EdTech & Innovation

Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Equity, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

Diverse Conversations: The Benefits of an Online Education

Over the past decade, the number of online colleges and universities has grown exponentially. This has led to many debates over the efficacy and overall benefits of an online education. I recently sat down with Dr. John Ebersole, president of Excelsior College, to discuss “The Benefits of an Online Education.” In his 25-year career in higher education, Dr. Ebersole’s personal experience as a post-traditional student has informed his approach to adult education. Without further ado, let’s begin the interview.

Q: What are some of the benefits of an online education?

A: For Excelsior’s older, post-traditional students, there are many benefits to studying online. Starting with cost, online students can remain fully employed while meeting their educational goals, eliminating opportunity costs. They also avoid the cost of commuting, parking (always a challenge with an on-campus program) and child care, for those with a family.

Other benefits include the ability to choose the “perfect program” from anywhere in the world, not just those next door. This freedom of choice is matched with the flexibility to study at times and places of the student’s choosing, when, presumably, the student is most ready to learn.

A full list of the many benefits might also include:
• Instruction that takes different learning styles into consideration and allows for as much repetition as needed to ensure comprehension.
• 24/7 support services, including tutoring, technical services, peer networking, and the ability to set appointments with a faculty member or academic advisor.
• Ability to take courses year around. No forced summer breaks.
• The opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge expected by major employers, such as virtual team participation, conducting online research and projects, and engaging in cross cultural communication via technology.

A WORD OF CAUTION: While online education is well suited to the needs of working adults with family, professional and community obligations, it is neither a panacea for all, nor a recommended sole source of instruction for younger, more traditional-aged students. It is thought that while these students can benefit from the highly visual and interactive design of today’s courses, these are best delivered in a “blended” format whereby the student can also receive personal attention from faculty and interact with other students. To be successful in life, it is felt that students need the socialization, citizenship and acculturation that comes with communal living and study.

Q: What role should online institutions like Excelsior University continue to play in providing quality higher education?

A: Excelsior has been a leader in the areas of credit aggregation, competency-based credentialing, and prior learning assessment for more than 40 years. Its challenge today is to remain at the “edge” as others embrace these now proven innovations. Areas of particular interest include 1) development of next generation learning assessment tools, 2) adding adaptive learning capabilities to both online courses and assessments, and, 3) facilitating the evaluation of the many sources of alternative instruction (MOOCs, publisher materials, OER, employer and association training) and finding ways to validate for academic credit those that are acceptable for degree completion purposes.

Q: In your opinion, why has Excelsior been so successful? What are you doing right that other online colleges can emulate?

A: One of the things that has impressed me about Excelsior is the high level of inquiries received from a relatively modest amount of marketing. Research and tracking have found that Excelsior benefits from a very high level of word of mouth referral. These positive referrals have come as a result of the College’s laser focus on the needs of the student, and its ability to balance the need for standards with the student’s need for flexibility.

While it takes time to reduce this to valid numbers, we feel that putting our students first is a good way to build reputation and brand, while also reducing cost.

Q: What is your favorite part about being the president of Excelsior University?

A: I especially enjoy telling the “Excelsior Story.” We are proud to be known for our innovations, our one of a kind competency-based associate degree in nursing (the largest in the world), and our ABET accredited technology programs. I also enjoy telling others about the many ways in which we help to save our students money. This IS the home of affordable excellence.

Q: What would you like prospective students of Excelsior to know about you and/or the university?

A: I would want prospective students to know that I have been in their shoes. My first degree came 20 years after high school and all of my subsequent degrees, including a doctorate, have been earned while working full time, raising a family (three daughters) and remaining engaged in my community.

As for Excelsior, I would want others to know that we are serious about keeping the quality of our services and instruction HIGH, while keeping our tuition and fees LOW. In 2011, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System of the U.S. Department of Education reported that Excelsior earned $1640 per student (for the entire fiscal year). This is one of the lowest costs to students to be found in American higher education.

Q: If you could summarize your university with one word what would it be and why?

A: In a word, Excelsior can be best described as “caring.” Given two, it would be “affordable quality.”

Q: Finally, what should we expect from Excelsior University in the next 5 years?

