Finding a New Passion Through Online Teaching

Education Technology

Article | July 27, 2022

As social and emotional learning grow in significance, especially as remote learning becomes mainstream, it is now more crucial than ever to get parents on board with your school's SEL policy. Parents don’t always understand the importance of an SEL policy due to the Few individuals beyond the education community are aware of SEL or social and emotional learning, and those who are frequently have questions about how school SEL programs work. This could mean In fact, according to the Hechinger Report, SEL has grown to be an educational hot topic, with the conservative section in some places calling it a liberal policy. Regardless of their political views, people rarely have issues with SEL once they have a basic understanding of it. To ensure that parents are fully aware of what SEL programs entail, here are ways to communicate with them. Create Channels of Communication to Talk About SEL To successfully convey the benefits of the SEL strategy at your school, you must first develop open lines of communication with parents and the wider community. This ensures that any misconceptions, concerns, and challenges are addressed beforehand. Schools must ensure that parents get a forum to air their views about social-emotional learning skills and be on the same page about building a nurturing environment based on relationships and a sense of belonging. Outline the Outcomes of an SEL Program When parents know exactly what the aim of the SEL program is and what the outcomes look like, they are more likely to join the team. Reduce the use of educational acronyms or jargon-based messages as they are more likely to cause a stir. Despite widespread parental support for SEL-oriented skill instruction in schools, the Fordham Institute found that the phrase "social and emotional learning" is not particularly well-liked. However, clearly outlining the skills and what they look like in the real world is a successful approach to convincing parents about SEL. Promote the Significance of SEL in Today’s World As we emerge from the pandemic, SEL is especially important, and parents may need to be reminded of how much regular socialization and face-to-face instruction many children couldn't benefit from. It's crucial for parents to be aware of how schools’ establishing a secure, inclusive, and encouraging setting for children is essential for their success.

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.

Education Technology

Article | July 15, 2022

In the fourth blog in the series from contributing authors to Advance HE’s recent publication, On Your Marks: Learner-focused Feedback Practices and Feedback Literacy, Senior Lecturer in Education, Dr Rachel Shanks, shares her thoughts on how assessment tasks and marking could reflect online professional practice.

Article | July 31, 2020

Now more than ever schools are turning to online learning, so why not utilize online learning platforms to help your program with accreditation? NACEP accreditation recognizes programs that have consistently met or exceeded rigorous, peer-reviewed standards in six areas: Partnership, Curriculum, Faculty, Students, Assessment, and Program Evaluation. These program standards create a quality framework to ensure that students are taking authentic college courses for transcripted college credit while in high school.