An EdTech hub has been launched in Birmingham by Gluu and Nesta, alongside partners Shireland Collegiate Academy and the Trauma Response network 

Innovation Fund Nesta and education technology company Gluu have launched an EdTech hub to support disadvantaged Year 10 pupils in Birmingham.  The partnership also involves Shireland Collegiate Academy and the Trauma Response network.  The platform, Eduu.school, is described as ‘The school that’s always open’ and provides access for students to resources and support materials.  Gluu have developed a reward system to encourage uptake.

“ With this model, teachers will be provided with a ‘plug and play’ online toolkit that they can adapt to their needs. This will not only help with learning but also the emotional needs of their most vulnerable students. Teachers will also be provided with extensive professional development to support them through these unprecedented times.  As other industries prepare for ‘the new normal,’ so must the education system. Our goal is to create a self-sustaining model to support a system-wide move to blended provision. ” Joysy John, Director of Education, Nesta

The curriculum materials have been provided by Shireland Collegiate Academy and the programme is described as structured, progressive and comprehensive.  A helpdesk is on hand to provide IT support and teachers can access and track student usage and performance on the platform.  The initiative is defined as a minimum viable product (MVP) meaning that it could be expanded if successful.  The initial trial period is 6 weeks.

“ Shireland is tried and tested in building stuff on Teams and Sharepoint…But we don’t want it to be restricted to one platform. We’ll work on ensuring it works on Google Class and other platforms. And there will be a wrapper around it to support mental health and resilience. ” Sean Gardner, Managing Director, Gluu

More information about the initiative can be accessed here: https://eduu.school/

You can read more about EdTech here: https://global-edtech.com/edtech-definitions-products-and-trends/