On 27 August, hundreds of Australia’s education elite from across the country will converge in Sydney for the fourth annual Australian Education Awards.
Awards will be presented in 28 categories recognising the work of the schools and individuals making their mark in the sector.
One of the accolades up for grabs on the night will be the Best Use of Technology award, which recognises excellence in the use of education technology by an Australian school.
The Award judges how the school’s technology has fulfilled a need in or outside the classroom; the impact of the technology on the school; the change management and implementation process; and the evidence the technology has supported student learning outcomes.
Sponsoring the Awards will be Box of Books, a ‘digital disruptor’ in Australia’s education space. The company provides home and school delivery of ebooks, physical textbooks, stationery and provision publisher interactive accounts.
Below, The Educator speaks to Brad Dobinson, Box of Books CEO, about why the company has chosen to sponsor the award, what constitute effective best practice in technology and what the company will be doing in the year ahead to build on the work it is doing in Australian education.
TE: For our readers who may not know, can you tell us about your company and where it is positioned in the Australian K-12 space?
Box of Books (BoB) is a 100% Australian made and owned technology company with its genesis as an educational supply business with 65 years experience that today provides a world leading digital textbook platform that helps over 130 leading secondary schools across Australia and the globe provide seamless access to learning materials.
With access to the catalogues of all major education publishers, we provide schools with arguably the most comprehensive aggregation of educational texts in Australia and seamlessly deliver physical books, digital content, publisher interactives and school supplies to staff and students. We ensure staff and students have access to all their school resourcing requirements from Day 1 of school and support learning throughout the school year.
TE: Why has Box of Books chosen to sponsor the Best Use of Technology Curriculum Award?
This award recognises excellence in the use of education technology by an Australian school. At Box of Books, we feel technology plays a particularly important and growing role in education and has a significant impact on student learning outcomes.
Technology fulfills needs in and outside of the classroom for students and educators and has become even more important in the classroom after the experiences of remote learning over the last year. How technology is implemented and managed in schools is critical for its success and uptake. We pride ourselves on excellence and we are very proud to be aligned with schools seeking excellence in this arena.
TE: In what ways do you believe events like this are important for the Australian education sector?
Events like the Australian Education Awards showcase the amazing talent we have in the Australian education industry. It is important to recognise the role that our educators play in developing and supporting the next generation.
Events like these awards also give schools and teachers an opportunity to showcase the incredible work they do each day in schools. Our educators deserve to be acknowledged for their outstanding achievements and transformative work that makes a difference to the lives of students across the country.
TE: What do you believe are some factors that constitute effective best practice in technology (in the context of a school curriculum)?
When technology in schools is at its best, a student or a teacher doesn't need to stop and think that they are using a technology tool, it becomes second nature. And students are often more actively engaged in projects when technology tools are a seamless part of the learning process.
A seamless experience for the student and teacher is key for best practice in technology in schools. No school is the same therefore technology must integrate to be the right fit for the individual school, their educators and students.
TE: What will Box of Books be doing in the year ahead to build on the work it is doing in Australian education? (any new initiatives/programs in the pipeline?)
The roadmap for future development at Box of Books is keenly focused on the feedback we get from schools, educators and the students themselves. Some of the key advancements that have led our platform to be the go-to solution for schools have been derived through collaboration with our school partners.
Future enhancements we are working on include:
- further refining our state-of-the-art eCommerce experience and product suite for school families
- delivering additional integrations with key partners to further enhance the seamless experience for our educators and student users
- updating our core user interface and support technologies to provide additional functionality to keep our product at the forefront of the market
With a nimble approach and a proprietary tech platform that was built here in Australia by our team, our service and platform is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of our users.