Innovation

With a background in classroom teaching, Daniel Wolf-Clark joined the founders at myEd in 2014. At the time, development of the myEd learning platform was in its early stages and the team identified that it lacked the personalisation required to give students their best learning experience. Working with developers, Daniel designed myEdapp – a fully customisable learning tool which allows teachers to tailor learning plans according to their student’s individual needs in minutes. The app also provides teachers with real-time data on their students’ progress, giving them vital insights into their progress and areas in which they require additional assistance.

The unique way in which myEd enables the digitisation of tasks such as learning plan creation and marking allows teachers more time for face-to-face interaction with students and allows them to share content and resources through a global share link which “provides a positive impact beyond the bounds of their school community”. The app, which has capability of incorporating a range of elements including videos, sound, student submissions and other embeddable multimedia, provides a more accessible and interactive experience for students, which in Daniel’s experience has proven to be “more engaging and easier to digest than paper-based worksheets”. Reducing the need for physical worksheets is a more environmentally friendly solution to class materials and creates a centralised learning space that students can access from both inside and outside the classroom.

Inspiration

Having worked in education for many years, Daniel has experienced first-hand the challenges faced in the classroom. He understands that the needs of each student are different, and yet teachers lack the time and resources required to create individualised learning plans. When Daniel first joined myEd, the platform existed as a website which lacked the customisability necessary to meet students’ individual needs. The team realised that this approach was part of the problem, and they sought instead to be part of the solution. “We use our app as a vehicle for change” says Daniel. “Our mission is to enable teachers and students to work together towards a place where personalised learning is the norm”.

The team at myEd strive to embrace difference and to create personalised learning for all students. With no curriculum affiliations, the myEd app can be utilised in any classroom and at any year level around the world to provide a personalised learning experience in any context.

Overall impact

The short-term impact of the myEd app has been a change in the way education is delivered, transitioning teachers and students from physical worksheets to using the app online, digitising a lot of the teacher workflow and challenging teachers to modify and redefine the tasks they create. This has delivered a more interactive learning experience to students using the app and resulted in greater levels of engagement in the curriculum being delivered.

Long-term, myEd aims to shift the way that people learn and the way in which teachers consider how learning takes place, to empower students to have greater input into the development of their learning journeys. Daniel believes that, in an age where a wealth of information is available at our fingertips, a teacher’s role is no longer to merely disseminate information and associated tasks, but to guide students in the right direction and to encourage them to discover the path and find the answers, quoting Eric Mazur “you’ve got to be the guide on the side not the sage on the stage”.

Daniel has put a lot of thought into how myEd can most effectively measure their impact, and while current metrics such as student engagement levels and academic outcomes can certainly be indicators of the app’s progress, he feels that these measures are somewhat limited. He would like to see more longitudinal student outcome studies which follow the success of students beyond their school careers. “That’s what personalisation is, it’s about connecting the learning with the learner, to resonate with their career aspirations, desires for their future, their community, their past life experiences, the list goes on”.

Business benefit

Moving from an educational website to the development of an interactive app has seen myEd adopted in schools throughout Australia. It also presented them with the opportunity to become part of the Education Horizons Group, one of the largest education technology and software companies in Australia, providing them the resources required to support further development and innovation of the software and to scale the vision into larger markets.

myEd recently received the 2017 Australia’s Coolest Company ‘X-Factor’ award from Anthill Magazine which recognises companies demonstrating innovation, entrepreneurship and creative flair.

Social and environmental benefit

The myEd app is more than just a place for teachers to create and distribute content. Daniel describes the platform as “a way to empower students to take control of their individual learning pathways”. Over time, this encourages students to interact with other human beings in order to negotiate and expand their learning experience. Daniel feels strongly that the development of personal and interpersonal relationships builds empathy, which is “the foundation of any form of sustainability”. He believes that students engaging with this form of learning will go on to develop the desire to become valuable members of society and contribute to various forms of sustainability.

myEd also run a “very lean” operation. Being based online allows employees to work from home and use hot-desking facilities rather than having a fixed office space. They run an almost entirely paperless operation, which includes their internal and marketing activities. They make a conscious effort to reduce their resource consumption where possible in order to cut costs and the benefit the environment.

Interview

Daniel Wolf-Clark, CEO