Hi, I’m Jon Twycross, and I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself and Evisense. I’ve been with B Squared for over 15 years now, so I’m practically part of the furniture—just nothing classy! I’m also a father of 2 lively and curious children and a proud husband to a teacher, although I usually only see her out of term time it would seem. Watching her navigate the ups and downs of teaching has given me a deep respect for how much more the role demands than just classroom time, and this is what drives me to create systems that alleviate at least in part some of those burdens. You might also recognise me as the slow, bald bloke from the training videos (and yes, that’s what a teacher called me—not my choice!).
The Birth of Evisense
When I first started at B Squared, Evisense didn’t even exist. But two years in, Dale and I had an idea. After endless conversations with teachers and hearing their feedback during school visits and conferences, we realised there was a need for a system that could capture and store evidence of student learning. After a few late-night brainstorming sessions (often after conferences), we sketched out the bones of what would become Evisense—a system that could work independently from Connecting Steps and focus on evidence, or as we like to say, “evidence that makes sense.”
We were confident we could create something that didn’t just meet schools’ needs but was also cost-effective. Fast forward three years, and the first version of Evisense was out in the wild, helping schools manage student evidence and handling terabytes of media. We were thrilled by how much teachers loved linking evidence to their assessments in Connecting Steps—it gave them a unified view of each student’s progress.
Adapting and Evolving
But, as with everything in education, the landscape kept changing. Schools began requesting new features, and technology advanced, making things possible that we could only dream of when we first started. Then came COVID, which shifted priorities and introduced new challenges to schools.
That’s why, over the past two years, we’ve been hard at work on a completely new version of Evisense. This wasn’t just a facelift—we rebuilt the entire system from the ground up. The new Evisense is about more than just evidence; it’s a tool for communication, engagement, and collaboration between schools, parents, and students. We launched this upgraded version earlier this year, and while it wasn’t all smooth sailing, it’s been worth every sleepless night. Schools have been using the new Evisense to revolutionise the way they communicate and share evidence with parents.
Looking Ahead
We’re not done yet—there’s always more to improve. In fact, we recently added a feature allowing schools to buy different storage levels, giving them the flexibility to grow without overspending. It’s just one of the many ways we’re continuing to adapt to schools’ needs.
So, that’s a bit about me and how Evisense came to be. Through this blog, I want to share more about the features of Evisense, how they’ve evolved, and why they’re so important. I firmly believe in understanding the problem before diving into solutions, and I hope this blog can help with that.
That’s all from me for now. Thanks for sticking with me!
Want to find out more?
Book an online meeting with me to find out more and ask any questions you may about Evisense.