{"id":13144,"date":"2025-05-30T09:44:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T08:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=13144"},"modified":"2025-05-30T08:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T07:11:13","slug":"techtober-a-celebration-of-collaboration-sharing-and-digital-practice-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/05\/techtober-a-celebration-of-collaboration-sharing-and-digital-practice-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"TechTober: A Celebration of Collaboration, Sharing and Digital Practice for All"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Constance (Connie) Henry, Essential Skills Practitioner, Gower College Swansea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is TechTober?:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TechTober is a free, month-long event that brings together educators and digital practitioners from Further Education (FE), Higher Education (HE), and Work-Based Learning (WBL). They make time in their schedules to share their favourite tools, ideas, and strategies for technology enhanced learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This event was created and brought to fruition by Kirsty Ingelson from Kirklees College, to really create a community of sharing with one another instead of competing or gate keeping great tools and ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c TechTober started with a simple idea: lots of us are doing great things, but we don\u2019t always share them.\u201d <\/em><\/p>Kirsty Ingelson<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As soon as she mentioned the idea to me, I was on board as it was such an amazing idea!  I got about making a digital advertising book<\/a> to showcase the event. Anyone who knows me, knows how often I use these multimedia books! (Side note- I\u2019m doing a webinar about HeyZine Multimedia books on the 17th<\/sup> June with Amplify FE – click here<\/a> to register and come along! If you are reading this after this after the live session you can catch up on the  Amplify FE YouTube Channel <\/a> and catch other great webinars!) It was a great way to showcase the involvement of everyone and advertise the event. I love the whole feel of TechTober, where people are genuinely happy to work together, supporting each other navigating the murky, ever-changing world of education! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love people come together to help others, it ran so well with people taking bits of responsibility naturally, use their talents and strengths to pull off the event- I pull it together, but it doesn’t work without people agreeing to do sessions, helping market, and sharing their knowledge time and effort to do something for someone else- that continues to blow me away.\u201d <\/em><\/p>Kirsty Ingelson<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sessions that run throughout October are a huge collective of webinars to help improve classroom engagement, streamline marking, planning, and communication, along with useful tools for educators. In this blog, we look back at last year\u2019s TechTober, share the link to our recordings and resource book, and give a sneak peek at what\u2019s coming up in 2025!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back: What made TechTober 2024 so special<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Last October, we launched TechTober<\/strong> as a way of highlighting, sharing, and celebrating great digital practice across the education sector. What started as a simple idea grew into a vibrant, month-long digital event that brought together contributors and attendees from FE, HE, and WBL settings across the UK<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechTober gives people a platform they might not usually get and helps build a community focused on embedding EdTech in a way that genuinely improves teaching, learning, and assessment. It doesn\u2019t need to be a bolt-on we can do this better, together.\u201d <\/em><\/p>Kirsty Ingelson<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The aim was simple: to create an open, inclusive space where colleagues could freely share tools, tips and tricks<\/strong> that help them not only in the classroom, but also in streamlining processes, saving time, and improving outcomes. Whether it was making lesson planning more efficient, reducing workload around marking, or simplifying how we communicate with learners, TechTober showed that digital doesn\u2019t have to be complicated to make a big impact!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekdays through October, we hosted live sessions, either early morning, lunchtime or after work, giving flexibility to those who wanted to join. These webinars spotlighted examples of digital tools being used to tackle real challenges. From interactive whiteboards to collaborative documents, accessible design to automated feedback systems and from AI tips to resource creations it was a feast of practical ideas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What really stood out was the collaborative spirit<\/strong> of the event. Educators were generous with their time and expertise, creating a ripple effect where attendees not only gained inspiration but also felt empowered to try new approaches in their own settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing the sectors together<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

One of the most powerful aspects of TechTober was the blending of voices from across the sectors<\/strong>. We had sharing of creative ways to use tools like Padlet, Multimedia books and Quizziz, showing how immersive experiences can support learning with BodySwaps and Immersive rooms, and ways to utilise AI effectively in in the classroom, creating resources, using with learners and supporting accessibility. It really had a great mix of topics and something for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This mix of perspectives was intentional and important. Too often, we work in silos. TechTober broke that down. By bringing together educators with different experiences but who shared goals, we were able to spark new conversations and highlight common challenges. Whether you’re in a college classroom, delivering remotely to a workplace, or supporting learners in a university lecture hall, the threads of digital innovation, inclusion, and efficiency link us all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recordings, summaries and connections \u2013 All in one place<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

If you missed any of the live sessions, or want to revisit your favourites, you can find everything in our TechTober 2024 Webinar Recordings Book<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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 This digital collection includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n