O2 rewards teachers and helps students to learn in bitesize chunks

O2 has launched O2 Learn in the UK – a website that will compile a selection of mini-lessons from teachers across the UK, helping students to revise and recap work, encouraging teachers and enabling parents to work through content with their children.

Gav Thompson, head of brand strategy at O2 told Contagious: ‘My vision for O2 Learn is that any child at any school in any part of the country should be able to see and experience some of the best teachers in the country in action. Not to replace their conventional schooling, but to be an addition, a top-up, that can only help in their learning and development.’

Some of the content will come from teachers. To motivate them, O2 rewards the teachers with financial incentives. The highest rated video receives 2000€ cash (a selection is made every two weeks).

Students have always rated teachers unofficially, so the chance to add gold stars to favourite lessons, and suggest topics for teachers to cover uses the responsive nature of the internet to make sure viewing isn’t a passive experience.

Gav Thompson explains: ‘O2 believes in connecting people to the people and things that matter to them. So, O2 Learn is about connecting young people and their parents to great teachers. The best teachers have a genuine gift that we want to help them share with thousands or millions of young people from across the country.’

Thompson hopes that O2 Learn will amass over 10,000 films, which he believes will cover a large chunk of the National Curriculum. Already backed by the NUT (National Union of Teachers) the initative will award a top prize of £50,000 to a lucky teacher and £100,000 to the school – a sizeable incentive.

A real cool initiative, don’t you think?