Welcome back to Meet the Educator – our monthly spotlight series where we share the real stories, insights, and everyday brilliance of educators across the country.

At Skolon, one of the things we absolutely love doing is exploring and celebrating how educators are using technology to transform their classrooms. In doing so, we find some super unique and fun ways that tech is being used – and sometimes, the most innovative approach to EdTech is knowing exactly when you don’t need to use it.

This month, we sat down with Hannah Barrett, a Textiles Teacher, Assistant House Mistress, and Head of a Competitive House at Headington School in Oxford. A former student of the school herself, four years ago Hannah “fell into teaching”, as many of our Meet the Educator candidates do, and hasn’t looked back.

We spoke with her about championing creativity, combating perfectionism, and finding the perfect harmony between analog craft and digital tools.

The analogue-first approach to EdTech

Headington is an independent forward-thinking Google-centric school where every student is issued an iPad in Year 7. The school boasts incredible facilities, including a dedicated innovation center equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, and complete access to the Adobe Creative Suite.

Despite having access to industry-standard tech, Hannah insists on a wonderful, grounded, “analogue-first” approach to digital creation.

“We are really passionate about teaching the analog method first and then showing them the fancy tech way of doing something. If you just go straight to ‘look what AI can do for you,‘ they don’t understand the why and how it’s happening.”

In her A-Level textiles class, Hannah teaches students how to create repeat patterns entirely by hand; drawing on paper and manually scanning it, before introducing them to Photoshop.

By doing it the “slow way” first, Hannah’s students gain a deeper appreciation for the software and a mechanical understanding of what the technology is actually doing for them in a fraction of the time.

Finding the digital balance

While their tech is highly integrated via Google Classroom for homework and digital sketchbooks, Hannah is acutely aware of screen fatigue. Her school has also recognised the need for balance.

Recently, they introduced Yondr pouches – devices that lock away students’ smartphones from morning until the end of the day. Students rely solely on their school-managed iPads for learning, removing the distraction of personal devices and social media.

When it comes to AI, Hannah is cautiously optimistic. She advocates for safe, practical exploration. Recently, as Head of a Competitive House, she used Gemini with her students to generate team chants for Sports Day. It served as a low-stakes, fun way to teach students how refining their prompts leads to better digital outputs.

Waving the magic wand

Working in a high-achieving environment, Hannah frequently battles the social-media-driven pressure her students feel to be perfect. In her classroom, the phrase “I can’t draw” is strictly banned.

If Hannah could wave a magic wand to change education, her goals are twofold:

Eradicate the fear of failure: She wishes 13-year-olds could embrace the joy of making things purely for the experience, rather than fixating on a flawless final product or an unrealistic aesthetic.

Universal access to the arts: Having seen state schools struggle with arts funding, she wishes for sector-wide equality so every student, regardless of their school’s budget, has access to incredible art education.

Advice for fellow educators

For teachers who feel overwhelmed by the rapid pace of technological change, Hannah’s advice is simple: Go for it, and learn alongside your students.

When she first started teaching, Hannah felt pressure to be a superhuman who knew all the answers. Today, she leans into vulnerability. When a student discovers a new photo-editing app or a digital trick, Hannah asks them to teach her.

“It helps them understand that you’re human… You’re learning alongside them, and it makes them feel like they’re a part of the learning process.”

Are you an educator doing exciting things with EdTech? We’d love to hear your story. Reach out to the Skolon team to be featured in our next Meet the Educator spotlight!