Pedagogue Blog

Every day, technology innovations transform the way children learn and how educators teach. In the last few years, the education field has attracted a lot of talented people, all with excellent knowledge and ideas. Naturally, with increasing capital, the number of technical education companies is also growing.

Yet, having a professional education company and selling products and services to schools is not an easy task. This is why we have collected a few tips to help you build a successful business.

1. Create engaging products.

Technology should engage students in the classroom, not isolate them. Using it for multiple-choice tests and individual activities is not the best use of educational technology; rather, technology should engage and improve education in the same way great teachers do. For example, teachers can create various and personalized lessons and later assign different lessons to kids in the same room. Or each child can work on a different assignment, form an opinion as a result, and share it with other kids in the discussion.

2. Be prepared to invest a lot of time and energy.

How much time do you need to build a successful company? More than you think. A thriving company takes years to evolve. Having a business plan written on paper is just a good start, but you also need to work on launching your beta product, and, eventually, the final version. You also need to take the time to promote your product to different schools and regions.

In this whole process, don’t forget to surround yourself with the right people. No matter how good of a subject matter expert you are, having a good team of talented professionals is always a good idea. Additionally, you will need to work with teachers, students, and principals to get their feedback so you can develop the technology that best suits their needs.

3. Leverage your unique strengths.

Even if you don’t have experience, you can successfully launch a product using your existing strengths and acquire more skills along the way. But keep in mind that in product design is not the only challenge in educational technology.Once you launch your product, understanding how sale cycles in education function might be a lot harder. In this situation, following the industry is not a requirement, but it can be an advantage.

4. Measure success and focus on the mission and end goal.

Challenges are inevitable, so instead of worrying and giving up, focus on what is most important to you. Find your “why.” What does success look like to you? Define your mission, use it to motivate you, and take one more step towards your goal every day.

For example, you can focus your attention on producing great content that will revolutionize teaching and learning. Technology is now personalized enough to deliver individualized teaching and learning products based on feedback from teachers and students from various schools. And most importantly, the focus should be on student outcomes.  Products that add value to the school are the ones that deliver results.

5. Think about the future

There will be many changes in the field of education, especially as it is combined with technology. Creating products will need to connect what is nice to have, what teacher wants to have and what must be included in the product. When schools create an instructional plan, they will need to curate applications carefully. Nowadays we have a situation where administrators set up the education curriculum, and in the future, teachers will choose learning management systems, apps, and content. EdTech is evolving, and competition will grow. Set your mind on future, and you will quickly adapt and go forward.

To summarize, build applications with impact on student outcomes, and learn how to explain them. To create successful applications and grow a company, you need to know the people who will use it—students, teachers, and administrators—and incorporate their feedback and ideas into your business’s products.

In today’s social climate, waiting for even a couple of hours to receive a return email can be considered rude. Add in the fact that parents and students want to continue discussions long after school hours are over, can make it difficult for teachers to keep up with the constant need for communication. Luckily, technology can help solve some of the vast problems it causes. Below are 5 of the best apps, both for phone or computer, that can help you keep in contact with your students and their parents quickly and efficiently.

1. Remind

Remind is a free way to instantly text students and parents from your phone. You can send reminders, assignments, homework, or other messages directly to students and parents. The beauty of Remind is that all phone numbers are kept private, and the messages are sent without open replies. Therefore, all confidentiality is kept for each student, and no numbers are openly known by any of the parties. You can even add in push notifications so that everyone remains informed even when they’re out of the classroom.

2. ClassDojo

ClassDojo is a simple to use classroom format that does it all. Teachers can text students when they are doing well, and give them points and other positive reinforcement right away. This can also be transmitted to parents, allowing them to feel more connected to their student throughout the day. Pictures and text messages can be sent to parents safely. Also, students can add their work to a portfolio that they would like their parents to see. If you’re looking for a positive app, this one will work for you.

3. Edmodo

Edmodo allows for more interaction with students and teachers outside the classroom. Discussions, video, and other content are readily available for students. Secure groups can be created, allowing for more in-depth discussion if needed. It also allows teachers to track student progress through its online grade book.  Edmodo was one of the first and continues to be one of the favorite methods of e-learning out there.

