This was a great event and the beginning of what I believe will be an enduring partnership with the Innovate My School team!
Founded in January 2010 in the UK, the ‘Innovate My School’ community reaches more than 50,000 friends and followers through unique events, community update, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The concept is meant to inspire the education sector by showcasing, through a range of platforms, the best in education innovation by teachers and industry experts from around the world.
As part of the UAE Innovation Week, GEMS Education in partnership with ‘Innovate My School’ organised an innovation speed networking event on education technology (EdTech) for all GEMS schools. The half-day event was a fun and effective introduction for the teaching community to cutting-edge products and services to boost innovation in education.
The event, held at The Kindergarten Starters school, saw 16 of the world’s leading and up-and-coming innovative EdTech providers, who were selected to showcase their products in a fast-moving and exciting new format of speed-networking – a first in the Middle East.
Phil Redhead, Senior Manager - Digital Strategy, Innovation, Research and Development Unit at GEMS Education, said: “GEMS schools have long embraced digital learning as an essential element of 21st-century education and a medium through which we strive to instill our four core values of leading through innovation, pursuing excellence, growing by learning and global citizenship.
“This is a great opportunity to explore some of the best EdTech resources on the market, to consider how these could add value to our schools’ digital learning strategies, and to network with the providers as well as peers from all other GEMS schools.”
Michael Forshaw, Founder and Managing Director, Innovate My School, said: “We have pioneered speed networking with 130 school groups and 1,517 schools in the UK, so to be asked to deliver a session for GEMS is, of course, a great honour and incredibly exciting. Bringing together the best of British EdTech innovations, completely tailored to the needs of the GEMS schools, and at a time and location that suits their calendars, is going to be of great benefit to all involved.”
Asha Alexander, Principal of the host school, The Kindergarten Starters, said: “Children are the change agents and have a great deal of responsibility for creating the world they wish to live in. Teachers and school administrators, therefore, have a great responsibility to facilitate that change. KGS has always spearheaded change and innovation and the ‘Innovate My School’ platform will inspire to bring educators together like never before.”
The event was attended by Principals, Vice-Principals, School Digital Learning Leaders/Chief Digital Officers, Curriculum Directors, Teaching and Learning Leaders/Coaches and Senior Leaders across the GEMS Education network.
About GEMS Education GEMS Education is a pioneering education company. Through our schools, consulting practice and our charitable foundation we are advancing education for all. Every day in our schools around the world, we prepare thousands of children of all ages for real world success. We are a catalyst and delivery partner. We work with governments, donor agencies and private clients to improve education systems, and provide vital training for young people in an increasingly competitive world. Through the Varkey Foundation we campaign for, and support initiatives that change lives through education.
