A rural college launches a free in-home connectivity program

Education Technology

Article | October 7, 2022

As a learning method, social and emotional learning (SEL) has solidified its importance in nurturing children to become thriving students. But SEL programs are not just a nice-to-have. They need to be implemented fully, and educators must understand their role and implement it to their full strength for it to be successful. Here are five best practices for educators when navigating an SEL program at their schools. Acknowledge the Significance of Educator SEL Often, educators and administrators are so occupied with achieving measurable metrics and tracking quantifiable KPIs that SEL programs seem redundant. Educators’ embodying SEL is just as essential to its success as implementing it for students. A research paper by Edward Fergus and Anne Gregory concluded that the educator’s social and emotional capabilities are just as critical to the success of SEL programs. Schools must outline ways to support teachers in order for SEl to be effective. Make SEL Meaningful for Educators Schools and districts don't have much free time, but implementing teacher-first SEL is not a privilege but a necessity, particularly after a challenging couple of years. Set time during meetings to discuss SEL, reflect, and connect with fellow teachers to imbibe SEL. Promote Introspection Education leaders should promote the embedding of SEL into teaching practices. Encourage asking questions such as, what teachers have learned in the past couple of years, how they have connected with students, and how to reimagine lesson plans in the light of SEL? To Conclude SEL should be embedded in the DNA of learning and education. The more connected educators are with the principles of SEL, the better they are able to impart it to students and stay prepared for disruption in learning methods.

Education Technology, Continuing Education

Article | August 8, 2022

Although Switzerland is a small nation, it’s influenced by many of the countries that surround it - French, German and Italian are all spoken as official languages, and Switzerland is home to many people from around Europe. On the other hand, certain aspects of Swiss culture have spread in the other direction and become famous around the globe - just think of Swiss watches, Swiss banking and, of course, Toblerone! There are hundreds of thousands of Swiss expats who have moved abroad to live, work and study in other countries, and who regularly send money home to friends and family in Switzerland.

Continuing Education

Article | November 15, 2022

K-12 teachers and learners are witnessing a shift in learning methods, and much of the change is driven by technology. In the face of the pandemic, many schools adopted classroom management software as a temporary measure, but it is fast becoming the norm. If your school is still considering refining your classroom management or switching to a new platform, it is essential to understand the advantages it offers for administrators, educators, and learners. Here are three ways classroom management enriches K-12 education and why you should embrace it in 2023. Student Security The emergence of the use of laptops, tablets, and other devices has exposed students to not just increased screen time but also cybersecurity mishaps. Classroom management solutions offer extensive security modules that enable educators to keep a firm grasp on the safety of students online. These solutions offer visibility across devices used by students, which can prove to be mission critical in the case of data leaks. The two features that address device management concerns that can be addressed with these solutions are: Web filtering This software protects students by restricting access to inappropriate, objectionable, and harmful content that can impact students and risk the school’s network security. Combined with classroom management, web filtering provides richer insights into devices and fosters effective learning. Mobile device management Technology investment doesn’t come cheap. This is why mobile device management, or MDM, is so valuable. It helps the school’s technology department to keep a close eye on the access and user management, permissions, application deployment, remote access, lost equipment tracking, and so much more in order to prevent any kind of security breaches, and is especially handy in a hybrid classroom environment. Collaborative Activities Classroom management solutions can prove to be a meaningful investment only if they can address the most important need of a classroom, i.e., collaborative learning. Thanks to technology, collaboration in the classroom has become seamless and more engaging than ever before. Here are some ways that it is creating rewarding learning experiences. Screensharing Screensharing allows teachers to share their screen with the whole class and even allow certain students to share theirs. This encourages collaboration and allows teachers to conduct two-way discussions during each class. Secure messaging Classroom management solutions specialize in providing teachers with complete control of the online class and maintaining decorum. Teachers can lock screens and even devices, close tabs, and even message students individually to keep them engaged. Student Support One of the best features to ensure student engagement is an avenue for students to reach out to teachers. This way, students are able to stay in the loop, get their queries cleared, and avoid neglecting doubts and problems due to the inability to connect with their teachers. Better Learning Being able to cultivate ample learning opportunities in a creative, fun setting is one of the best ways to use classroom management platforms. Here are some ways that such solutions reduce the hurdles that many schools and educators face in creating conducive and enriching learning environments. Flexibility Classroom management promotes learning by supporting multiple settings for learning, like in-person classes, remote and mixed modes of instruction. Higher teacher efficiency Increasing teacher efficiency is another benefit schools can look forward to when equipping classes with classroom management solutions. Thanks to features like pop quizzes and report card generation, classroom management eliminates extensive paper work and promotes teacher efficiency. What’s the Word? There is little doubt that technology can propel learning and education to new heights. With the above features, it is easy to see why classroom management is a substantial piece in the puzzle for schools trying to figure out their long-term game plan for learning delivery methods. The right solution will not only be important, but it will also be a turning point in improving educational outcomes in K–12 schools, which are always looking for ways to make learning more fun and interesting while also making teachers' jobs easier and reducing teacher burnout.

Article | June 9, 2020

In January, we announced our core middle school math program, which pairs the open-source middle school curriculum from OpenUp Resources/Illustrative Mathematics with powerful technology, humanizing pedagogy, and intuitive design from Desmos. We were extremely grateful to receive interest from thousands of sites and teachers. In order to provide the best possible support for as many partners as possible, we’ve decided to limit participation this year to a small set of applicants.