Welcome to Day Three of the 2021 Appvent Calendar! Today as we open the door it reveals the fantastic, now>press>play!

When now>press>play got in touch and said that they were keen to get a review of their product, app and audio Experiences for education, I was so excited! 

I’ve been a huge fan of the potential of their offering into education for some time but hadn’t had the opportunity to engage and try out their immersive audio adventures for primary schools until now; I wasn’t disappointed.

The pink headphones, transmitter and access code to the app to install on my iPad arrived and so I gathered my children together (they’re in year six and year eight) and we had a look at the wide variety of content on offer.

now>press>play offer Experiences across a wide variety of Key Stages

now>press>play Experiences cover a broad range of topics

now>press>play subject areas contain a wide variety of curriculum-linked Experiences

My eldest likes to think of himself as a bit of a palaeontologist and so the Dinosaur Experience was our first exploration into the world of now>press>play.

The Experience was described by my eldest child with one simple word; “Wow!” He went on to say, “Dad, this is really good!”. 

As adults we have often heard of the phrase “out of the mouths of babes” but he was right. The offering here from now>press>play is a truly full and well-rounded offer to education. 

It not only allows schools to take children on trips that schools might not otherwise be able to undertake, but it gives you the opportunity to blow down doors and the walls of your classroom. You can send your children back in time, on explorations through history, and give them the chance to experience things that not only they might not otherwise get to experience, whilst also gaining the ability to try out first hand, things that simply wouldn’t be possible without this immersive learning activity. 

My youngest son, speaking about the Dinosaur Experience, was also complimentary of the choice of palaeontologist to be represented in the historical context of the time travel, sharing “she just doesn’t get enough credit for her involvement in palaeontology!”. I was flabbergasted!

So what?

The fact that the founders of now>press>play come from the creative arts industries shines through when you place yourself inside one of their immersive Experiences. The spatial audio, overall superb quality of the acting, sound effects and experience you gain on one of the journeys provided is reminiscent of a visit to the theatre. The only difference being is that it isn’t a trip to the theatre, it’s a trip back in time where you get to meet historical characters in context on an exciting journey that keeps you gripped at every turn. 

Fans of the SAMR model know that at the top level of ‘transformation’ it asks users of technology to consider the ways they can use technology to do things that wouldn’t be possible without the technology. now>press>play offers these kinds of experiences in abundance.

Part of the offer with your now>press>play subscription is that you also get access to lots of planning documentation so that you can align the now>press>play Experiences to your curriculum, but in addition to this, all the Experiences come bundled with lots of curriculum resources. You get quizzes, storyboards, scripts, authentic writing experiences, keyword sheets, and much more. All of this provides additional educational value so that your pupils not only get to enjoy learning through the Experiences but also through follow-on activities linked directly to the topics you are asking them to study. The benefit of this is that it will help you maximise all of the learning potential from using now>press>play as a resource in your school setting and/or classroom.

An example of the resources available within a now>press>play Experience

Set up

I must admit I was a little bit doubtful about the efficacy of the set-up when everything arrived, even as somebody who is relatively handy when it comes to all things audio. The setup which involves connecting a transmitter to my iPad was beyond easy.

All I needed to do was to connect to the transmitter via a 3.5mm headphone to USB-C converter, install the app and log in, turn on the transmitter and that was almost it! All that was left to do was to simply grab the headphones, pop in the supplied AAA batteries into the headphones and we were good to go!

In summary

If you’re looking for a pioneering, immersive, and curriculum-aligned learning opportunity to support your curriculum with innovative and exciting teaching and learning experiences across early years to key stage two, then you should consider exploring the opportunities that you can experience through using now>press>play in the classroom.

In addition to the technology being robust, easy to set up and hassle-free, I was supported through the onboarding process by the team too; something which schools get when they sign up to now>press>play. 

Both my children and I are hooked. We just wish we didn’t have to give the kit back!

To find out more about now>press>play and their offer for education, please visit nowpressplay.co.uk. 

//This is a sponsored post.