Digital Goal-Setting Tools

Goal setting or defining a goal with the instructor is the very first step of coaching. Digital technologies can undoubtedly help to speed up this procedure. Coaching choice panels and a shared thinking space are two useful tools.

Coaching Selection Committees

You can make a coaching choice board with any tool you’re familiar with; we prefer Google Slides or Jamboard. What’s the appeal of a coaching selection board? It gives the teacher a starting point. You can also incorporate school-specific programs and skill-based themes. We advocate incorporating elements that support the 4Cs Framework or ISTE standards.  

Brainstorming Areas in Common

Following the selection of a general location to begin your training sessions with the teacher, the following step is to create a shared environment for idea generation. Google Docs and Jamboard are two simple tools. We prefer to use Jamboard’s sticky note feature to write down ideas and categorize them to establish clarity for the next actions with instructors. You and the teacher must establish clear, shared objectives and actions. Using these online technologies simplifies the process and allows for quick communication.

Selection and Implementation of Digital Tools

Several digital tools might help you continue working with your teacher during the choose and execute part of the coaching process. Wakelet provides an area for teachers to publish classroom resources and might be a source that instructors return to in the future. Padlet is a digital bulletin board where you can post materials for your instructor. Furthermore, these technologies are collaborative, so you may both share resources and ideas. Padlet could be used by your instructor to publish “reviews” on things they’ve used, providing you with useful input. Finally, a choice board, which could be in the format of a Google Doc, Google Slide, or a Padlet, is a terrific method to give resources to your educators. Choice boards, like Wakelet and Padlet, are a location where your instructors can select a source to learn about it more.

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Making a Lesson Record

While it is not a great technology, your appearance at the start of implementation can tremendously increase a teacher’s confidence! If you are unable to be present and have earned your teacher’s trust, it may be advantageous to record the class in operation using a tablet mounted on a frame with a mic connection. This should be done only if your teacher is pleased, and solely for reflection. We do not advise bringing this up until you have established a good rapport with your instructor.

Student Polls

Meanwhile, who better to criticize than students? When attempting anything new in class, doing brief surveys with Google Forms or commenting with FlipGrid can be incredibly beneficial. If you use a student poll, make sure it would take no more than five minutes to complete.

Reflection Tools on the Internet

Ultimately, for the reflection/identification part of the coaching process, you’ll want to give your instructor a place to talk about how the session went: what worked, what didn’t work out, what they still have concerns about, and what their next steps are. We propose using a shared Google Doc where the instructor can comment on the encounters, and you can provide brief comments. Some coaches offer surveys. In our perspective, those have a poor response rate, but if you decide to use surveys, Google Forms is a terrific resource. 

All of the virtual tools mentioned in this post are inexpensive to utilize and have a low learning slope. If you’re trying a new tool, be open and upfront with your trainers about your progress. Presenting your skill integration is the best method to demonstrate to instructors that they can gain new skills. We urge that all school coaches consider incorporating a bit of technology into their work to support their instructors and give them online technologies that may make their situation a little simpler.

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Consider trying one of these projects: 

Project-based learning: Virtually all students are familiar with digital devices and can operate them to some good extent, so why not deploy these for classroom projects to show mastery? Some projects could include:

• Film a tour with a narration of important places related to the core subject. 
• Design a GIF that talks about a concept. 
• With the help of an app, create a step-by-step video to describe a process. 
• Film an instructional TV show with an app. 
• Prepare a song set to original music for a learning objective. 

Problem-finding: Students turn to intellectual and imaginative vision to find something missing. Then they use the information to work out a solution. Invite an inventor to the class to discuss how they know which problems need a solution. 

Launch and Learn: Make use of your launch as a creative way to discuss nutrition and then have students inquire about changes they could make to improve their nutrition. It could cover multiple subjects as they use an app to track food choices, math as they calculate macros and fats, and physical education as they discover how exercise impacts weight and health. 

Utilize experts: Students can learn a  lot from experts in a field by visiting them during working hours or inviting them over into the classrooms for questions and answers.

Class information post: Students can make a weekly podcast or publish a digital newsletter to keep parents updated with the development of the class. 

LinkedIn: Advice students to connect with people in their field of interest on this networking platform. 

Create a school poll: Students can generate a digital poll for the generality of the school to raise their opinions on the various aspects that affect their learning. 

