2020

article thumbnail

What Teachers Need in the Era of COVID-19

Digital Promise

Unprecedented. This is the word that has been buzzing around our nation for months as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses, services, and entities have had to rethink how to operate, even reinventing themselves. Some have had to make the gut-wrenching decision to close or end their services permanently. While schools do not have the option of closing permanently or to not offer services, they do have the task of rethinking how they operate.

article thumbnail

Education Predictions for an Unpredictable 2021

Education Elements

I got started with this tradition of predictions in 2010 after reading Disrupting Class, a book by Clayton Christensen and Michael Horn. In their book, they predicted that by 2019, 50% of all high school courses will be online in some blended learning model. That was a pretty bold prediction in 2008 when the book was published, but their model for cycles of innovation seems pretty accurate now that we have hindsight.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How Two School Districts Have Adapted to COVID-Era Realities

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

In this opinion piece, Cognitive ToyBox Partnerships Manager Nikki Navta describes lessons her company has learned from the COVID experiences of two districts it's worked with closely. The post How Two School Districts Have Adapted to COVID-Era Realities appeared first on Market Brief.

Company 468
article thumbnail

Facing the Disconnect: College Students and Online Learning

Digital Promise

This past spring, college courses were forced online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How did this sudden transition affect students’ satisfaction and engagement with their courses? In collaboration with Langer Research Associates, Digital Promise developed a survey to reveal the experiences and perceptions of undergraduates taking courses that transitioned to fully online.

article thumbnail

Enhancing Higher Education with Generative AI: A Responsible Guide

Generative AI holds tremendous promise for all stakeholders in higher education. But guardrails are needed. Strong governance that empower instructors are at the core of a responsible approach to using generative AI in academia.

article thumbnail

Empathetic Remote and Hybrid Learning

A Principal's Reflections

As almost all schools across the globe are back in session in some form or another, many have decided to begin the year remotely with the hopes that COVID-19 cases will subside in the coming months. Others have started the year with some sort of hybrid model. There is no easy decision when it comes to determining which pathway is the most appropriate at this time.

Learning 542
article thumbnail

Teaching students how to manage digital distractions

Neo LMS

When I was a teenager, I had a dumb phone that I mostly used for emergencies. By the time I got to work with teenagers, they had sophisticated devices through which they could even fact check me during classes. That’s not to say that my education was better than theirs, or that my generation was less distracted. It was just different. Nowadays, as it was back then, distraction remains the top enemy of classroom learning.

How To 338

More Trending

article thumbnail

How Educators Can Empower Students Through Technology

Ask a Tech Teacher

With education turning on the technology skills of students and teachers, its important to gain a rudimentary understanding of foundational technology. I don’t mean phone apps and games. I mean the basics of how to use the tech tools that are driving learning. Dr. Paul Perry, former teacher, administrator, and nonprofit exec, has put together a brief guide for educators looking to expand learning opportunities for students using technology.

article thumbnail

4 Tips for teachers to make the most of edtech

Neo LMS

Education technology and its use in the classroom has now become essential. Every school and every classroom has to find what works best for their needs. With already enough things to juggle at the same time, teachers don’t have it easy when it comes to finding the right edtech and implementing it successfully in their classrooms. There are just so many aspects to consider, sometimes very limited resources to fall on, and not that many guarantees that all efforts will be worth it.

EdTech 506
article thumbnail

10 Strategies Designed to Engage Elementary Students Online

Catlin Tucker

A few weeks ago, I published a blog titled “ 8 Ideas Designed to Engage Students In Active Learning Online.” I had several elementary teachers request that I work on a similar blog focused on younger learners. Below are ten strategies I hope will help elementary teachers to engage their young learners online. #1 Create Virtual Word Wall with a Bitmoji Classroom or Padlet.

article thumbnail

Important Lessons Learned During the Pandemic and How They Can Drive Needed Change

A Principal's Reflections

There is no shortage of challenges that have been leveled on schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. After some time, we have seen an initial move to all remote learning, depending on where you live, a shift to some sort of hybrid model. A spike in cases has led to buildings being closed again and a resumption of remote learning in some locations. Uncertainty and a lack of continuity have had a heavy toll on teachers, administrators, students, and parents.

