An island high school teacher has been hailed as one of 50 inspiring educators making a difference in the education technology sector.

Rachel Smith of St Ninian’s High School was ’surprised and delighted’ at being named in the EdTech 50 Awards, which celebrates the use of technology to improve education and learning in the UK.

Education Technology Magazine collaborated with Ty Goddard, a leader in ’edtech’, and invited subscribers to vote for their colleagues and contacts that they recognise are making waves in the field.

This year’s ’Educational foundation’s Edtech 50-year book 2020’ publication features Mrs Smith’s name.

It reads: ’Currently digital leader and foreign languages teacher at a secondary school on the Isle of Man.

’For her, languages and technology are natural partners. Sits on the Apple Distinguished Educator’s Board for Europe, India, Africa and the Middle East. EdTech 50 judge, Nicole Ponsford: "an Apple legend".’

Mrs Smith has taught French, Spanish and German in her 23 years of teaching and is currently what is described as a ’digital leader’ at the Douglas school.

She said: ’It’s nice to be recognised nationally for the work that we do on-island in shaping the future of education.

’I had no idea that I had been named, as I was at a parents’ evening at school on the day of the ceremony. I got home to lots of texts from friends and colleagues congratulating me. I was a little shocked to say the least!’

She eventually found that she had been nominated by the Gender Equality Collective, which is a UK not-for-profit organisation.

’I chose to be a teacher because of my love of languages and travel and my desire to pass on some of that knowledge to the future generations,’ Mrs Smith said.

’It’s a real privilege to be able to work with young people and to help them shape their lives and prepare them for the future.’

She added that SNHS was a ’forward-thinking school’ that ’relishes the challenges that the future poses for us and our students’.

’Using technology in the classroom allows all students to be able to access the work thanks to accessibility features built into the technology that we use,’ she said.

’It also enables students to express what they know in a variety of ways movies, music, voice recordings, podcasts and books - both of which can be published to a real audience.’ The school has a group of young people called the ’digital leaders’, who help staff and students use technology in the classroom.

They record, produce and publish a school podcast called ’Hello St Ninian’s’ via Apple Podcasts. Mrs Smith also provides in-house training and support for staff on the range of uses of technology in the classroom.

The school is an accredited Apple Regional Training Centre which provides free training to teaching staff across the island on the use of iPad, which is the technology all schools have at their disposal on the island.