Multimedia presentations consist of core standards, longer time frames, real-life applications, learner’s choices, and multimedia videos, slides, pictures, and clip art to relay what the students had learned via a digital presentation.

As you think whether using digital assessment, a few questions to address are:

• How can I convince students that this is an important material for their learning?
• How do I get them into the learning process and help them over the challenges they might face? 
• Where do I find allies and experts to help make the process good?

Adjusting the more to the instructional use of digital media for classroom assessment through meaningful projects can be time-consuming. Still, it can yield outcomes that exceed traditional expectations. Giving the students the chance to test their ideas in a real-world setting with the backing of people can bring about true learning with experience. 

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However, with the students’ situation of connecting online to communicate with their educators and peers daily, providing feedback can be far from a straightforward process. Oftentimes, a message in a chat or an email can be misinterpreted. On the other hand, the lack of meaningful feedback can be one of the most significant challenges online participants encounter.

However, with these simple rules, teachers can optimize their feedback efforts:

·         Communicate clear expectations from the start – When you have specific guidelines regarding discussion or grading metrics or due dates, students will understand and be completely aware of your expectations, therefore minimizing the possibilities of miscommunication.

·         Always make it worthwhile – Students need to acquire value from the instructor’s feedback. The idea behind the feedback is to inspire some change or action while outlining exactly how to move to the next step. As such, every time feedback is given, aiming for a goal-oriented and actionable approach can truly be effective.

·         Use audio formats – any time you need to pass on detailed feedback to your students, the audio format can be the best solution. And although you might try to avoid this method due to lack of time, you might be surprised about the difference it makes in how it is received. More than likely, students will feel more engaged and will understand more clearly the real purpose for your comments. Furthermore, they’re more likely to retain the information. Just make sure you have your notes ready and address the student directly.

·         Always take the time – Although many teachers will comment that the classroom time is limited, remember that not allotting time for feedback can only result in educational issues or learning gaps. Many studies are showing that more feedback is crucial for achieving better results and learning.

Technology Facilitates Fast Feedback

Another factor to keep in mind is that teachers have many resources to choose from in regard to communicating with students and providing feedback on assignments and assessments in a timely manner.

For instance, Google Classroom possesses features that allow for both verbal and written communication. Here are a few tips for utilizing this app for providing feedback to students:

·         Use the commenting feature in Suggestion Mode in Docs to give guidance before an essay is turned in

·         Allow the students to use Docs or Form to comment on each other’s work or to participate in a discussion with you and the class

·         If the class appears to be struggling with a project, schedule a meeting in Google Meet to address questions as soon as possible. The link can be emailed to them. 

To achieve this goal, all you need to choose is the format – although the audio format is a great way, follow your preferred option and stay consistent. In this way, you’ll give the students the important information that they need.

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How Teachers Utilize E-learning

Because E-learning platforms have features and tools for lesson planning and instruction, educators saw their value as schools were shutting down, and necessitating a Plan B to finish out the scholastic year. Thus, they took it upon themselves to learn how to incorporate these features into their lessons and their assessments. They adopted a variety of online tools and even accessed virtual classrooms, similar to the one featured on the Pedagogue site, which allows for recorded lessons or live streaming.  

The Tools of the Trade

Therefore, with digital teaching and learning tools streamlining the educational process during a pandemic, teachers are now better able to track the progress of their students with much more efficiency and speed. Here are various examples of analytics apps, tools, and resources that can come in handy that are now incorporated into the “normal” operating procedures of the school day:

•       Digital Learning Software–a digital learning solution suitable for advanced analytics and integration with a SMART Notebook that enables creation of multiple lessons and various delivery features to connect you to a full spectrum of resources and content. 

•       Knewton—a set of unique programs that use learning analytics to enable students to track their performance and create personalized, learning experiences.

•       Bolt Spark LMS—a learning management system providing in-depth analysis of reports such as e-learning modules, signable documents, event invitations, and assessments shared between colleagues.

This is not including the more commonly used apps offered by Google and Microsoft, but with so many choices available, teachers might be looking at a future where the school day will carry on in spite of inclement weather, pandemic, or any other catastrophic event.

E-learning’s Communication Advantage

In addition to the instructional tools mentioned, E-learning platforms have features that facilitate communication with parents, students, guardians, and colleagues. In fact, various digital applications allow parents to find vital information with ease.

