Teachers Lead Tech

Monika Katute - the founder of Teachers Lead Tech - a movement and a tool, which brings confidence, competence and technology creativity content to primary school teachers and acts as a game changer rewriting educational patterns in schools.

In 2015 she founded technology creativity academy for kids "bit&Byte". Through various initiatives, weekly classes, established collaborations with tech companies she reached 21K+ kids, including kids from sensitive surroundings.

"My aim is to give a magic wand to every teacher, so needed changes in education systems could happen faster, kids would become fearless and creative with technologies and teachers would rediscover their work in 21st century", she says. For that Monika started a movement and a program "Teachers Lead Tech", empowered by mentorship support and personalised learning, which already reached around 1200 teachers in Lithuania. She aims to reach 1 million teachers worldwide by 2025, this way reaching 20 million kids.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikakatkute

Tech industry is expanding in new roles. The gap between the real world and educational systems is widening because they are too slow to catch up with the industry. We are focused on closing the skill gap by equipping primary school teachers to become role models and science capital builders for kids from an early age. Our solution Teachers Lead Tech is a personalized skill building and learning program for primary school teachers, supported by a community network, AI driven personalised learning path and a ready-to-go teaching materials pool to lead technology creation (digital literacy, STEM, creative technologies, creativity, problem solving and more) classes continuously throughout the year. This solution will inspire and upskill 1 million teachers to equip 20 million kids (~1% of kids in schools worldwide) with 21st century skills by 2025.

World Economic Forum says there’ll be 133M new roles by 2022 created by tech. Technology creation skills, critical thinking, creativity, communication and a safe continuous learning environment are key elements for teachers' ability to catch up with the tech industry speed. Yet Microsoft 2019 study (UK) says 15% teachers feel confident about using technology as a teaching tool, 77% agree time for preparation and content is a key limiting resource. Moreover, global teacher aging tendency and high percentage of female primary school teachers makes it challenging to break cultural biases about technology. 

There are 20M primary school teachers reaching billions of kids worldwide (7.3K primary school teachers in Lithuania), who continue lacking encouragement to creatively engage in computer sciences and technology creativity. Technology not only is the new language of the 21st century – it brings more opportunities for equality, inclusion and diversity in the world, especially if technology world opens up from the early age and teachers become role models for this embracement. 

With Teachers Lead Tech we bring confidence, competence and content for primary school teachers to inspire and lead this needed change in the world and open up new opportunities globally.

Teachers Lead Tech is a skillbuilding program for primary school teachers through personalized learning to bring future-proof technology creation skills to classes. The program offers 3 key-pillars to close the gap of teachers' lack of self-confidence, competence & teaching resources:

CONFIDENCE: Direct mentorship through regular online practical sessions. Community enabled support networks which work locally and globally through national ambassadors of technology creation and network builders – tech companies, NGOs, educational institutions.

COMPETENCE: An online learning tool that helps to train teachers with in-product nudges and tech-driven learning path personalization. 

CONTENT: innovative, time-saving, multidisciplinary learning and teaching resources based on best tech practices. Topics vary from math formulas to arts or languages, merged with programming, 3D-modeling, and other STEM subjects, wrapped up in problem solving, creativity and critical thinking. The example of learning path for beginning teachers is shown below:

Teachers Lead Tech is innovative in addressing the problem with a both human and technology run solution, and contextualizes the primary school curriculum with a pool of different technology and socio-creative skills. The solution is universal (as the challenge itself), adaptable for teachers anywhere in the world.

The continuous program will launch with 600 teachers in Lithuania this September.

We work with primary school teachers and our final beneficiary are schoolkids in primary school level (7-12 y/o). We know that by investing in a teacher, we can achieve more scalable and quicker change in education systems that we need.

By working with teachers, people who have unique role in forming life-long learning abilities, we ensure the accessibility of all societal and learning ability groups by every teacher reaching at least 15-20 kids. Teachers ensure continuous learning at various educational levels and have curriculum flexibility and a growing need to lead an up-to-date teaching process. 

We started working with primary school teachers in the beginning of 2019, when we got Google.org grant to run mentorship program for 1.000 teachers in Lithuania. In the program, they practically worked with technology creativity for 3 months – programming concepts, AI, app and web development, merging it with class subjects for 7-12 year-olds. After the program, 91% of the participants said their competences and confidence increased and 71% of them already applied the content in classes, followed by noticeable kids engagement in topics and teachers' feedback: “Joy of learning becomes available to kids of various learning abilities”. These results inspired us for continuous tool.

Education systems adapts too slowly to changes that technologies are bringing to the world. This challenge is universal – wherever we talk to teachers, we hear firm understanding of the need to inspire kids to be technology CREATORS, not just mere consumers, use technologies to solve real world problems and more boldly use them as a tool for creativity, expression and ideas. We drive action by empowering teachers to become role models for kids from an early age and start acting and implementing change in their work and the world.

