Birmingham school hosts national digital teaching event

Teachers from some of the UK’s leading digital schools gathered in Birmingham on Friday, to share the very latest ideas for using technology in the classroom.

Hosted by Greet Primary School, the event brought together over 80 educators as part of a tour which will visit more than 20 cities in the UK, US and Canada this year.

Organised by Discovery Education, the ‘Day of Discovery’ saw teachers learn and share new ways of integrating technology into teaching and learning. With a focus on pupil achievement, the delegates explored how digital resources can boost literacy and numeracy skills, and transform classrooms into dynamic learning environments.

Greet Primary was specially chosen to host the event, and it’s not the first time the school has been recognised for its efforts with technology. In July Assistant Headteacher Matthew Haydon was one of just 8 UK teachers invited to attend the Discovery Education Summer Institute – a prestigious teaching and learning event in Chicago. Mr Haydon spent a week working alongside some of North America’s leading educators, and shared his experiences with teachers at the Birmingham event on Friday.

Matthew Haydon said:

“It was a privilege to welcome so many talented teachers to Greet Primary School. As a school we are committed to using new technology to help our pupils achieve their potential, and digital media has really switched them on to learning. It’s great to be able to share our knowledge with other progressive digital schools, and to pick up so many innovative ideas to use in the classroom.”

One of the many teaching strategies on display was ‘digital storytelling’, which uses dynamic, interactive content to bring stories to life while encouraging pupils to tell their own using videos, images and music. Teachers also shared tips for using technology in maths lessons, and showed how digital resources can boost pupils’ engagement and attainment in STEM subjects.

Catherine Howard, Director of Educational Partnerships at Discovery Education said:

“We were delighted to bring our flagship community event to Greet Primary School for the first time. The Discovery Education Community helps schools who are passionate about using digital resources to connect with one another, and it was great to see so many teachers sharing ideas and gaining inspiration from their peers around the UK.”

The Discovery Education Community, which reaches over 2 million teachers worldwide, is one of the fastest growing professional networks for teachers in the UK. The Community connects members in their own school, across the country and around the world through in-person and online events, networking, idea sharing and inspiration.