Teachers and edtech startups gathered in London today for our first ever TES Labs Live event. Organised by TES Labs and Emerge Education, this was a lively and fun meet up organised to help facilitate better communication and feedback between startups and teachers on the front line of education. TES believes that teachers are the real experts in education and it's only through their unique insights that we can ensure more effective technology in the classroom and ultimately better educational outcomes for students.
Feedback was overwhelming positive. Startups enjoyed the chance to receive live feedback from educators and to make new connections, while the teachers promised to take new ideas and the products back to their classrooms to trial. Everyone made worthwhile new connections.
Peps Mccrea, an award winning teacher, research and social entrepreneur, warmed up the crowd and asked them to think about the most important questions to ask the entrepreneurs present:
- How is your product better than what currently exists?
- What is your measurement of success?
- What is your business model and plans for growth? Is your business sustainable?
- What problem are you trying to solve?
Teachers were then asked to spend time at every startup station, asking questions and offering feedback on the technology on show. Many were blown away by the products and promised to take them back to their schools to trial with their students. The startups on show on the day included Learn Forward, A Tale Unfolds, Drum Roll, CV Plus, Bibblio, Diagnostic Questions, Doodle Maths, Mr Glue Stories and Pi Top.
Startups each picked their favourite teacher of the day to receive a mixture of free access to their products and training. The teachers in turn chose their best products to determine the share of a £5,000 prize fund split between all of the companies present. The excellent Diagnostic Questions were voted best product on the day and the team took home a reassuringly large TES Labs cheque for £1,315.
Stay tuned for future TES Labs events!