Why there is no edtech Index Fund

Any investment is a gamble. So why does anyone invest in education? In fact, since Covid, investing in edtech has fallen off a cliff, down 35% year-on-year according to HolonIQ’s most recent report. That is a good thing. Too many fools were being parted from their money, often via the cargo cult of accelerators and […]

1 year ago 1 Education More
 

Why do HE and schools invest in plagiarism detection software?

The answer is fairly simple; to safeguard academic integrity, ensure fair assessments, and maintain trust in qualifications. A recent example comes from France, where GCS Sesan is procuring AI-powered similarity detection software for ComUE Université Lyon Saint-Étienne. The solution will serve 18 institutions, 19 bodies, and over 87,000 learners, covering SaaS rental, deployment, support, and […]

1 year ago Education More
 

Edtech AI? BETT(er) proceed with caution

I went to BETT 2025 not as press or media (they wouldn’t accredit me due to their new 1970-style policies) but that didn’t stop me looking for stories. What I didn’t expect was to find a big story, but one that’s almost impossible to definitively prove without huge legal (more about that later). From Bridget […]

1 year ago Education More
 

My BETT scorecard is a tale of two halves:

The successes As a major trade show 6/10 BETT is now fundamentally a large vendor trade show and many of those got it right with sizeable, interesting stands, good teams and a proper game plan. My badge hosts Wonde were a good example with a well-laid out series of adjacent stands, staffed by knowledgeable and […]

1 year ago Education More

Cyber and edtech – a couple of wake up calls

I have a friend in Australia who runs a successful crisis management PR company. He cut his media teeth as Deputy Head of PR for the Victoria Police during the notorious Melbourne gangland wars from 1998 onwards. His main business now is helping big companies prepare for their number one risk – a cyber crisis. […]

1 year ago Education More
 

From Jackaroo to Influencer?

42 years ago I started my career as a jackaroo. Now apparently I’m an ‘Influencer’. I was forced to review my long and winding journey when I was refused a Press/Media Pass for BETT 2025. I had also been refused back in 2006 (I published the first edition of The Assignment Report in May 2005). […]

1 year ago 1 Education More
 

2024 reprise

At the end of 2023 I made a few observations and predictions for K12 Edtech with generative AI being the most important. I was right, but the reality is we are right at the start of AI. The power of AI in a few years will overshadow what we see and use now. A big […]

1 year ago Education More
 

AI tutors and ‘Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien’ or how perfect is the enemy of good

For someone with zero classical education, the ideas of the French philosopher Voltaire, such as Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien, can seem rather abstruse. I know a little about Winston Churchill, such as his quote, ‘Perfection is the enemy of progress’. The ideas of both Voltaire and Churchill are relevant in the world of […]

2 years ago Education More
 

Australia’s next export success – private education?

Labour’s plans to implement 20% VAT on private education may have even wider unintended consequences for UK PLC than already well set out in multiple reports. First, let me say that I think this new tax is Keir Starmer’s equivalent of Tony Blair’s fox hunting legislation – ill-conceived, transactional and damaging to the UK. For […]

2 years ago 1 Education More
 

An unexpected factor in the struggle to fund UK edtech

No matter who wins the election, things are looking bleak for the UK edtech sector. TechCrunch recently reported that Edtech Funding Has Not Hit Bottom and then there’s the sector’s biggest supernova (a star that burns itself out) – India’s Byjus was valued at US $22bn just two years ago, a staggering sum that had fallen […]

2 years ago Education More