4. Study Blue

Study Blue is one of the best study tools available. It allows for both teachers and students to create and share flashcards, notes, and quizzes. The app requires the internet for creating the flashcards, but once created the cards can be studied offline. Students can also collaborate within the app, allowing for group study sessions and more.

5. Google Classroom

If you’re not familiar with Google Classroom, part of the Google Apps system, you should get familiar with it fast. By far one of the most comprehensive online tools for classroom communications and organization, Google classroom allows for discussions, assignments, assessment, and review all in one place. One of its best features is that students can turn in assignments through the platform, giving teachers an easy view way to see who has or hasn’t turned in an assignment. It also allows for quicker grading, as students can see when the teacher has viewed, commented on, or graded their work.

We all have twenty-four hours in a day, but when you are a teacher sometimes it feels like these hours have significantly less than sixty minutes in them. Teachers have so much on their plate. Time management skills are crucial to getting everything done. Teachers can leverage technology to improve their time management.

Identify the Problem Areas

The first is to take responsibility for how you spend your time. Taking a good hard look at how we spend our day can give us insights on where time is being wasted. Spending a week or two journaling how time is spent can be a very useful activity for teachers. This could be accomplished by keeping a simple paper journal or by keeping track of your time using a spreadsheet or even an app. Teachers should find a way to journal that is the least obtrusive.

Our mobile devices can save us time throughout our day. These devices can also cause us to waste valuable minutes. These minutes can add up to significant segments of time if we are not careful. Luckily, there are also apps that we can install on these devices to monitor the usage of these devices. This might sound like a scary proposition at first but we cannot work on solutions until we admit we have a problem. For those of us that need a little extra help in this area we can even set up alerts to tell us when we have used up our allotted time for a certain app. Once again maybe just spend a week or two on this activity to identify the time wasters in your day. Then work to eliminate or reduce them.

Use Technology to Plan Your Day

Careful planning of your day is also another great time management activity. How many times have we gotten to the end of the day and wondered where the time went? Taking time to plan how you will spend your hours in a day helps to keep them from slipping away. Technology can really help us in this area. Online calendars help with scheduling events and reminding us so we do not miss them. You can even sync these calendars to your mobile device.

Many online calendars are built right into the email applications we are already using. You might just need to take a little time to learn about the features of your program and how to use those best to work for you. Once again calendars and scheduling need to be easy to use and as unobtrusive as possible. If they are not you will not use them because they cost you more time than they save.

Online calendars can be an especially helpful time management tool for teams. Knowing the times when your team members have important events scheduled, can help us to avoid unnecessary interruptions. It can also help with planning meetings and other group activities.

To make the most of any scheduling application, especially when you hope to use it in a group proper training is key. Take the time to educate group members on how to use the technology. Set up basic rules on how the group will utilize the technology so everyone will understand its importance.

Ownership of your time is an important first step in a time management plan. Then it is just a matter of finding the right tools to help you make the most of your twenty-four hours in each day. Don’t be afraid to try out new technologies to find the tool that works best for you.

Freemium is a Marketing Strategy. If you can remember that simple piece of information, you will successfully negotiate the use of freemium products in the classroom. The vast majority of companies which create and distribute freemium edtech items are FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES. They are giving you their software to increase sales.

A retailer’s dream is to develop a dedicated consumer base who trusts them and is somewhat dependent on them. Freemium products are a great tool for building a following. We all want to find goods and service providers that we trust. Think how committed most of us are to our hair stylist or auto-mechanic. We don’t have time or energy to research each interaction we have in the marketplace.

Freemium products are a marketing tool used to hook new consumers and make them customers. Venture capitalist and blogger, Fred Wilson, coined the term “freemium” nearly ten years ago in a blog post. Here is his definition of freemium:

“Give your service away for free, possibly ad supported but maybe not, acquire a lot of customers very efficiently through word of mouth, referral networks, organic search marketing, etc., then offer premium priced value added services or an enhanced version of your service to your customer base.”

Simply put, If not loaded with advertisements, which would make it against the principles of most school districts, a freemium product is the truncated version of a company’s premium product, offered for free. With pressure to maximize technological enhancement in the classroom, and no budget increases to back this push, a free edtech tool is enticing for teachers and administrators alike.

Be a Wise Consumer

Identifying and maximizing the usefulness of freemium edtech products is key to minimizing the risk and cost of getting something for nothing. Most products are only limited, functioning therefore like an advertisement for the real thing. But beware, some freemium products are dangerous.