LMS 545
article thumbnail

Enhancing School Device Management for Improved Learning

Schools face increasing challenges as technology becomes integral to education. Efficient device management is essential for maximizing technology use and safeguarding investments. Our article discusses the importance of tracking devices, outlines current challenges, and suggests modern solutions that go beyond traditional methods like Excel. Learn how advanced tracking systems can streamline operations, improve maintenance, and offer real-time updates for better resource allocation.

article thumbnail

Teachers and Burnout: What to Do When You Can’t Change the World

Education Elements

It’s December. We made it to the end of 2020 – a spectacularly stressful year, no matter who you are, what you do, or where you live. As the months ticked by, though, it became clear that the chaos of the year placed almost unbearable levels of stress on some professions, educators among them. As schools wind down for winter break in the midst of a national spike in COVID-19 numbers, it may be a good time to deconstruct and consider burnout, what it looks like, what causes it, and what we can do

Education 228
article thumbnail

5 Best Practices for Managing Virtual Breakout Rooms

EdTech Magazine

Small group learning is absolutely essential today. In a virtual classroom, the instructor typically does most of the talking when leading a synchronous lesson. Students may find it more difficult to participate or think out loud in this environment. But with breakout rooms, educators can improve student engagement, differentiate instruction and give students more voice and choice in their learning outside of a traditional classroom.

article thumbnail

Successful Distance Learning for Young Kids

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter You may be worried that the youngest kids can’t learn at a distance, but Dr. Nancy Frey, co-author of the Distance Learning Playbook comes along side us to help us understand how it can be done. From successful online meetings to screentime and essential things to include, Nancy encourages us to do what seems impossible.

Learning 545
article thumbnail

When COVID-19 Pushes Your Company to Explore New Markets

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

The coronavirus has created barriers for ed-tech providers, but it has also fueled new opportunities in early childhood education, say Nikki Navta and Tammy Kwan, of Cognitive ToyBox. The post When COVID-19 Pushes Your Company to Explore New Markets appeared first on Market Brief.

Company 468
article thumbnail

Quickly Create Personalized Learning Experiences that Work

How can we actively engage learners 24/7, on their level and according to their interests, while respecting their learning styles? It’s not impossible. In this guide: Explore how to transform traditional, one-way videos into two-way interactive learning experiences Understand different types of artificial intelligence (AI), including - Generative vs.

article thumbnail

Engaging Students Right From the Start

User Generated Education

I, like many of you, have been doing remote teaching since March, 2020. I am a student-centric, hands on/minds on teacher. In normal times when students come to my classroom (I provide pull-out services for gifted elementary level kids), I get them doing hands-on activities within minutes of entering into my classroom. As many of you know, remote teaching is very different than face-to-face learning.

Examples 435
article thumbnail

Computational Thinking in Preschool: What, Why, and How

Digital Promise

While computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) have received increasing attention over the past decade, CT integration in early learning settings is an emerging area of focus. Our National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project, a collaboration with SRI International , Edfinity , and Curious Media , aimed to identify CT skills aligned with the abilities and interests of preschool children (age 3-5 years).

STEM 433
article thumbnail

The Lesson of COVID-19: Learning at School and Learning at Home Must Be Seamless

The Journal

The COVID-19 disruption caught K-12 unprepared and issuing packets of paper, the March solution, won’t work in the Fall. Learning must be continuous, seamless, regardless of location. Time for schools to join the 21st century and use digital curricula. In this week’s blog, we describe classrooms in Michigan that seamlessly weathered the COVID-19 disruption.

Learning 433
article thumbnail

Teaching During #CoronaVirus–An Old Strategy That’s Perfect

Ask a Tech Teacher

A problem with online teaching is that students have to sit through a long lecture-sort of presentation–if you’re trying to replicate your classroom teaching. Some good advice I see over and over regarding teaching online is DON’T try to replicate your physical classroom. Instead, teach using online’s strengths. A good way to do that is with a flipped classroom.

Strategy 473
article thumbnail

Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

article thumbnail

5 Edtech tools to try out this year

Neo LMS

Each year I like to explore different digital tools in my classroom to see what kind of an impact they will make on students and learning. There are some digital tools that I continue to use every year because they offer more than just one purpose and continue to add new features or they have integrated with other tools that we are using in our classroom.

EdTech 545
article thumbnail

Farewell, 2020: Lessons Learned

Catlin Tucker

When I was in college, I started writing a holiday newsletter to include with my Christmas cards. My mother had always written a newsletter, so it seemed a natural way to reflect on the year. It also provided friends and family with an update on my life in a pre-social media world. It is a tradition I have continued through the years. Trying to wrap my mind around 2020 to craft my newsletter was no small feat.