So instead of looking through backpacks for a teacher’s note, parents can simply log into a platform to access grades and comments and to send an immediate response or question to the teacher. Plus, administrators can use these platforms to send out alerts about closures as well.

Most importantly, E-learning can provide some “semblance of normalcy” amid natural or man-made disasters by giving the youngsters another means to stay connected. When they’re provided with a safe space for communication with their teachers and peers and access to their lessons, E-learning can offer the reassurance that school—no matter what form it might take—will continue, and that factor promotes hope for the future for both instructor and pupil.

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How common is digital learning?

Access to devices for student use in digital learning at school is becoming more common. According to a recent survey, 59 percent of schools today are 1:1 schools, providing a Chromebook, tablet, or other device to each student. Some districts implement programs where students can bring their own device, and for students that don’t have a device, the district will provide one for them to use throughout the school year.

How does digital learning affect teachers and administrators?

Digital learning makes teachers’ and administrators’ lives easier. With continuous assessment through digital learning, teachers are able to monitor each student’s progress and time on task through various programs and can redirect students who may be off task without calling attention to them.  Administrators can analyze and monitor data for both teachers and students to see how well digital learning resources are working.

How does digital learning help students expand their knowledge?

Digital learning allows students to participate in programs that they don’t have at school. STEM programs can be costly for school districts, but there are many virtual courses available to students online to help them become more engaged and perform better in STEM subjects, an area where a lot of students struggle academically.

How important is digital learning at home?

It’s easy to see how digital learning is beneficial to increasing student engagement in a school setting. But with the uncertainty of the world today causing more students to have to learn from home, how is digital learning going to be adapted for promoting student engagement outside of school? Most 1:1 programs allow students to take their devices home with them, but this does no good for students in rural areas or lower-income families without access to the internet. The students who don’t have the ability to participate in distance learning from home will struggle.

Solving the opportunity gap among students is one of the toughest problems that school administrators face. Students from low-income families without access to resources are often the students who struggle the most and therefore need the most help and support in order to succeed. Studies from the U.S. Census Bureau show that around 12 percent of families are living in poverty. Their student’s academic performance may not be top priority.

How can digital learning be provided at home to students without the internet?

It is up to school districts to come up with a solution. Many schools are either purchasing internet hotspots for students or providing vouchers so that families can purchase them themselves at a reduced cost. Some schools are providing WiFi-equipped school buses that park in neighborhoods for students to access the internet. That will certainly help, but there is still work to be done in order to provide equal educational opportunities for all students in a world of digital learning.

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Technology has been a growing part of classroom environments as it has been proven to help students with a range of different learning disabilities to maximize their learning potential. Often, a student struggling with learning can become a distraction in a classroom and harm others’ learning. Therefore, this technology can reduce classroom disruptions and ensure all students have a productive learning environment.

Educating Students About Technology

As you can see, technology is a necessary part of the classroom, but how do we, as educators, manage our student’s use of the devices needed? Teachers can apply many strategies to this problem, but the first step to creating a responsible student is knowledge. Educators must teach the students etiquette about when it is appropriate to use a device in the classroom. This etiquette can also expand to managing what students post using their devices. Teaching students this etiquette helps them become responsible digital citizens, which is an essential part of everyday life in the modern world.

Clear Expectations in the Classroom

By setting clear expectations about appropriate times and ways to use devices, teachers can impose rewards and consequences. For example, students may be allowed to use their devices for educational games after completion of their work with the expectation that if they do not finish their work, they do not get to use their device.

Another essential part of managing student devices is providing accurate information about their technology, such as reminding students that school-issued devices may access private student information, to prevent students from inappropriately using the devices. This reminder ensures that students do not use applications such as Snapchat, Facebook, and other social media within a classroom.

Many universities have also implemented guidelines for classroom management techniques during online learning, such as Zoom. These guidelines can assist K-12 teachers with the management of their own online learning environments. Highlighting expectations with students at the start of the class can ensure that students are using the technology and their own devices properly.

During class time that does not require a device to learn, a teacher may also simply collect student devices. Collecting devices, if allowed by the administration, removes the temptation of distractions while learning. However, it is highly recommended that teachers do not look inside a student device due to privacy reasons.

How Can Parents Help Manage Devices at Home?