Freemium products function as an advertisement in two primary ways. The first technique is to provide the user with a few completely functioning parts of the actual program. The consumer tries the unfinished product, and then, with built-in ads, or follow-up emails, etc., the remainder of the program they are already enjoying, is made easily available.

Other products offer all the features of the premium product, but each feature is limited in function. The product entices you with its various capabilities, but at some point, you will need or want to use advanced features which are locked or nonexistent, offered as a for-purchase enhancement or upgrade. At this point, the entrepreneurs hope you have become dependent on their program, or trust it enough, to purchase the advanced options or upgrades.

Is It Safe?

Finally, the danger of using freemium edtech products. Protecting us all against cyber crime is a billion dollar industry. But no antivirus suite, built-in security system or IT department can protect us against crime when we leave our back door open. Freemium products pose a threat in many ways. The initial product may not offer proper protection, or the security issues could arise from the lack of updates provided without a contract. The products can open schools, students, and families to safety threats. If you use a freemium product, be sure you research the security features and have it evaluated by your IT people.

You Get What You Pay For

If you are preparing to purchase a program to enhance your classroom, freemium edtech products can be a great tool in the process of researching and evaluating. Some educators also use them as alternative resources in their classroom, integrating them within their limits as engaging enhancements as opposed to a major component of their system.

To make a freemium edtech product work for you, be certain to have the IT team examine it. Also, incorporate the product within its inherent limitations or use it as the marketing tool it is when you are researching a purchase. Without these precautions, the real price of freemium could be too high.

In the age of the Internet, many parents and teachers are faced with the question, ‘how young is too young to expose children to social media?’ Tech literacy is a valuable skill and one which children are encouraged to develop from an early age. Many experts are actually for early exposure to computers to help prepare students for school. However, there is a difference between technical literacy for academic purposes and social media literacy.

Understanding computers usually entails proficiency into a computer’s necessary academic and business applications. Competency in typing, spelling, grammar, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint is considered valuable knowledge for young people to have under their belts. Though increasingly, the age of computer literacy also entails a social media presence as a prerequisite for having a better social life.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

The question of how much early exposure is healthy depends on a variety of factors. Cutting children off from social media is not considered the healthiest option. Because social media interfaces provide children and adolescents with unique opportunities to stay connected and network with friends, denial of use might be overkill. However, parents and teachers must equip children with a guidebook for Internet safety, courtesy, and correct use.

Safety

There are many valid parental concerns about early exposure to social media. Besides the obvious complaints about children developing sedentary lifestyles or ‘growing up too fast,’ parents feel that internet safety cannot be controlled. Many parents and teachers worry about social media as a beacon for online child predators. For this reason, social media at a young age often requires parental guidance.

Parents are encouraged to understand each social media interface so that they may keep an eye on their child’s internet activity. For example, parents of school-aged children with Facebook accounts are encouraged to know and approve the friends in their child’s contact list. Additionally, parents are encouraged to know their child’s passwords so that if need be, they can check messages, statuses or deactivate the account. Internet safety is manageable if children and families act establish clear ground rules. Then social media can be a matter of fun, entertainment and staying connected.

Time Management

A major point of irritation for families is the time young people will devote to social media. Even for adults, social media is considered highly addictive. Children are considered especially susceptible to going overboard with fun, new hobbies. Therefore, it is advisable for families only to permit certain amounts of use. Through setting boundaries, children will be able to effectively manage their time and still maintain an online social life.

Reality vs. Virtual Reality

A growing concern regarding social media is the long-term impact of social media use. Social media can provide an excellent way to meet people, attend events, create and network. At the same time, it may also deny young people the chance to interact organically. Social media interaction can be so enticing; it can significantly downsize or even eliminate hands-on time. Children need to interact directly with the world around them. Real interaction helps children develop a well-rounded worldview. It enhances real social skills and levels of confidence. Being a social media personality at a young age provides adolescents with a false sense of popularity. This is not as healthy as having a real social life.

At the same time, parents are often ‘wowed’ by the ease of communication and development of friendships and relationships through social media. Social media can be a viable means to help children adjust socially. Online platforms allow children to have interactions from the safety of their home; a stepping stone to in-person meetings. Social media ‘friends’ often refer to friends that start as online pen pals from the same school or community. These friends can eventually become good face-to-face companions.