For 6 years, we ran a technology creativity academy bit&Byte, where 1000+ kids trained their tech creativity skills weekly. We reached 20K+ kids through various initiatives. Yet, to scale tech creativity skills, we understood we should serve teachers to bring needed change. In 2019, we received a Google.org grant to teach 1000 primary school teachers programming concepts, AI, app development and VR. Each teacher would work with mentors for three months. After the program, 91% of the teachers said their confidence and competence improved, 71% started applying technology creativity content in classes. In order to continuously work with teachers and help them bring 21st century skills to classrooms, we have started Teachers Lead Tech. In April, during quarantine, we started our pilot program, which was joined by 400 primary school teachers. We ran weekly online hands-on sessions, helping teachers to explore technology tool and merge it with creative project, related to class subjects. We also introduced teachers with our online platform with all the prepared teaching materials. 86% of respondents said that the content was useful and applicable in classes. 90% said practical online session helped them feel more confident to try the content in class.

All the wheels we are creating today are going through the technology filter. And the growing generation will be the one, working with the outcomes. Quality education is the core solution of all the challenges the world faces and almost all of them can be solved with the help and empowerment of technology - be it a climate change, food shortage, poverty, human rights. Lack of technology creativity education is universal and impacts the entire world. In order to lead the change, there's a person who needs to be served now with the technology creation skills. And that is a teacher.

Our team has been working together in technology education for 5 years, during which we have established teaching methodology, close and sensitive relationship with teachers as well as with technology partners, including them in technology education processes as mentors, sponsors and content partners. This lets us merge technology with humane solutions, or even look at it as synonyms. Our experience with bit&Byte and Teachers Lead Tech, partner network (Google.org and other tech companies) as well as the results we already achieved in bringing technology creation skills to classes with the help of teachers (mentioned in the answers above) provide us with firm background to scale our solution to communities worldwide, this way promoting inclusion, new opportunities and bring change in educational systems.

In order to make Teachers Lead Tech available and affordable to wide range of teachers no matter the background, level and location (one of the main challenges we want to overcome), we started working with technology companies as social investors. Our program, reaching 1.000 teachers was sponsored by Google.org. Now, as the continuous Teachers Lead Tech program will start in September with 600 primary school teachers, we closely work with technology companies to establish scholarship funds for teachers to be able to join the program, locally or globally, free of charge for them.

As a mother of three kids, I always wanted to find ways for kids to unwrap and develop their talents and inner curiosity. "It takes a village to raise a child", it is said and I wanted to create a strong community, including teachers, parents and tech companies to raise next generations of creative technologists. Throughout 5 years of my work in technology creativity education, I attracted major tech companies in our region as our partners and investors. To serve teachers with Teachers Lead Tech and scale our impact, I attracted funding from the founders of leading technology companies to reach 1 million teachers by 2025.

We are building a tech-driven solution to educators training. It is personalized by scientifically proven AI-driven methodology and guided by community support as well as regular mentor-led online sessions. We are developing a learning tool that is a ready-to-go and time-saving teaching resource for different learning and teaching levels. It includes a customized learning path together with a big pool of technology creation tools, such as programming, VR, 3D modeling, infographics, digital storytelling, etc. Our team has been practicing in this field for 6 years and have data and experience collected to support our goals.

Teachers Lead Tech has no competitors who address the same problem and offer the exact same solution. On the other hand, it’s a growing field. Our non-direct competitors are CS related learning platforms such as code.org (project / sponsorship based - no continuum), tynker.com (CS/ coding based), Cospaces Edu (1 technology based - VR or 3D), Minecraft (kids focused, entertainment, self-selecting audience), century.tech (science and AI based with little focus on technology creation skills).

INPUT/ACTIVITIES

• Tech-driven personalized learning platform of digital literacy and technology creation for primary school educators

• Ready-to-go, innovative, time saving teaching resources based on best tech practices

• Mentorship, continuous guidance and regular online sessions throughout the year following participants pace

• Community enabled support network and encouragement to apply the skills in classes for kids to create and learn

OUTPUT

• Teachers get digital literacy and technology creation skills

• Teachers apply their skills in classes where kids are encouraged to try technology creation

• Teachers are involved in the community network and share experiences

SHORT TERM OUTCOMES

• Teachers realize the purpose and need of the digital literacy and technology creation skills for kids and their successful transition into the future workforce

• Teachers demonstrate self confidence in digital literacy and technology creation, show ability to apply these skills every week while integrating it into art, music, technology or mathematics classes to inspire kids with creative side

• Data analysis model gives a more developed learning personalization for better personal growth both for teachers and kids in classes

LONG TERM OUTCOMES

• New approach to education – teachers acting in the role of mentors who give guidance on developing creativity and technological skills necessary for the future job market

• Teachers become kids' role models with future proof skills and expand science capital

IMPACT

• Kids' high competence and involvement into technology creation industry, ensuring bias-free and equal opportunities

Findings from the concept evaluation stage after training 1000 teachers: 91% are confident with their skills, 93% agreed this program helped essentially with digital skills and teaching material during the COVID-19 lockdown; 73% applied content in classrooms: 

“Kids see technology beyond social networks and discover it as a tool for creative expression in 2nd grade!”

