NewsMick Landmann’s 5 minute presentation to Education Investor Summit 17/4/12
The digital revolution and what it means for education.
Digitally enabled or enhanced education is happening all around us:
- Yesterday morning I made sure that my skype line was open and available, for the pupils of a local secondary school to talk to me on skype from their classroom about their community projects that I had been helping them with. As I had access to the part of the schools VLE, I could look at their work as I talked to them.
- At home that evening I heard my daughter in a one to one maths tuition session through Facebook that she had instigated because she felt that she needed some help on some maths issues she was struggling with. This is part of the normal provision of the sixth form college she attends.
- A while ago I was working with a group of year 3’s, their teachers and parents on a full simulation of an archaeological dig out in the school playing fields using smartphones.
These pupils and their mums or dads were using a metal detector, a geofiz device to detect buildings underneath the ground, and a digging device to dig up parts of what turned out to be a roman building. Having detected the building they were then able to reconstruct it and have a virtual walk through it. A number of the children who were involved in this told the teacher that it had been the best day of their lives.
- Through Digital Education Brighton two local secondary schools are engaged in a digital exchange with Cherokee Nation schools in Oklahoma using ipads in exploring their respective cultures, art forms and languages.
- A while back I visited a junior school in Yately, Westfields Junior School that are doing some great things with technology including the establishment of a radio station that is wholly managed by the pupils.
- Around the country growing numbers of school children are enhancing their communication and writing skills by blogging with other schools and pupils around the world.
- Around the world, 24/7, people are accessing teaching through facilities like the Khan academy, O2 learn, the services offered at TLC education and many more.
The list goes on, and there are more and more examples around the country, indeed around the world of digital technology enhancing learning, making it more accessible, more interesting more fun, more effective.
But this of itself is not revolutionary. It is seeking out new ways of making learning fun and interesting as the best teachers have done through the ages, using different tools, but not revolutionary as such.
The real revolution will be when we get rid of the institution of schools as we know them because they will not be necessary any more, never mind not affordable.
With digital technology where you can access learning materials online, get automatic feedback, engage in games and simulations, communicate in real time with experts around the world, collaborate on Facebook with peers, etc. – all of which, particularly with the proliferation of mobile technology, can be undertaken from anywhere – we don’t actually need to herd our children into institutions called schools at 9.00 am every morning during term time.
Whereas, in the old or current model of education 1 teacher tries to teach 30 people the same things at the same time which is why they need to be in one place, in the new model 30 people can be learning 30 different things at the same time, and don’t need to be in one place.
This changes everything in respect of time and place.
The other revolutionary change is what is called personalisation. This is a term that tends to be bandied around by politicians who don’t quite know what it means. 
What I mean by personalisation is the ability for every person to follow their own individual learning journey, fuelled by their personal preferences, instincts and talents, rather than the very narrow strictures of this or that curriculum – each individual finding their element, as Sir Ken Robinson would have it.
This is revolutionary because it has never happened, in the whole history of education it has not been possible, but now it is, and digital technology is the catalyst for that change.
Mick Landmann, MD Vivid Interactive
Vivid’s MD on expert panel
Mick Landmann, Vivid’s MD, will be on an expert panel at the Education Investor Summit in London on 17th. April 2012. One of the key topics is the ‘Digital revolution and what it means for education’.
The Education Investor Summit is the annual destination for the education industry, bringing the entire sector together in a single forum to discuss common concerns and provide opportunities for networking at the highest level. http://www.educationinvestor.co.uk/summit.aspx
In-App purchasing added to App
Vivid have just added in-App purchasing to MacMillan’s Sounds: The Pronunciation App. This allows users to buy new wordlists from within the app to use in the app.
A choice of 12 new wordlists can be purchased and more lists will be added to this each year.
Wordlists are graded (based on existing Macmillan course books) allowing learners of English to progress to more and more complex words.
After purchase, new wordlists are integrated into the current app and so can be used throughout: wordlist text and audio, practice questions and quiz.
Additionally, these new wordlists come with some example phrases (text and audio), putting some of the words into an everyday context.
This latest development is a great example of how Vivid are using mobile technology to provide solutions for clients to enhance their products.
Sounds: The Pronunciation App version 2 (April 2012) is available from either the App Store or Google Play (formerly Android Market).
Health and Safety training
We have recently completed the development of a digital training course for the British Safety Council, based on their existing Level 1 Award in Health & Safety at Work. This course has been developed as a cross-platform training package that can be delivered on-line via any browser, in a learning management system as a SCORM package and also as an iPad App (Android version to follow).
Android and premium versions of app available
Following on from the iOS release of the free version Macmillan’s Sounds: The Pronunciation App, Vivid have now complete the premium and android versions.
Free version links:
Premium version links:
Cross platform Phonetics app for Macmillan
The phonetics app for iphone/ipodtouch/ipad produced by Vivid Interactive for Macmillan is available on the Apple app store. Getting excellent reviews and a five star rating the app will be available soon also on Android Market with a premium version for all platforms available in June 2011.
This consolidates our experience of app development, which includes the development of cross platform apps to support our own Teach, Practice and Assessment packs.
A MESSAGE FOR ‘it’s learning’ USERS
Our journey into publishing has now culminated in the publication of a range of Maths online resources, made available directly to schools.
These resources are also available through the ‘it’s learning’ learning platform. For some months ‘it’s learning’ users have had free access to a number of our maths tools for evaluation. They will now be required to licence use of the tools, available in four packs, on an annual subscription basis.
We are trying to manage this conversion from free to licenced use as sensitively as we can. We do understand that for some current users of the free resources this transition may be difficult and we encourage such users to contact us on ‘contact@vividinteractive.co.uk’ and we will do our very best to smooth the transition for them.
Overall, our philosophy is to offer high quality resources at affordable cost. We put our 21 years experience and passion for education into everything we produce and intend to continually add value to our subscription services.
The feedback and involvement of our users is crucial in this and so we encourage all feedback, good and bad, and suggestions for anything that will add value.
Vivid maths: Tool pack – Number
One of four toolpacks, this number pack contains 10 separate configurable tools for use on the Interactive Whiteboard, or on individual devices for teaching about number. More »