Conclusion

Social media is the undeniable wave of the future. There are a variety of positive and negative consequences of this new style of interaction. The best way to help children navigate this new world is to neither deny it nor allow them to be saturated with it. The word is ‘balance.’ A balance should be created between a young person’s academic, social and physical development. Parents and teachers should strive to help children achieve this healthy balance by encouraging physical activities away from a computer screen.

Children today are raised in a world surrounded by technology. Computers, tablets, and smartphones are part of their daily lives since birth, and technology will likely play a prominent role in their future regardless of their chosen career path. And that will make a knowledge of coding even more important.

But many kids don’t have the opportunity to learn much about the language of computers. That means they might be left behind, especially as other parts of the world embrace the idea.

The Language of Tomorrow

Software applications are part of our everyday existence, and that means the language used to create them is only more important. It is also a language that is somewhat universal, as programming languages are used worldwide. This means code has the ability to make our vast world feel smaller as we use it to find common ground.

Hands-On with Fast Feedback

Learning to code is a hands-on experience. While certain key aspects of a language can be introduced in textbooks, the true learning experience happens when children have the opportunity to use what they know to create simple programs.

Additionally, they receive the benefits of fast feedback when their code is executed. In most cases, a kid will know if mere moments if their code contains errors. This means they can immediately reexamine what was entered to find their own mistakes. There is no need to wait for a teacher to check over their work to see if the code is accurate as they can simply execute what is there and see the results themselves.

A New Way of Thinking

Learning how to code isn’t about turning every child into a developer, though it could help manage shortchanges in information technology professions. Instead, by bringing coding into the standard educational paradigm, children can be introduced to a new way of thinking.

Software engineers are adept at problem-solving and rely heavily on mathematics and logic; a method referred to as computational thinking. It provides children with a new set of skills for working their way through the world and for managing any problems they may face along the way.

Increase Interest in STEM

Allowing technology to be a part of education instead of just a tool can help students develop a higher level of interest in STEM subjects early on. By increasing interest, children are more likely to focus their educational efforts on the skills required to work in these areas and can help raise the number of people who eventually pursue these fields as careers.

Additionally, early introduction to coding in all schools can increase the amount of diversity in the corresponding workforces in the future. Diversity is celebrated for increasing creativity and innovation within work groups, but many minorities turn away from careers in STEM fields like IT due to the current lack of diversity, as well as suitable role models and educational support.

Teaching all kids coding helps lower some of the barriers associated with unconscious bias around specific fields, and helps those who may have originally been interested, but lacked true exposure to the skills, explore their options more fully.

Coding as a Stepping Stone

It is important to note that the ability to write code doesn’t guarantee a full understanding of computer science or technology. Instead, it works as an accessible stepping stone to bolster interest and encourage new ways of thinking. Will some students choose to pursue programming as a career? Sure, but many will not. However, that doesn’t mean the experience isn’t valuable to everyone along the way.

Students not paying attention to their teachers is an age-old dilemma. Pre-cell phones, that meant note passing instead of note taking. Today, it’s that type of activity coupled with zoning out or simply not caring. Kids today are accustomed to instant gratification via technology – which make classroom teaching harder than it’s ever been in the past.

Case in point: The first annual Professor Pulse Survey was performed between August and November 2016. In total, 21,558 faculty members from institutions worldwide communicated their opinions regarding higher education. Respondents were predominately employees of public and private colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The biggest teaching challenge reported was students not paying attention or participating in class. Forty-one percent of those polled indicated that most students do not participate in class. The majority cited increasing student participation and engagement as their number one priority.

So how can teachers capture the attention of their students and keep it?

Tech Solution?

The United States alone spends more than $8 billion yearly on educational software, hardware, and digital content, according to the Software and Information Industry Association. Spending on EdTech isn’t new, but the focus on incorporating student engagement platforms is catching on. New and updated versions are being released to address the issue of gaining and maintaining the attention of students.

Platforms can be utilized to aid in increasing student involvement, implemented via mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. The goal is to address the issue of bored, distracted; unengaged students head on with total interactive immersion. Teaching platforms that allow accessibility on any device and permit the professor to move freely during lectures, compile attendance data, annotate slides, ask questions and more are all available.

