Promethean
|
This article is part of the Spinwatch privatisation of Schools Portal project. |
Promethean is an edtech company providing interactive whiteboards, 'student response systems for personalized learning', and digital teaching resources.
It says: 'Like our namesake, Prometheus, we strive to bring the light of knowledge to the world.’
'Promethean has 10 offices around the world and is registered in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Contents
Lobbying for corporate education reform
Promethean's 'Thought Leadership' materials outline its pitch to policy-makers. The language is that of the corporate education reform movement. It promotes three core themes:
- underlining education’s role in economic growth
- increased personalisation and collaboration in learning
- 21st century learning and increased efficiency in education
All push the idea of technology replacing teacher-led education.
Education Fast Forward
Promethean and Cisco created Education Fast Forward in 2010 as a 'global education movement' to bring together education thinkers and organizations to debate and raise critical education issues. Initiated in part by Promethean’s Education Strategy team, EFF was set to be taken forward as an independent non-profit organisation in 2014 by its founder, Jim Wynn, now CEO of the newly independent Education Fast Forward.[1]
EFF's trustees are Gavin Dykes, an independent education and technology advisor; and Jim Wynn, a former UK head teacher who also has worked for Microsoft, Cisco and Promethean and is a director of the Centre for Curriculum Redesign and the 21st Century learning alliance.[2]
In May 2015, Toshiba announced that it is 'building on its commitment to raising awareness and understanding of technology in education through a partnership with Education Fast Forward.'
EFF's website featured a blog by Jim Knight, Lord Knight, former Labour education minister, in May 2015 titled: 'So you are a policy maker and you want to engineer a big shift in learning in schools to embrace “21st Century Skills” – how do you do it?'[3]
Global Education Leaders’ Partnership
Promethean is a corporate funder of the Global Education Leaders’ Partnership, alongside Cisco and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Lobbyists
People
- Philip Rowley chair
- Jim Marshall, CEO; formerly vice president of Apple’s US education division.
- David Puttnam, Lord Puttnam, senior independent director
- Graham Howe Non-executive director; former co-founding director of Orange.
- Judy Verses Non-executive director; president, Global Enterprise and Education at Rosetta Stone Inc
Affiliations
Contacts
- Website: http://www.prometheanworld.com
References
- ↑ Promethean Helps Education Fast Forward Flourish, Promethean press release, 25 June 2014
- ↑ Trustees, EFF website, accessed August 2015
- ↑ 'Lord Jim Knight',So you are a policy maker..., EFF website, 6 May 2015
- ↑ press release, Promethean website, January 2012
