Nesta and the DfE have today launched the Edtech Innovation Testbed, a programme allowing schools and colleges across England to trial edtech products for free.
The testbed will help to match schools and colleges with edtech products that are suited to their needs, and independent experts will be on hand to help evaluate the approach and feed back to edtech companies.
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Products should address reducing teacher workload, and will tackle one of three specific challenges:
- Formative assessment and essay marking
- Parental engagement
- Timetabling
Teachers will also be able to take part in research to develop a better understanding of the impact of technology in the classroom. Participants will also be offered support around professional development, with the programme being designed specifically to support staff and reduce workload.
Through participating in the testbed, staff in our schools and colleges will have an opportunity to trial technology products, further their professional development and better understand what works.
– Joysy John, Nesta
Joysy John, director of education at Nesta, said: “By getting schools and colleges to test products in a real-world setting, we hope to bridge the gap between industry and the education sector. We want schools and colleges from across England to sign up to the testbed.
“Through participating in the testbed, staff in our schools and colleges will have an opportunity to trial technology products, further their professional development and better understand what works.”
More information about how to get involved in the programme is available at https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/edtech-innovation-testbed/