EdTech Engagement Examples

The EdTech platform Top Hat recently updated is lecture feature to allow for various types of quiz questions, discussion forums, attendance trackers, presentation slides, feedback mechanisms and collaboration tools. Reading assignments can now be edited and adapted to provide professors with full control over course content.

The inclusion of discussion roundtables, polls, videos and customized content help to diversify the way material is presented. Interactive texts also assist in engrossing students in the material, even outside of the classroom. Additionally, instructors and students have access to the Content Marketplace, which professors and professionals are continuously adding content to in a collaborative effort. One may browse the marketplace via subject matter and access relevant materials instantly.

This is just a single example of a way that technology is being leveraged to keep students engaged. When done correctly, these platforms also make life a whole lot easier for teachers.

The Student Data Connection

Engagement platforms can gather large amounts of data in real time. Students aren’t put on the spot due to the relative anonymity most platforms can provide. Students are also able to see how their opinions and thoughts vary from the rest of the class, instructors, and industry professionals. Interactive content, coupled with the capacity to assess how students are progressing, ensures students remain heavily involved and engaged. Properly executed interactive tech can be an extraordinary tool for assessments, without the stress of traditional quizzes or exams. The inclusion of interactive tech can capture the attention of students and serve as a break from formal lecture while remaining on course with lesson plans.

The need to innovate, lead and capture students’ attention is being solved with engagement platforms. Higher education professors are in a unique position to improve the university experience by revolutionizing the way courses are taught. Post-secondary enrollment numbers continue to rise, and administrations are seeking instructors who nurture connections both in and out of the classroom.

The student/teacher relationship must always be treated with care. While being open and available as an instructor is beneficial, boundaries are just as important. So when these delicate relationships and social media collide, what is the best course of action?

Some teachers see the educational potential of social media; they use the platforms to continue important lessons beyond the reach of the classroom. But less carefully coordinated interactions leave both the student and teacher exposed as their personal and school-based lives intertwine in unexpected ways.

In some cases, interacting with students on social media may be controlled by the school. If the rules of conduct ban the activity, then the question becomes a non-issue. But even if an outright ban is not in place, it is important to consider the potential risks and rewards before moving forward.

Before you decide to friend or follow your students on social media, consider these pros and cons based on the grades you teach and the institutions for which you work.

Elementary School

Most social media sites expect users to be at least 18 years of age. However, younger students often still have pages. In some cases, the activity is predominantly controlled by parents, serving as a way to document major milestones in the child’s life and making their growth accessible to friends and family members regardless of the physical distances involved.

In some cases, connecting with younger students on social media may seem safer. It can provide an avenue to keep the adults in their lives apprised of current subjects of study and creates an opportunity to share the child’s triumphs. In that regard, it can be helpful to reinforce the learning in the classroom and can help build a kid’s self-esteem.

There are risks with these relationships as well. Depending on your level of involvement with each student, there may be questions about favoritism. Additionally, not all parents may allow their children on social media. This can create a point of contention between students and parents. If an online relationship is established, it is important to keep these things in mind. And, when in doubt, it may be more appropriate to communicate in other ways.

At a minimum, it would be wise to communicate with parents if you are open to connecting via social media. That way they are fully aware that the connection is being made, and they can choose to deny the request if they prefer.

Middle School

By middle school, social media accounts being managed by students is more common. That means the activities taking place on the pages may have less oversite from parents than when the children were younger. You could be incidentally privy to intimate details in the student’s life during what can be a confusing time. It is also possible to witness activity that may leave you concerned, such as signs of bullying.

Whether having this level of insight is ideal depends on the situations at hand. In that regard, it is important to proceed with caution. Since many middle school students are under 13, parents should be informed if you are open to connecting with students through usual social media channels. Again, this is about connecting openly and allowing a parent to intervene if they prefer the student/teacher relationship remain solely in the classroom.

However, you can use social media to support current lessons. For example, if you are a science and math teacher, you may choose to follow notable publications that speak to the subject, like National Geographic or The Science Channel. Students who follow would see the information that posts to your feed and may get them interested in something new based on the posts they see. Alternatively, you can use it to send out messages to relevant links that support the subject being studied.

