Education Special Section
the way K-12 schools face their biggest challenges.
Engage Parents and Caregivers
Parents can’ t advocate for their children if they aren’ t given the tools to do so. The National Education Association states that by monitoring, supporting, and advocating for their students, parents and caregivers can ensure that their children have an opportunity to be successful in school. By working with your students to set goals, make sure they are on track for academic success, holding them responsible for their education, and advocating for them, their peers, and their entire school community, you are doing a service that will have a valuable outcome for all involved.
Data and Analytics
Relationships between K-12 teachers and college educators used to be solely focused on college transition programs. Now, the focus is shifting to partnerships based on formal research studies, professional development, or joint technology and curriculum initiatives, as EdTech Online states. Data-driven research is being gathered and assessed by college educators and results are being implemented in the form of metrics to keep individual students on track to graduate. If an individual student falls“ off track,” teachers utilize that information to determine a course of academic intervention. This form of individualized learning is being employed across the country with positive results.
Adaptive Learning Technology / Resources
Addressing individual learning gaps continues to be at the top of priority lists for student achievement in the classroom. Adaptive learning technologies have already proven successful in the classroom and are a growing piece of the education puzzle. As the infrastructure needed to support these types of initiatives is more easily accessible and widespread, teachers are finding ways to incorporate these technologies into blended learning programs, according to EdTech Update.
IoT in the Classroom
You may be unfamiliar with the term IoT( Internet of Things), but you likely use it every day. IoT is a network of devices connected to the internet that deliver real-time insights to connected devices, such as cell phones, laptops, or even your television. These“ smart” devices offer a unique benefit in the classroom in the form of interactive whiteboards, e-books, 3-D printers, security cameras, and attendance tracking systems. Use of IoT can remove barriers to learning such as location, language, and economic standing.
A recent TEDx article highlighted a Fargo, North Dakota, teacher, Kayla Delzer, and her use of technology in the classroom. She believes it can revolutionize education, but only if used correctly.“ Using technology simply for the sake of using it is wasteful,” Delzer says.“ If tech doesn’ t transform your classroom, your teaching or your students’ learning, skip it.” One easy rule of thumb: If a project can be done using paper or pencil but you’ re doing it on a computer or device, it’ s not transforming
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