“Joy of learning becomes available to kids of various learning abilities”

“Kids are highly engaged, solving problems independently and more willing to collaborate”

We are currently serving 400 teachers and around 8000 kids.

In one year we will be serving 10,000 teachers and 200,000 kids.

By 2025 we’ll be serving 1 million teachers and 20 million kids.

The goals within the next years are:

• Community: grow the community of technology creation skill building ambassadors globally to impact at least 10,000 educators in one year and 1 million teachers and 20 million kids within the next five years.

• Product and technology: fully build the platform with an integrated pilot version of machine learning driven methodology for personalized learning. Fully develop the tech driven personalization with the scientifically proven feedback and motivational model to ensure full learning transfer to kids in classrooms.

• Content: establish the best in tech content partnerships for technology creation materials for teachers.

• Teachers as clients capacity barrier. Teachers or schools as clients may have limited financial resources to subscribe to the program. Also, there is a social disapproval of technology usage in classes which are usually narrowed down to their usage as digital literacy tools, but not creativity and learning through technology creation tools.

• Technical barriers. There are many schools and teachers who do not have access to technology and the Internet.

• Competitive market barriers. Technology education is a growing field and there are many various size players in the industry.

• Teachers as clients capacity barrier. We have already started a pilot program to work with real teachers which is followed by useful feedback and first clients. Experience and research will help us improve the product and sales, communication and community growth will improve the issue of cultural bias.

• Technical barriers. The infrastructure is improving steadily all over the world with current global pandemic speeding up school digitalization. 

• Competitive market barriers. To reach the current stage of our solution requires deep know-how and resources for research and development, therefore we believe that potential competitors will refuse to invest to reach better competitive advantage.

We are partnering with governmental institutions – Vilnius municipality, which would cover 100+ teacher subscriptions in city schools, starting from September, 2020. This way teachers will be able to have separate technology creativity class on primary school level.

To run mentorship program for 1.000 primary school teachers in Lithuania we partnered and attracted a grant from Google.org (first grant in the region) and now seek to continue this partnership. 

We are also partnering with leading tech companies to sponsor teachers' subscriptions and become social investors for at least 50% of the teachers we will reach, especially from more remote or sensitive environments. We also partner with them to establish our technology creativity content and attract mentor network for teachers.

Teachers Lead Tech program is monetized by yearly subscription:

Teacher subscription – 200€/year OR School subscription (10+ teachers) – 2000€/year.

Types of sales models:

B2C – selling Teachers Lead Tech directly to schools and teachers. 

B2B – tech companies covering subscriptions, upscaling existing team partnerships with tech companies (e.g. Devbridge have been sponsoring 600 kids in Lithuania for their weekly classes at bit&Byte since 2017).

B2G – governmental institutions, bringing edtech solutions nationwide (in May 2020, Vilnius municipality bought our licence for 6 pilot schools. Starting from September 2020, they are increasing the number to 140 teachers).

Our work is funded by a combination of income from: 

• B2C (teachers). We have already started sales implementation plan and planning to have at least 600 teachers in our program in Lithuania only by September 2020, and 
• B2B/B2G (tech companies, municipalities, governments) who invest in a new skill building for teachers as an economic priority. We have recently got funding from angel investors, applied for several grant options and continue communication with municipalities.

We have recently raised funds from angel investment, in the process for more funding.

We are seeking a $250,000 grant within two years. Part of income is planned to come from income as a commitment from teachers, schools, communities or governmental institutions.

Our estimated expenses for 2020 is approx. 200,000$.

We are excited to apply as it would help us reach 1 million teachers and 20 million kids by 2025 and help them flourish in the technology creation and STEM related education and job market. 

We believe that this application can help us:

• to get grant funding from technology companies willing to invest in teacher education (both globally and locally);

• to get access to customers, i.e. governmental education institutions; 

• to get exposure in media and conferences, connections to educational, science, research institutions;

• to get mentorship in product distribution, legal matters, funding and revenue model development.

As described above, what we need in this product development stage is:

• access to customers, i.e. governmental education institutions; 

• exposure in media and conferences, connections to educational, science, research institutions;

• mentorship in product distribution, legal matters in the situation of scaling (intellectual property, finance laws, etc.), funding and revenue model development.

• Governmental institutions, which would help us bring Teachers Lead Tech program and tool to broad range of teachers
• Educational, science, research institutions to establish content and learning methodology.
• Tech companies to establish content, personalised learning technology based on machine learning, as well as program's access to teachers (scholarship).