High School

Once children reach high school, they generally meet the age requirements for maintaining their social media accounts on their own. But this increased autonomy doesn’t make the relationship any less precarious. The ability to share information that supports the topics being taught still exist, so that benefit remains. It can give you an avenue to connect students to current events that are relevant to their education without the delay involved in waiting for the next class.

But, just because the children are older, that doesn’t make the relationship less precarious. In fact, the risk of maintaining a somewhat social relationship may increase. Whether a connection is deemed appropriate may be in the eyes of the beholder. And a few negative stories in the press about inappropriate student/teacher relationships may color how others view the connection.

The Take Away

Social media provides an avenue for connecting with students outside of the classic school day paradigm. However, maintaining a social relationship with a student must be treated with care. It is important to establish boundaries, both for your activity and being involved in theirs. Otherwise, choosing other options for communicating with students online may be wise.

It is an unarguable point that cell phones are a great way to keep in touch. However, giving a child a cell phone can be a tough call for parents. In the United States, the average age for adolescents to receive their first cell phone is 11.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach for determining the appropriate age to give a child a cell phone. Cell phone use depends on a variety of circumstances. In an emergency situation, having a child equipped with the cell phone is a savvy and essential way to stay in touch. There can be many benefits to giving a cell phone to a child. Children and parents can inform each other about any changes of plan. Parents can stay in contact with their children throughout the day. Children can reach friends more easily.

Purposes of the cell phone

These days, cell phones are not simply used for staying in touch. They also allow children to participate in games, maintain a social media presence, listen to music and watch online videos and movies. More importantly, smart phones in particularly have many potential applications in the classroom.

Many touchscreen phones, especially smart phones, can be quite handy at school. Students have fast and reliable Internet access that they can use to look up information. Students can get prepared and organized by using their phones. Children and teens may use their smartphones at school to browse a class topic and look for more in-depth information. Calculator applications can be helpful with mathematics problems. The smart phone is increasingly replacing paper, pen, and textbooks.

Benefits of using a smart phone at school include reliable Internet access for referencing research, email access, planners and organizational applications for homework assignments. Popular smartphone applications allow students to note, catalog and store information. Students are even able to record lectures with on board software or third-party applications.

The question then becomes: do cell phones make life too easy for children both inside the school and out? Parents draw from their experiences in school and as children. Growing up in a ‘different world,’ often leads to a sense of unease when confronted with the new technology offered to children.

Safety Considerations

Many parents are very concerned about texting and driving. It is undeniable that many adolescents have incredible multitask abilities when it comes to using technology during their daily lives. However, using a cell phone while on the road is a dangerous habit at any age. According to the National Safety Council, roughly 28% of all traffic accidents can be attributed to cell phone use behind the wheel. Teens must be specifically advised against any cell phone use behind the wheel of a car. Some vehicles are even constructed with an auto-restriction on driving if a cell phone is in use.

Social interaction through cell phones can be an excellent opportunity for children. Though there is always a small risk of harassment regarding cyber bullying, this can often be easily managed.

Texting, instant messaging and other social media interactions can be a viable platform for children to learn and grow. However, parents may often have safety concerns about letting the young child participate in social media.  For this reason, many parents opt to avoid buying a cell phone for their child. This said it is possible to set ground rules for cell phone use and avoid letting a child have a social media presence.

Behavioral Considerations

Parents often fear that when they purchase their child a cell phone, their world will revolve around it. Indeed, studies show that cell phones can affect emotional and physical health. One of the main concerns is that a child’s concentration will be disrupted by compulsive cell phone use. Another health consideration with adolescent cell phone use is the lack of sleep. It is proven that for any age group, electronic devices before bed can result in a lack of sleep. These devices may be televisions, computers or cell phones. The electronic screen and enticing content provide unwanted stimulation during a time that should be relaxing.

A good night’s rest is even more important for growing children. For this reason, it is advised that children do not use cell phones before bed or in bed. It is even stated that children should be told to put down cell phones and any other electronic devices roughly an hour before they go to bed.

Cellphones as a Rite of Passage

The cell phones of today can do a great deal more for logistical and entertainment purposes. According to statistics, up to 85% of teens ages, 14 to 17 have cell phones. Roughly 69% of young people ages 11 to 14 own cell phones according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Astonishingly, 31% of children ages 8 to 10 own cell phones. When children are faced with the peer pressure of owning a cell phone and the stigma of being disconnected, cell phones become more than a parental privilege. Owning a cell phone is increasingly becoming a way to fit in and make friends.

