills. This can be particularly helpful if your kids normally go to after-school clubs or a childminder’s. For younger children, this could be an arts and crafts evening, garden sports activities or even fun cooking lessons. For older children, you could teach them more complex cooking skills, how to manage finances or even tasking them with a more in-depth research-and-presentation piece on a subject they’re interested in.

Gamification

Another way to keep your child engaged during the lockdown is to gamify their learning activities. In summary, gamification is the process of adding gaming elements to non-gaming situations, such as learning. There are various ways that you can do this; one of the easiest being playing online learning games. 
You could also gamify learning by giving your children rewards when they reach a certain milestone, by introducing an element of friendly competition with daily/weekly quizzes, or by setting group assignments where your kids are rewarded for working together.

Find What Works

It’s important to recognise that different things work for different people. One of your children may be an auditory learner, whereas another may be a visual or kinesthetic learner. If this is the case, your learning plans will need to be personalised for each child based on their learning styles. This will not only ensure they can truly reap the benefits of their learning, but will also make it easier for you to plan the lessons. 
You may already know what type of learner your child is, but if not simply have a conversation with them about how they prefer to learn. Or if they don’t know, you can use one of the many free online learning style questionnaires. Try to monitor how your child responds to different tasks to get a better idea of their learning style.
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