A: Over the next five years, Excelsior will embark on a number of new initiatives, some of which are just being launched. Our Washington Center has expanded to house elements of our new School of Public Service, a National Cybersecurity Institute, while expanding PR, alumni relations and advocacy work. In addition, we have started to build a more robust and proactive set of international programs. We are also reaching out to community colleges, HBCUs and tribal colleges with the expectation that degree completion through these academic partnerships will become a critical part of the College’s future.

In addition to new programs and initiatives, Excelsior envisions a near term future in which it will be making a significant investment in its core operations, as well. The focus of these investments will be to increase student success and to enhance academic rigor. In both areas, quality will be a primary consideration.

That concludes my interview with President John Ebersole. I would like to thank him for consenting to this interview and for his contributions to the field of higher education.

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation

Digital Storytelling for Younger & Older Learners

By Marisa Constantinides   Picture this: …a teacher holding up her laptop or tablet and a circle of children listening to her and following the digital images of her imagination, completely absorbed in the world she has been weaving for them through her narration.Now Picture this: The image is the same, it’s just the technology that changes, and books were new technology in the history of mankind, too, not so many centuries ago!

Storytelling & Language Acquisition

Much has been written about the importance of storytelling; bedtime stories form a part of our first contact with books, with language, as well as forge bonds between parent and child, storyteller and story listener, both engaging in a type of communication that goes beyond the narrative itself.

Very wisely, teachers of young learners, have been replicating this model of learning in young learner classrooms around the world.

Stories help children acquire…

… language
… values
… knowledge
… cultural identity
… cultural awareness

Stories help children develop…

… cognitive abilities
… oracy and literacy
… numeracy
… ability to concentrate
… auditory ability
… multiple intelligences
… critical thinking
… creative thinking

Moreover, all this is done naturally, in a way that appeals to the child echoing the process of L1 acquisition when stories and images play such a strong part in developing language skills.

Storytelling & Educational Objectives

Storytelling and story creation cover a wide spectrum of educational objectives. In the revised Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domains, creating appears at the very top of Higher Order Thinking Skills and remembering – according to this taxonomy, appears as a Lower Order Thinking Skill. Even in Bloom’s own ordering. In the original  model creating did not feature but instead “Synthesis” was mentioned a higher order thinking skill which is very much an alternative way of describing creative thinking.

 

With the exception of ‘analyzing’, which is perhaps not suited to young learner classes, I would suggest that by using story telling activities which lead to storymaking by the learners,  you satisfy most of the educational objectives shown in Bloom’s taxonomy* – both lower and higher order cognitive domains.

Even if ‘remembering’  and ‘understanding’ are seen be at the lower order end of the cognitive abilities scale, they are equally important and vital in the process of learning anything; recalling language and concepts is a necessary building block for language acquisition.

By engaging your learners in digital storytelling activities you take care of more than just language forms; you also integrate the language skills in a most natural way.

  • Listening to stories can very naturally lead to story telling 
  • Reading stories can equally naturally lead to story writing 

Storytelling and making appeal to our affective domain as well – we connect with other fellow humans and to the collective human experience through storytelling

And, finally, by engaging your pupils in digital story telling activities, you are not only helping their language acquisition processes but also preparing them to be digitally literate and more successful 21st century learners .

Digital Storytelling & Adult Learners

We feel compelled to tell stories.

We tell each other stories every day of our lives, stories meant to help us connect, stories that echo our friends’ stories which makes us feel closer to them, stories that amuse or stories we invent – literary would exist without this strong human need.

Stories are a major part of how we communicate and how we teach – often, they are more powerful than direct instruction. They seem to reach parts that lecturing or direct instruction often are unable to!

Narrating & Adult Communication

Whether learning English on a general purpose course or on a specialist language focus programme, narration is an important part of developing fluency.

Personal narratives or anecdotes can motivate adults to produce long turns, to sustain talk for longer than the disjointed fragments of question and answer conversations common to a language lesson.