Making the Decision as a Family

For every family, cell phones for children may have advantages and disadvantages. It is important for children to feel connected. At the same time, it is equally important for families to make informed decisions. The best way to decide if a child is ready to have a cellphone is for parents to understand what they are getting into. Research brands, costs, functions and usage purposes. Think carefully about what features are needed and appropriate for a child’s age and development.

Teachers struggle to connect with parents. Parents struggle to keep up with everything their kids have going on at school. In the past teachers have had to count on making sure that notes stuffed into backpacks make it home to parents. Parents hoped that their students didn’t lose or throw away notes from their teacher. Then email came along and seemed to solve this problem. But once again teachers send out emails, but they are never sure if parents opened and read the email. Parents have to weed through the vast amount of work and junk email they receive to find the ones that pertain to their child. Remind is an online tool that works to solve the problems associated with paper notes and emails.

Remind allows teachers to send out messages to parents and students “on-the-fly.” This can be very useful for teachers and administrators to inform everyone about issues as they arise. Messages can also be scheduled ahead of time. This can be a fantastic time saver for teachers. Teachers never know what they are going to encounter in a day. So having messages already scheduled to go out can alleviate some stress.

Remind sends messages right to the cell phones of students and teachers. Let’s face it this is something that they are looking at anyway. Short messages appear on the device. These messages are a great way to communicate upcoming events, assignments due, or just to report something about the day. Imagine how much easier it would be to coordinate field trips and school parties using Remind.

Files can also be attached to messages. This gives teachers a chance to share images or videos of what is going on in class with parents. Documents such as permission slips or assignments could also be attached to messages.

Another great feature is the fact that teachers can see who has read the messages. This eliminates the excuse of “I didn’t know about that.” Remind also helps with privacy. Teacher phone numbers do not appear on the messages.

The fact that messages can be translated into more than 70 languages. This can help teachers communicate with ESL parents.

Teachers should keep in mind that Remind should be used as a supplement for classroom communication, not the sole source. Families have different communication styles. Teachers should consider these as they create their communication plan. It is also important to remember that not everyone has access to the technology necessary to access these messages. Low-income families may not have mobile devices. Some families might live in areas where their cell phone signals might be unreliable or unavailable.

While Remind is a fantastic way for teachers to help students remember when assignments are due. It is also important for students to take responsibility for completing their assignments. Teachers want to be sure that they are empowering students and not becoming a crutch for them. Remind should be used as a tool to foster time management skills in students.

Remind is a business. Remind currently operates for free because of a group of investors. These are some of the same investors who helped fund Google and Facebook. These investors believe in the mission of Remind. Remind has also recently added a feature to collect money for events like fundraisers and field trips. Remind charges a small percentage on each of these transactions.

Remind is another tool in the teacher’s toolkit. It is a fantastic way to quickly and easily communicate with parents and students. Administrators can also utilize Remind to communicate with their staff. Communication at all levels improves with mindful use of this tool.

Since the digital revolution started, teaching kids how to code has become a growing industry. There are a number of apps, handbooks, tutorials, etc., that teach children this skill.

Learning to code in the early years helps children to develop problem-solving skills, improve creativity and boost their attention. There are still some myths when it comes to learning to code in the early ages. We’ve picked the most common five of them to discuss.

Myth 1: Kids can’t learn to code at such a young age

Kids learn the fastest when they are five to twelve years old. The best way to teach kids to code is to enroll them in coding classes.

All around the world, people discuss whether or not coding should be included in the regular curriculum or not. The short answer is that their no age barrier to learning to code.

Coding is a good practice for building a creative mind. There are a number of programs made especially for teaching children to code. Most of the applications combine coding and gaming, which makes them more attractive to the kids.

Myth 2: Kids are easily bored with programming

Yes, when coding is explained the same way as to adults, it is boring. Luckily, there are many fun and engaging applications that teach children how to write their first lines of code. The combination of games and lessons is ideal for keeping children’s attention. It also makes it easy to pick up the logic behind it in intuitive and playful ways.

Kids learn the best while they are playing and using technology tailored for their own needs.