Learning 545
article thumbnail

Finding Balance in Today's Classroom

A Principal's Reflections

Balance has always been a challenge for teachers. I vividly remember this during my early years as a teacher. Each night I came home exhausted. Maybe the 45-minute commute had a little to do with it, but the main culprit was how I used available time in the classroom. Since I was not very open to risks and convinced that the most critical aspect of my job was to get through the curriculum, my sole focus was on direct instruction.

Classroom 545
article thumbnail

The Why, How, and What of Blended Learning

Catlin Tucker

The events of the last nine months have launched the phrase “blended learning” into the mainstream. I worry that instead of articulating the value of a powerful blend of online and offline learning, teachers are receiving the message that they “must” adopt blended learning to meet the demands of the moment. Yes, blended learning can help teachers navigate the challenges of teaching at this moment.

article thumbnail

Behind the Bell: The Underlying Impact of Tardiness in K-12 Schools

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

article thumbnail

Enhance Student Engagement with Virtual Social Learning Spaces

Catlin Tucker

When I ask teachers, “How would you describe a successful online or blended learning course? What would that look like?” Most teachers include some form of the word “engagement” in their answers. So, it makes sense that teachers are frustrated when they feel like students are not engaging. The pandemic is presenting new barriers to student engagement, most obviously the lack of physical proximity.

article thumbnail

Upgrading the Remote Learning and Hybrid Classroom

A Principal's Reflections

These unprecedented and uncertain times have spawned a paradigm shift in the way teaching and learning are conducted. With many schools and districts struggling to not only maintain effective engagement with their students but to be able to quickly and easily adjust to changing and ambiguous guidelines is equally as challenging. The ability to swiftly and seamlessly adjust to the unknown, short- and long-term future of curriculum facilitation is essential for maintaining education continuity for

Classroom 545
article thumbnail

Using a Flip Flop Design for the Concurrent Classroom

Catlin Tucker

“I wish I could just focus on one group of students at a time.” This is a sentiment I’ve heard repeatedly from teachers navigating the demands of the concurrent classroom. As I’ve said in previous blog posts, teaching in a concurrent classroom is the most challenging teaching assignment I can imagine. Many of the teachers in my life who are teaching two groups of students simultaneously–one group in the classroom and one group online–are exhausted, frustrated, and not fee

Classroom 546
article thumbnail

Overcoming Engagement Hurdles with Remote Learners

A Principal's Reflections

In order to empower people at some level, you first need to engage them. It is nearly impossible to create a culture of learning if there are elements of boredom, inactivity, and lack of relevance. This is a lesson I learned most recently as a presenter and workshop facilitator. Early on, I used more traditional strategies since this was a new arena for me.

Strategy 545
article thumbnail

The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

article thumbnail

Competencies for a Post-COVID World

A Principal's Reflections

It seems as of late that we are always in the midst of difficult times. As I am writing this post, the world is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. The challenges that this is placing on society goes without saying. In classrooms, educators continue to grapple with the impacts this is having on both remote and hybrid learning models. It's not easy, and many people are at a breaking point, but who could blame them.

Outcomes 545
article thumbnail

Synchronous Online Discussions: Preparation, Facilitation & Wrap Up

Catlin Tucker

Discussion is a cornerstone of any learning community. Students construct and confirm meaning, in part, through dialogue with their peers. Online discussions offer an avenue to connect students online and facilitate knowledge construction; however, many teachers are frustrated by a lack of student engagement online. Too often, a teacher’s questions in a video conferencing session are met with long silences.

Google 546
article thumbnail

Combatting the Challenges of the Concurrent Classroom with the Station Rotation Model

Catlin Tucker

I’ve been a fan of the station rotation model for years. As I support teachers struggling to navigate the demands of the concurrent classroom, I find myself continually returning to the station rotation model as a strategy to design and facilitate learning for this challenging teaching assignment. First, I want to identify a few of the challenges I observe in concurrent classrooms. 1.

article thumbnail

Gauging the Reality of Emerging Tech in Classrooms

EdTech Magazine

As virtual reality becomes more prevalent in K–12 educational spaces, developers continue to create content that enables students to partake in a host of realistic and fantastical simulations. Students can visit new places, create 3D artwork and conduct science experiments in ways that might not otherwise be possible. We have seen classroom applications of VR that fully utilize the technology to engage students in rich and novel immersive learning experiences.

Classroom 544
article thumbnail

The Roses and Thorns of an LMS Strategy: How to Flourish with the Right LMS

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.