  • They can be rehearsed and satisfy the adult learner’s need for meaningful and motivating controlled practice
  • They provide more concrete evidence of progress to the teacher (and the learner herself/himself)
  • They are great for homework which can be recorded digitally in some way – adults are more likely to be motivated by this time of homework assignment.
  • They can build the basis for great presentation skills, which seems to be a skill more and more in demand in a world of online conferences, google hangouts, product presentations and online tutorials uploaded on you tube.
  • They can form the basis of good report writing
  • They can help the adult user establish and maintain better personal and business relationships with other L2 users.

Stories help adults with …

… language
… cultural awareness
… social awareness
… motivation
… oral & written fluency

Stories help adults develop…

… confidence
… social relationships
… ability to sustain talk or writing
… ability to concentrate
… auditory ability
… multiple intelligences
… critical thinking
… creative thinking

Some tools for digital narration

There are too many tools to include in just one post. Digital narration/storytelling is truly worth exploring and to that end I have included some great links for further exploration at the end of this post.

Example 1 – with Voicethread

In this Voicethread, the image  serves as a prompt for prediction. The learners record their version of the story before they hear the teacher narrate what actually happened

The image/prompt is a Word Cloud, another great tool which can lead to  written or oral narration. The students study the phrases, attempt connections, create episodes and sequences before they embark on their own story.

 

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Comment:  The students could equally well be asked to write their own version before they hear or read the original story; thus the prompts can lead to speaking, writing or both

Example 2 – with Creaza

A story animation created with this tool to show how you can use familiar themes with a twist to get adults to narrate. The story of Little Red Riding Hood has been used as an example as it was rewritten by American humorist James Thurber in 1932

N.B. The original version can be used with younger learners (though that one is pretty scary too :-) )

 

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You can find more ideas on how to use this type of animation – or similar ones that you can create with Xtranormal, GoAnimate or other similar tool, by reading a previous blog post of mine on Animating  Stories. 

In my original post, I used Jing – a free screencast tool – to capture  the story animation and to record my voice narrating it, something which the students can be shown how to do.

Postscript

The ‘digital’ aspect of storytelling is not a must to make a storytelling lesson a great success, although some of the tools – if available – will create an enhanced experience for younger and older learners alike, and may motivate further.

Read all of our posts about EdTech and Innovation by clicking here. 

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Marisa Constantinides runs CELT Athens, a Teacher Development centre based in the capital of Greece, and is a Course Supervisor for all courses, including the DELTA Cambridge/RSA Diploma, the Institute of Linguists Diploma in Translation and off-site seminars and workshops on a variety of topics.

This post originally appeared on the blog TEFL Matters and was republished with permission.

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation

Educational Technologies and Concepts that Every Teacher Should Know: Part III

Click here to read all the posts in this series. 

While every district, school, and individual classroom operates in its own way, new technologies and education concepts will affect K-12 education across the board. I want to look at these technologies and education concepts that every teacher should know in the third part of this five-part series.

Online Tutoring. Online learning has revolutionized the way K-12 and college students are able to accomplish academic feats, despite circumstances that may have stood in the way of their success. Access to learning materials and even instructors via webcams provides flexibility to students who need options outside the traditional classroom setting.

What about tutoring, though? The supplemental education services industry is expected to make over $10 billion per year annually in North America by 2017, and it’s no wonder. As students face higher pressures in classrooms, companies like Sylvan and Kumon make millions every year by encouraging parents to bring in their students and pay a premium fee to have them tutored one-on-one.

Aside from the cost, tutoring outside school hours is inconvenient for both parents and students who already have tight schedules. After a day in school, kids are not keen to head back into a traditional learning environment, which can mean a lot of extra tension between parents and kids that surrounds an already-anxious experience. No one likes to feel lost in subject material but the traditional tutoring setup is just too rigid to work for everyone.

But what if the same flexibility that is afforded to regular K-12 and college classes was extended to tutoring too? Of course, many online tutoring options are already available but as an industry, online tutoring lacks the sophistication of the larger-scale academic offerings. As demand for this form of flexible learning rises, though, tutoring in remote ways will see a spike in popularity and availability.

Students are already native online learners and virtual tutoring could open the doors for a lot of breakthroughs – and at a greater convenience and lesser cost to students. These emerging companies just need to look for ways to set themselves apart from the outdated model of in-person tutoring to provide the most help and succeed.

