Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Texthelp Blog - Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

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As you know at Texthelp we’re all about using technology to help people understand and be understood. So when we heard that the University of Dundee was going to offer an MSC in Educational Assistive Technology in 2022, then we had to get involved. This new course, developed by the University of Dundee, aims to enhance the learning experience of students facing barriers to their education due to disability. 

 “It makes me so proud that Texthelp are sponsoring a student to undertake this course at The University of Dundee. For the last 25 years Texthelp has been growing and helping more and more people globally. To see the importance of assistive technology being recognised in this way, shows that the future is bright for people who need extra help to fully access the world around them” said  Rick Bell, Head of Education at Texthelp and Chairman of British Assistive Technology Association.

Assistive Technology is designed to make sure students are able to access and fully participate in education, employment, entertainment and the wider environment with as much independence as possible. Different tools can be used to support students with high incidence, lower impact disabilities (for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia) through to low incidence, higher impact disabilities (for example, cerebral palsy, autism). 

The course, within the School of Science and Engineering, is designed for teachers, therapists and technologists who would like to learn more about supporting learners who need assistive technology. At the end of the course graduates will have the skills and knowledge to work as an Educational Assistive Technologist, addressing a global shortage of professionals in this area.

Students will learn about the role and responsibilities of the Educational Assistive Technologist. They will also learn how to assess people and recommend the right tool for the right person, ensuring the best learning environment for everyone.  The course will be taught by AT experts such as Professor Annalu Waller and Mr. Rohan Slaughter , both from the School of Science and Engineering. Between them they have years of experience in this field. 

“The University of Dundee is delighted to be partnering with Texthelp to launch the first scholarship for the MSc EduAT (educational assistive technology), providing a full fee scholarship for a student who is employed in a UK not-for-profit or charity-based education organisation. We developed the MSc EduAT scholarship programme so that not-for-profit organisations would be able to access the professional development that the MSc EduAT offers; training more professionals to implement and support the use of assistive technology within education will enable students with a broad range of disabilities to access the curriculum.” 

“Texthelp is a leading assistive technology software supplier, we feel that Texthelp’s mission “to help unlock everyone's full potential through technology” aligns very closely with the core purpose of the University of Dundee “to transform lives, locally and globally through the creation, sharing and application of knowledge”. We look forward to working with Texthelp and the successful scholars on MSc EduAT to ensure that those who can benefit from assistive technology are supported to achieve their maximum potential.” - Rohan Slaughter, Senior Lecturer (Assistive Technology) at University of Dundee

To find out if you are eligible for our scholarship and to apply click here.

Texthelp sponsor Educational Assistive Technology Scholarship with the University of Dundee.

Here are 10 diversity and inclusion considerations for moving to a hybrid work model: 

Give everyone a voice with an employee suggestion box

Train your entire team in new and existing tech

Promote inclusive practices and less bias

Provide inclusive training and development materials

Gain 10 diversity and inclusion considerations for moving to a hybrid work model.

10 tips for 'going hybrid' with diversity and inclusion in mind

As organizations consider moving to a hybrid workplace, what are some things they can do to ensure everyone can benefit, including those with neurological differences?

To help business leaders create a holistic plan for shifting to a hybrid office, we asked founders and business professionals this question for their best insights. From giving everyone a voice with an employee suggestions box to encouraging flexible working hours, there are several factors to keep in mind as you move to a hybrid work structure. 

The Tale of the Three Teachers

This is a tale of people, teachers by trade, who were gathered at a round table. They were sharing stories of three educators that we could all learn from. That’s not quite true.

Because it was September 2021, and in Australia nobody was gathering anywhere as most people were in lockdown. The story sharing took place virtually, and from what we could see - most of the desks were rectangular, but the principle was the same.

Hear how Read&Write is helping this student overcome challenges of college life

To mark Dyslexia Awareness Week, we've teamed up with our partners, the British Dyslexia Assocation to explain what dyslexia is, where and when it impacts individuals and how we can help increase visibilty.

The 5 W’s of invisible dyslexia

This month we celebrate Dyslexia Awareness Week, 4 to 10 October 2021. At Texthelp, we believe everyone has the right to understand and be understood. That’s why we’re proudly teaming up with the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) to support this year’s theme, ‘Invisible Dyslexia’. We’re helping to raise awareness, increase visibility and remove the stigma that can cause serious mental health issues. Starting with this blog on the who, what, where, when and why of invisible dyslexia.

Meet OrbitNote

To celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia, we put together a roundtable discussion of education specialists. During the session our panel looked at the present state of education and the future potential of technology in Catholic education. Our host for the day was Greg O’Connor who heads up the team based in the Asia Pac region. He was joined by: 

- Danny Rankin - Inclusion Consultant, Learning Services, Catholic Schools Office Diocese of Lismore.

- Jacinta Keena - STEM Teacher, St John's Catholic School, Richmond Tasmania

- Zeina Chalich, Principal St Francis Xavier's Catholic Primary School, Arncliffe.

- Tom Lee, Director of Innovation and Technology, Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College 

There was so much to talk about that keeping to the 1 hour time limit was a challenge. Let’s take a look at some of the key points. 

Technology can amplify and broaden pedagogy and is a brilliant way to make sure everyone can access learning. “We used to send technology just to those who needed it, but now we make sure it is there for everyone if and when they need it” said Danny. 

Zeina added “the pandemic has changed how many teachers view technology, beforehand these tools may have    been seen as a nice to have and now they are very much a must have''. The ongoing situation in Australia and across the world means that educators have to be able to switch learning quickly. Or “pivot” as Danny put it, admitting that is the most overused word of the last 18 months. 


EdTech supports home learning, everyone agreed that home learning would have been impossible without technology. One of the positives is the skills that young people are learning. The workplaces of the future could be very different than they were pre-pandemic. Skills to do with working independently, working in an agile way and finding a flexible way to solve problems could all be important in the future workplace.

While the panel acknowledged that technology is essential to continued learning at home, it is not without its challenges.  There’s the issue around equity of access, what tools people have at home, and parents having to juggle schooling and working. However, panelists saw a real increase in parental involvement, many parents enjoyed the chance to see what their children were learning. Tom shared a story of how he was talking to a student about time management, when a voice in the background whispered “he’s got a point sweetheart” - blended learning can mean a blended audience too! 


Hybrid learning gives people the opportunity to personalise their learning, they can play an instructional video once and get on with the task. Or they can play it again and again until they are clear on what they need to do.  The teacher’s role is to show the options available and then it’s up to the kids to show what they know, students really enjoy that agency and the chance to experiment. Danny said “it’s a slow burn, which is why we’re getting great results now”.


A digital learning strategy is important, Greg mentioned SOS or “shiny object syndrome” at the start of the pandemic people were looking at lots and lots of EdTech tools. Jacinta said “ we don’t want teachers to be glad to get rid of technology when lockdown is over, so we used a slow release model to make sure colleagues were on board too. 


Our guests were all so passionate about this topic and there was a lot to cover, you can listen to the roundtable as many times as you like. If you want to get involved on social media the hashtags to use are: #AusEdRoundtable  #AussieEd