Myth 3: They will spend too much time in front of the screen

Many parents are afraid to glue their children to a computer screen. Additionally, at that age, they can’t sit still and focus their attention on one thing.

What parents don’t know is that coding can start away from the screen. When they are young, it is more important to teach kids how to think in the right direction. This way, the child will be prepared successfully for all professions that require logic and problem-solving skills.

Invention literacy, the skill that makes establishing the basics of confidence and creation easier, can be practiced from a very young age. This skill is practiced by understanding and exploring the environment, and inventing new things. It is well known that kids love to explore, so it is not hard to pique their interest to learn coding principles by introducing it as a game.

Myth 4: Girls shouldn’t learn how to code

There is a common misconception that young girls shouldn’t learn to code because coding is a man’s job. This is changing, as more and more women choose to program as their profession. The small percentage of women in the coding industry shouldn’t discourage you from allowing your daughter to learn how to program.

Myth 5: You should pick the right language from the start

There is a debate centered on which language is the best to start with, and which language is the most kid-friendly.

If we consider the languages used in real life, it is better to start with a language which contains a syntax that is easy to learn. Good examples are Python, or JavaScript, which can easily be used on every device and in every web browser.

But, it is impossible to choose the right language, because every child is different and while some can easily grasp a language’s syntax, the other child might have a hard time learning it. Each child will choose their favorite programming language, or give up on programming entirely, which is alright.

Additionally, it might be hard to predict which language will be the in high demand when this generation of kids grows.

This being said it is best to focus on problem-solving, project management and soft skills, all of which will improve while children are learning to code. Once they learn the basics and grow up, they will have more job opportunities and they will quickly grasp any programming language that is popular at that moment.

The new buzzword in financing for college seems to be micro-scholarships. These are small amounts that of college funding that students can earn over their high school career. Students can accrue these micro-scholarships by achieving specific goals set by the founder.

One of these micro-scholarship programs is Raise.me. Raise.me is an online resource where students record specific accomplishments. They can receive money to use at participating universities. With over 180 colleges, on the Raise.me platform, teachers, and counselors should take a look. It is easy for students to create an account on Raise.me. But, students will need guidance about goal setting and finding activities to submit for funding. This would be especially true for students from low-income families. Since these students are probably the first generation in their family to attend college, their families are not familiar with the process.

The amounts students receive for achievements start at $100. But, these micro-scholarships can add up quick. CNN reported on a student that raised $80,000 for college on Raise.me. This particular student did not begin entering her accomplishments until her senior year. However, Raise.me allows students to enter achievements from their entire high school career retroactively. Students do not have to wait until their senior year to begin using Raise.me.

This is different from many traditional scholarships. Usually, students wait until their senior year to begin applying for scholarships. Raise.me’s model encourages students to be proactive throughout their high school career. Students, teachers, and parents can work together to set goals early on. Raising money for college over a four-year period would be much less daunting, than trying to raise what a student needs during their senior year.

Raise.me rewards good grades in specific subjects. Students are also awarded money based on specific volunteer opportunities as well as other achievements. Students can even receive money for visiting college campuses. Different colleges offer different awards for different activities. By researching which colleges are offering different types of awards, students can find a college that is a good fit for their educational goals.

More colleges are added to the Raise.me platform all the time. There are also over 19,000 high schools currently participating. Raise.me provides resources for educators such as classroom guides. There are also pre-formatted letters for parents to download from the site.

It is important to note that Raise.me is not a non-profit. It is a new startup company based in San Francisco. The company makes money by charging participating institutions of higher education annual fees based on their size and scholarship program.

There are critics of this micro-scholarship program. Some educators do not like the transactional nature of these scholarships. They fear that since students are being motivated extrinsically, they will be chasing dollars rather than following their passions and interests during their high school years. Other educators see things differently. They believe this program encourages students to seek out opportunities they might not have otherwise. Some educators report, this program was a factor in students completing high school. These students did not want to lose the money they had earned.

The fact is that college tuitions continue to rise. Students and parents are looking for ways to make college a reality. Educators need to understand all types of funding opportunities so they can help their students navigate the options. While Raise.me may not be the best fit for every student, this micro-scholarship platform is one that educators should learn about. Raise.me is just one more tool in an educator’s toolkit to help their students reach their goals.