Cloud computing. When it comes to greater educational collaboration, cloud computing has unlimited potential. This is true for teacher-to-teacher, teacher-to-parent, and teacher-to-student applications. By using a common location, academic expectations can be better accessed, along with actual student work. Instructors can also share learning materials and experiences through the remote opportunities that cloud computing provides.

Simply put, cloud storage saves space, money, and time for teachers, parents, students, and administrators. A report by CDW Government found that over 40 percent of schools use cloud applications to store their data. By 2016, schools are expected to spend 35 percent of IT budgets on the cloud. The savings add up though. Right now, K-12 schools report that their cloud initiatives are saving them an average of 20 percent on IT costs. By 2016, those savings are expected to reach 27 percent.

Alternative input devices. These tools are designed to allow students with disabilities to use computers and related technology easily. Some alternative input devices include touch screens, modified keyboards, and joysticks that direct a cursor through use of body parts like chins, hands, or feet. Some up-and-coming technology in this area is sip-and-puff systems, developed by companies like Microsoft, to perform computer functions through the simple process of inhaling and exhaling. On-screen keyboards are another area of input technology that is providing K-12 learners with disabilities better use of computers and mobile devices for learning.

Speech-to-text options. This technology is making mainstream waves through its use in popular cell phones like the Android-platform Razr M. While it is a convenience tool for people without disabilities, speech-to-text provides a learning advantage for students who have mobility or dexterity problems, or those who are blind. It allows students to speak their thoughts without typing and even navigate the Internet. speech-to-text options can also “talk back” to students and let them know about potential errors in their work.

LAMP. Language Acquisition through Motor Planning, or LAMP, connects neurological and motor learning in a way that makes communication easier for students with autism and related disorders. These principles have proven especially helpful for students who do not speak or have very limited verbal skills. Paired with technology, LAMP principles empower a growing student population with autism to effectively communicate and reach higher academic achievements. LAMP is present in technology – from specially made computers to learning apps.

Sensory enhancers. Depending on developmental patterns, children may need to learn differently than their peers. Instead of ABCs and numbers first, a child with language delays may benefit from bright pictures or colors to learn new concepts. Sensory enhancers may include voice analyzers, augmentative communication tools, or speech synthesizers. With the rapid growth of technology in the classroom, these basic tools of assistive technology are seeing great strides.

In coming posts, we will look at more technologies and concepts that every teacher should know.

Read all of our posts about EdTech and Innovation by clicking here. 

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Physical Fitness

How Interactive Play Can Improve Academic Performance

As the pressure to perform academically rises with each passing school year, students are seeing less time in their days for movement and physical activity. Teacher accountability for student test scores is at an all-time high — making it difficult to allow the creative play time researchers insist is important to developing minds. Finding creative ways to allow kids some physical freedom but keep them on academic tasks is something most teachers really try to do — but it comes with challenges.

One innovative concept that I recently learned more about is from MotionMagix™, a company that has developed an Interactive Wall, Interactive Floor and other engaging interactive teaching methods. The company offers many interactive options that implement gesture technology for floors and walls. The available items include games, quizzes, themes and alternative teaching tools that range in usefulness for preK, elementary and special needs students.

By projecting the learning material onto walls and floors, the company provides a hygienic, safe and reliable way to keep kids in all age groups engaged for hours of fun and learning. By using gesture technology, kids are able to be physical AND learn at the same time.

Gesture based interactive technology in a classroom is optimally used when educators pair academic subjects with  physical activity. There is a proven track record of success in deepening learner engagement. For example, Math Tentacle, a MotionMagix™ Interactive Floor game , gives kids the chance to learn Math in a very entertaining way. The audio visual game helps the kids learn numbers and counting in a really unique and engaging manner. The game also boosts motor activity and movement as it involves jumping and selecting the desired digits.

Schools that have already installed MotionMagix™ have found that statistically, student engagement and interaction has risen. Jumpstart, a preschool based in Pune, India, has observed 6 times higher engagement from kids using the interactive tools. The teachers say the games provide a healthy way of blending mental and physical activity, while improving collaboration, participation and cognitive skills in children.

The way teachers approach limited physical activities, like recess and PE classes, is important to keeping kids interested in learning while addressing the childhood obesity issue. Technology has made life more sedentary, but it has also provided for some innovative ways to get up and move. Ed-tech companies that combine academic pursuits with the movement that kids inherently love are in demand — both in the eyes of teachers and of the students they teach.

