The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a world turned upside down. Nowhere is this more evident than in education where the pressure to reopen schools, for the sake of the students themselves as well as for the economy, is being balanced against the likelihood of further outbreaks.

When Ireland shut up shop in March, technology rushed in to fill the gap: home working became the norm for anyone who could, while schools scrambled to teach online.

As in business, the results in education were mixed. Some schools had the technology and know-how to ensure that disruption was minimised, while others suffered.

I think some schools have been tech savvy and some havent, said Beryl Furlong, director of digital learning specialists Wriggle Learning. In that regard, teachers usage of technology and their level of competence and confidence varies.

Furlong said that this is not necessarily a simple case of age, with younger teachers having more native tech skills. Instead, it is a question of professional development.

The best teachers tend to have been out there teaching for ten or 15 years, and they have a sense of how the technology can enhance teaching and learning, she said.

If there is a silver lining to be found it is that the situation fast-tracked technology adoption in schools.

A couple of principals said to me that they were able to achieve more in terms of professional development in just a few months than had been possible in years, said Furlong.

It forced a change in practice. I think many teachers surprised themselves; they did brilliantly, she said.

Indeed, Wriggles new online learning platform is aimed at training teachers in their use of technology.

Wriggle Connect is a professional development platform, designed by teachers, for teachers. The content library contains over 500 bite-sized videos aimed at helping teachers get to grips with the nuts and bolts of how technology can support learning.

Its self-paced learning on the common technologies being used in schools, like how to use Microsoft Forms for grading in maths, for example. All of our content creators are teachers from around the country who relate their video demonstrations to real world contexts, said Furlong.

Teachers can take ownership over their professional development and engage with the training on their own terms and at their own pace. On completion of the courses they get a certificate and can earn badges as they progress through the platform.

Bridging the gap

Of course, essential as teaching the teachers is, the ultimate goal is to support the educational experience of the students themselves. To this end, Wriggle supplies software and services to schools, as well as devices directly to parents.

Some schools, such as Old Bawn Community School in Tallaght, decided to roll out Windows devices for all teachers and students, with the aim of fostering students independent learning.

This one-to-one package is not the only possible configuration, though it is typically the preferred one.

We work with hundreds of schools and 150 of those are one-to-one, where every student has a device, said Furlong.

Devices are managed in order to provide security and data protection, including GDPR compliance, and, crucially, to ensure students cant install personal apps and social media platforms on the devices.

Parents know that its managed, and its also a secure environment like the classroom itself, she said.

However, while social media is clearly to be avoided, not all sharing is bad.

A lot of sharing takes place, both between teachers and students and peer-to-peer between students themselves, which is particularly important within the new Junior Cycle framework. One of the skills is managing myself, which is about managing my learning. Technology helps to build those skills, she said.

As blended learning comes to the fore and we all hope that few further closures mean entirely remote working will be rare ensuring that technology supports collaboration and learning is key.

Meanwhile, for Wriggle, keeping the educational mission at the centre of the experience is what makes its offering different.

We compete with a lot of companies selling devices, but were not just selling devices, said Furlong.

Were supporting schools with a bespoke service tailored especially for schools, and we have several teachers as well as technology specialists and a customer service team on staff to ensure that schools get the support they need.

Scratching the surface

Other schools, such as Claregalway College in Co Galway and Sacred Heart School in Tullamore, Co Offaly, have also turned to Wriggle to deploy Microsoft-based educational solutions.

Notably, many schools are choosing to work with Surface tablets.

Furlong said that this choice provides not only the interactivity benefits of tablet computing, but also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft software and cloud storage.

Though Microsoft Teams has been front-and-centre in the public mind, with classes delivered using their video-conferencing software, Microsofts other software has more direct relevance in education than people might realise.

We would [all] traditionally know Office 365 as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and e-mail, and many schools may only use it that way, but its a shame, she said. When used as an educational tool, Office 365 brings interactivity to learning.

In a classroom, a teacher can use a Microsoft Surface stylus to write and record themselves solving a problem and when the student returns home it is there, saved for them, and they can go over it. They can also hear it in any language, which is useful for non-native speakers.

Theres a very powerful combination between Office 365 and Surface.

The objective is not to replace traditional teaching methods. Rather, it is to bring new ways of working to the classroom, all squarely aimed at supporting education rather than technology per se.

The student may or may not have a traditional textbook. More and more teachers are using technology to supplement traditional teaching methodologies.

Teachers can upload content and students can, likewise, upload their work. Marking can then be performed on-screen, including leaving audio comments for the student which, again, can be translated into other languages.

Furlong is not suggesting that the future will be easy. It will require a lot of flexibility, but it also offers the opportunity to support educators and students as they travel down this new road as long as we all keep an open mind.

Were not going back to a normal situation. We all use this term the new normal, but we dont even know what it is yet. We know what it is for going to the shops or going to a restaurant, but when it comes to schools, no one yet knows, she said.

For details visit http://www.wrigglelearning.ie

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