If you are an educator, how do you keep your kids focused on academics while enjoying some movement freedom?

Check out MotionMagix™ in action in this video:

 

 

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation

I’m an Educator, What Should I Tweet about?

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

A guest post by Craig Kemp

As an educator that is addicted to using social media for professional learning, I wish I had a list of things to tweet about when I first started out.

This week I was inspired by @shiftparadigm and his list of Personal Rules for Twitter and a list of what a teacher should tweet about (anonymous, but first seen tweeted by @justintarte).

So in an effort to help those Educators on Twitter, here is my list of 9 things that educators should tweet about:

  1. Be yourself and show people that you are real! Tweet about what inspires you and what happens in your day to day life as an educator
  2. Create don’t consume by sharing images – people love to see what your classroom, school, project, activity etc. looks like so they can get inspiration
  3. Create don’t consume by sharing links to articles that you write or articles that you have read. Nearly every educator I know loves a good nighttime read
  4. Quotes and thoughts related to education (always remember to link to the author)
  5. Ask questions and give answers – tweet responses directly to people and ask questions if you are unsure
  6. Get involved in Twitter Chats – tweet your answers to questions and your thoughts to other educators tweets
  7. Support other educators by giving a ‘favourite’ or a ‘retweet’ to their posts. This shows that you appreciate and enjoy what they have tweeted
  8. Be positive – tell people how much you love their work, demonstrate positivity in everything you tweet. You can still be constructive and be passionate but always be respectful – like we tell our students “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!”
  9. Suggest other educators to follow – you can do this at any stage but I like to make use of #FF (Follow Friday) where people share their favourite connections

I hope this list goes someway to help other educators get involved in Twitter. It has changed my life as an educator and as a leader and I hope that you get involved and utilise the power of a PLN.

Here are some other links to my other Twitter related posts that may be of interest:

 

This post originally appeared on Mr. Kemp’s blog, and was republished with permission.

Read all of our posts about EdTech and Innovation by clicking here. 

__________________________

Craig is a New Zealand born educator with over 10 years experience both in the classroom and in leadership. He is an enthusiastic, 21st century change agent that is passionate about every aspect of education and making a difference.

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Matthew Lynch, Teachers

The Benefits of Browsing: Why Teachers Should Indulge in Online Social Networking

The Internet is not just about consuming – it’s also about connecting. Forums and other forms of online social networking provide opportunities for educators to come together and commiserate, encourage, and share information.

Online social networking encompasses different online communities of people who share common interests. It allows members of that community to interact in a variety of ways. They can conduct live chats, or they can leave comments in blogs or discussion groups.

These communities are shaped by different profiles of individuals who link to each other. Each member of the community creates a personal profile that can include pictures, personal information, audio, and video files. Others can access this profile and can connect to it by requesting a friendship with the other member. Almost all of these social networks have security settings, so each member can accept or deny access to their information and profile.

An example of an online social network is Facebook. This is a worldwide tool that allows individuals to connect with friends, classmates, coworkers, and teachers. This network also includes a feature that allows you to look for individuals by name. Facebook is creating a worldwide network, connecting people around the world and allowing them to rediscover friends and family members not seen for years. Other examples of social networking sites include Tumblr and Google Plus. Teachers have taken advantage of these tools. Using Facebook, for example, they can develop small group projects, build a classroom community, and present discussion boards for students.

Something to be aware of is the fact that, when you become involved in online social networks, you are highly exposed to students and parents. Educators must be very careful not to have “inappropriate” profiles, pictures, or postings. A teacher cannot post personal opinions about students and must be very careful about the pictures they include in their profile and the kind of communication they have with students.

Communication and information access have also shifted. New online tools give teachers and students immediate access to millions of gigabytes of information, available in seconds. International news is heard and watched virtually live. One of the leaders of this change is YouTube, an online video clearinghouse, where any user can watch, upload, and share online videos. Almost any subject matter can be found in this site, from homemade video to footage captured by cell phones to comprehensive film productions.

E-portfolio or assessment tools allow students to store their work in web-based portfolios, so teachers and students can have access to it. This is also a feature included in blogs. Teachers can permit students to upload their work to the blogs for other students to watch and review. Students not only get the opportunity to publish their work, but they also get opinions from fellow students all over the world. Knowing that other classmates will be reading their work, students tend to invest more time and effort in their writing.

Online social networking is a massive opportunity to expand your network, pick up new tips and techniques, and find support and friendship. If you haven’t already, take some “you-time” to peruse the various social networking sites available to you and check out what they have to offer you as a teacher – and a person.

Read all of our posts about EdTech and Innovation by clicking here. 

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation

Kids Need Role Models. Why Don’t We Use The Ones Right in Front of Us?

As a parent, when was the last time you were invited to your child’s school to share something personal and important to you? Maybe something interesting about your cultural background or your unique skills?

The answer, most often, is never.

As an educator, don’t you wish you could figure out how to get the support you want from the parents in your school? Wouldn’t it be great to understand what parents have to and want to offer to support your curriculum? To bring the broader world into the classroom and serve as role models?

Read the rest of this article on The Huffington Post.

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Education Leadership, First Year Teachers, Teachers

6 Best Practices for Internal Communication in Public Schools

Written by Eric Walters and Karen Gerberry

Internal communication may be more important than many think. 42% of communication is  delivered   through   other   people.  Whether  it  is  information   needing  to  be communicated  to  teachers,  students  or  administration  a  student  success  is highly dependent on the frequency and quality of communication. Successful communication between teachers and parents is most common in schools with well-informed, effective educators.

Schools, realizing this, have implemented practices to communicate valuable information within their school systems. What are some of these strategies and what benefits do they provide to these school districts?

  1. Developing New Policies

School systems can often be dispersed, making meetings and collaboration difficult. With advancements in technology, however, sharing thoughts and ideas is becoming increasingly easier. In the past, in order to make policy changes, the school board would have to coordinate meetings between all interested parties to develop new policies. Now, with the use of wikis, administrators can access information regarding changes in the school district and make adjustments accordingly.

Not only has technology made it possible for people to access this information from anywhere at any time, but it has also expanded the reach of this data. Before the use of wikis, many parents and faculty were left out of the policy­making process altogether. Whether the problem was logistical or time related, some would argue that there was not an accurate representation of all interested parties.

By using technology to streamline an antiquated process, school districts have afforded many people the opportunity to provide insights and opinions on some of their most important educational concerns.

  1. Schools Employing Internal Communications Managers

With all of the responsibilities involved with being an educator, it is easy to get caught up in day today activities and lose sight of larger issues within the school district. Schools are realizing that a disconnect exists in the communication process and are becoming more active in increasing engagement with employees.

To assist teachers in becoming more involved with internal communication, some districts are employing Internal Communications Managers. These managers act as facilitators of information throughout the school district. Their primary responsibilities are to keep employees informed on major initiatives, events, and news affecting the school district.

Although this method is slightly different than wikis, the idea is essentially the same. The Internal Communications Managers help teachers stay involved by gathering the information and releasing it to interested parties, thus reducing teachers’ time devoted to the discovery of this information.

  1. Developing Employee Portals

There are many facets and resources on school districts’ websites that provide valuable information to visitors.  But, often, what lies within these sites are valuable portals tailored for specific audiences.

At this point, it is commonplace for both students and teachers to have portals in the school district website. Portals are valuable resources for educators to find information that pertains strictly to the data that is important to them. With the obvious value that these portals provide, think of the value that may be added if every school made these resources available to their employees.

  1. Being Recognized by Leadership

Few things at the workplace are more satisfactory than hearing how much your boss appreciates you.  So,  when  we  talk  about  internal  communication  in  schools,  it is important that we address the interaction between the school board and the educators. It is vital that the school board keeps acknowledge educators that are making an extraordinary effort to enhance students’ education. When board members recognize these educators, they need to implement positive reinforcement practices to encourage future innovation.

On the other hand, if the school board notices teaching practices that are less than expected, they can communicate this to educators and push for corrective action.

  1. Using Digital Signage

The challenges of communicating with staff in a public school system are apparent. Whether checking and responding to emails or logging into portals, communication can require a great deal of effort.

Because of this challenge, we are now seeing schools take the “billboard” approach throughout their buildings. These digital signs are easily recognizable and don’t require additional effort to absorb the information. Schools are using these billboards to display both general and emergency information.

If these signs are placed throughout the school, educators will also see them as they pass by. This eliminates the need to have a phone conversation or to send out a memo

to all interested parties. The digital signage creates a platform to simultaneously provide all of the necessary information to the entire staff.

  1. Remembering that Communication is Key

If we want educators to be as effective as possible, we need to keep them informed. Parent­teacher communication is crucial to student success, and in order to maximize the effectiveness of teachers we need to master the internal communication process.

With these 6 best practices for better internal communication in public schools you are sure to see an improvement in overall employee communication. A school that is engaged together will have students that succeed together. To kick off your communication this school year sign up for your FREE trial of Ving here. It is time to start using a tool that allows you to be in control of your communication and start knowing what is and isn’t working at your school.

Ving

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Matthew Lynch, Teachers

Teachers: How to Use Technology to Spruce Up Your Lesson Plans

No matter what field or age range you teach, the World Wide Web offers innumerable resources for your classroom. Check out the list below to learn what the Internet can bring to bear on your subject and for tips on how to effectively apply technology to your curriculum.

Mathematics

Productivity tools such as Excel can be useful when introducing math to students. Excel spreadsheets offer a wide variety of features that can save time, leaving more time to focus on thinking and analyzing data. Excel allows users to introduce data in the spreadsheet, perform complex mathematical and statistical calculations, and display information visually using graphs. It allows you to choose the type of graph and how to organize data. It also has powerful programming capabilities that may remove the need for performing repetitive tasks on different data sets. Other features of Excel focus on data organization, and various filters can be applied to the data, which allows the information to be easily displayed in different formats, depending on the topic for discussion.

The Internet can also be useful for math teachers. Tutorials can be useful when presenting a new concept. Tutorials are software applications designed to provide instruction on a specific topic. They deliver small amounts of information in a sequential manner that can be paced according to the learner, allowing each student to adapt this to his or her needs. Tutorials also check for understanding throughout the process to ensure the learner has mastered the concept by the end of the presentation. In opposition to drill-and-practice applications, tutorials provide teachers with tools for individualizing instruction and monitoring student progress.

Foreign Languages

The Internet is an almost infinite resource for foreign language education. Thousands of Web sites offer resources, dictionaries, and articles written by natives for different levels of learning. Some sites are also interactive. Students can practice exercises on the site and will receive immediate feedback on the mistakes made and how to correct them. There are also online communities of students and teachers for all languages. This gives an extra dimension to language acquisition—sharing ideas, thoughts, and resources, and even engaging in dialogue with native speakers. The Internet also provides resources that, due to cost or distance, would be impossible to access: foreign language publications, including newspapers and magazines, and access to different cultural institutions of the country. Note that caution must be used when using information found on the Internet.

Teachers can take advantage of numerous sites that offer lesson plans, interactive activities, dictionaries, vocabulary and grammar resources, virtual tours, articles, and book publications, as well as discussion forums that can introduce interesting debates in the classroom. These resources and applications allow students to be creative while teaching them to be flexible and adapt to changes. Rural students who may not have access to formal foreign language teaching can still have access to a foreign language by doing online courses, using materials and resources provided by the institution offering the course. Alternatively, they can form study groups, get connected with a teacher, and work together online as a class.

Science

Various applications of technology can be useful in teaching science. As mentioned previously, online tutorials are useful in almost any topic. For science, it can be particularly interesting to introduce presentations to the class, including pictures, videos, and other media to tie the lesson more closely to the real world and make it more interesting for the students. Simulation software can be applied to science. This application allows students and teachers to generate dynamic presentations of a given topic or to explore a concept as if they were living in the field. To name just a few possible examples, students could take a “field trip” to space, or they could voyage through the human body, experience an active tornado or volcano from the inside, or visit foreign countries and tourist destinations.

Technological equipment offered by government organizations are also important tools that schools can use in the classroom. Most city governments own geographic information systems (GIS) software and are interested in partnering with local schools to share expertise, technical knowledge, and equipment. These partnerships allow students to see how experts work in real-world jobs, and for some projects, they can even participate. Classes can be much richer when these resources are tied to the activities. Devices such as digital microscopes, which allow sample collection, and databases from NASA are just some resources that students can use.

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program aims to foster collaboration between students and scientists (Green, et al., 2008). GLOBE allows students to collaborate with mentor scientists who answer questions, help the students analyze data, and place measurements in the context of global environmental issues. Students and teachers work in the classroom collecting data. They enter this into a computer that aggregates the data of all students and returns analyses of all the information. After this, students interpret the results and understand the development based on their own experiments.

Social Studies

Digital resources are very important in promoting inquiry-based learning in social studies. Research skills are essential for historical research and learning. There are also specific sources for social science subjects, including an enormous amount of digitized documents available on the Internet that cannot be accessed as books.

Simulation software plays an important role here as well. Virtual field trips can be taken to historical locations, museums, or the country being studied, many of which would be impossible, or very difficult, to undertake otherwise. This connection with historical elements makes students feel that the lesson they are studying is connected to their lives. With this particular software, a class can even travel in time, going to a specific time period and seeing what life was like in the past.

Besides virtual trips, simulation software also allows the class to be a part of the problem they are studying. An example is Decisions, Decisions: Local Government, a simulation game in which users assume the role of the mayor of a community facing a problem. The main activity is to make decisions and then see how the software reacts to it. The software presents the students with the results. With this tool, students can achieve a deeper understanding of social issues and feel more involved with them. They may also get a better understanding of how society works by making decisions by themselves, and experiencing the consequences. Technology fosters the use of real-world problems in the classroom, promotes interactivity, and encourages cooperative education.

Technology multiplies your pedagogical options by several orders of magnitude. Take some time and browse what’s out there! While it may seem counterintuitive, surfing the net can really pay off for you and your students, as long as you know how to use technology to delve deeper into a subject, instead of distract. Look over the examples here as often as you need to make sure you’re on top of making the most of the information age!

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Matthew Lynch, Teachers

Before You Buy: Seven Criteria for Educational Software

If you’re thinking about incorporating new software into your classroom curriculum, it’s important to be sure you pick a program that fits the flow of your teaching style, meets your educational needs, and is adequately accessible for your students. But how do you know if any given software meets all those criteria? Below are questions from the top seven categories to consider before buying new school software.

1. User Friendliness
 How easy is it to start the program?
 Is there an overview or site map for the program?
 Can students easily control the pace of the program?
 Can students exit the program easily?
 Can students create their own paths through the program and develop their own links among elements?
 After first-time use, can students bypass introductory or orientation material?
 Does the program include useful hotlinks to Internet sites?

2. Inclusiveness
 Can students with hearing or visual impairments make full use of the program?
 Can students navigate the program by making simple keystrokes with one hand?
 Does the material avoid stereotypes and reflect sensitivity to racial, cultural, and gender differences?

3. Textual Material
 How accurate and thorough is the content?
 Is the content well organized and clearly presented?
 Is the textual content searchable?
 Can the content be integrated into the curriculum?

4. Images
 Is the image resolution high quality?
 Is the layout attractive, user friendly, and uncluttered?
 Do the graphics and colors enhance instruction?
 How true are the colors of the images?
 Are the images large enough?
 Does the program have a zoom feature that indicates the power of magnification?
 Does the program make effective use of video and animation?

5. Audio
 Are the audio clips high-quality?
 Does the audio enhance instruction?

6. Technical
 Is installation of the program easy and trouble-free?
 Are instructions clear and easy to follow?
 Is user-friendly online help available?
 Are technical support people easy to reach, helpful, and courteous?

7. Motivational
 Does the program capture and hold students’ interest?
 Are students eager to use the program again?
 Does the program give appropriate, motivational feedback?
 Does the program provide prompts or cues to promote students’ learning?

Try creating a list for each software program you’re considering obtaining and check out how they compare across the criteria above. Give each program a rating of “poor,” “fair,” or “excellent.” Make an asterisk next to any characteristics you consider “make or break” qualities. Which program comes out ahead?

Take the time to do your homework, and making a final decision should be easy and rewarding!

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