Although managing devices within a classroom can be completed by simply removing the device, this strategy’s implementation is impossible with remote learning. Teachers should help educate parents about managing digital distractions at home to maximize their child’s education. Educating parents on these techniques can help manage devices remotely.

Concluding Thoughts

Remember, educating students about expectations and proper use of technology will help you with device management and help students stay focused to maximize their learning potential. 

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What does Science Say about Productive Struggle?

When incorporated in a constructive manner, the productive struggle truly contributes to both the student’s academic progress, as mentioned, and to his or her cognitive development. In other words, just the right amount of rigor engages multiple parts of the brain that contribute toward learning such as myelin, neurons, and synapses. The pathways between these parts can be compared to highways that are constructed by thoughts and actions related to creativity and innovation.

So, when a student is engaged in an online lesson that includes age-appropriate difficulty, the cognitive areas of the brain are even more triggered than they would be just by watching a video or listening to a lecture.  

How to Gauge Rigor?

Nonetheless, educators still have to discern the degree of difficulty and how to deal with it, especially when including the struggle as a learning tool. At the same time, there are more obstacles than before due to limited access to technology or limited face-to-face time. Because of the current situation, teachers face an unprecedented challenge to maintain the comfort level with virtual classroom while incorporating lessons about the online platforms on top of addressing the required curriculum. And that describes a good day without glitches in connectivity.

This is where communication is vital. Teachers can reach out to families to find out what they need regarding connectivity and devices. Also, pre-tests can be useful to gauge students’ prior knowledge along with a comprehensive review. Ultimately, online learning possesses one similarity to in-person instruction, and that is the scenario when a student’s silence lets you know that he or she does not understand the lesson. If the webcam is turned off, then it is difficult to tell how well a student is grasping a new concept. However, communicating with that student and parents or guardians outside of the “Zoom meeting” via phone, instant message, or email will let you know to what extent this student needs some extra help.

How to Incorporate a Productive Struggle?

Finding the right level of challenge for a sizable number of students poses a challenge for the teacher, especially if the students are not interested in the content or the current lesson. And that is the reason a productive struggle needs to become a part of your instruction along with clearly defined objectives. When students know that the perplexing lesson has value, and that everything they learn relates to everyday life, it can encourage them to work through the challenge.

So, you can pose the question of “how can I possibly include the productive struggle as one of the qualities of my teaching online?” When you think about the opportunity for students to grow in resilience and knowledge, how can you afford to avoid it?

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What Is an LMS?

A learning management system (LMS) is a platform that provides three key features: learning, management, and automation. You can use an LMS to create training materials and online courses. You can use it to manage your students, yourself, and your courses. Lastly, an LMS is a computer system that automates report preparation, statistic processing, grading, and other tedious processes that you don’t have to do it. In other words, an LMS is a learning platform that gives your students access and evaluates your students.

How Do You Measure the ROI of Your LMS?

We all know that there are things to consider when choosing a learning management system. One of those things is more vital than the others. This is the LMS ROI. 

There are several things to ask yourself in order to measure the LMS ROI. Here are a few:

• Will the LMS improve learner experience (will the teaching impact them more and boost retention)?
• Will it help your school to fulfill its mission or reach its vision (impact and reach are typically a vital component to these)?
• Will the new LMS enhance the potential revenue of your products?
• Will it help you to create and deliver new products?
• Will it help you to save money in other areas (remember, an LMS is also about efficiency, and this saves money in the long run)?
• Will a new LMS increase your value in your members’ eyes (will a new LMS offer segments that they are not getting or could be getting “better”)?
• Will it increase your membership by attracting new students?

If the new LMS will help your current students, bring in more students, provide an avenue for increasing profitability, save you money, and increase your value in the eyes of your members, your competitors, and other potential learners, the ROI is high.

Which Are the Best Learning Management Systems?

There are many learning management systems out there, but which are the best? Here are a few good finds.

Looop

Looop gives you an LMS that takes the cake in speed, quality, and scale. It looks like and runs like a website by removing all of the redundancies. This LMS is the favorite of major companies like Sky and ASOS.

$299 per month (50 users)

Adobe Captivate Prime

This LMS not only offers the all-in-one experience for total control over the eLearning, but Adobe Captivate Prime also comes complete with an AI-based Social Learning mechanism. This mechanism enables those in the same peer group to learn from each other.

$4 per month per user

JoomlaLMS

JoomlaLMS is highly customizable, so you can change it up to fit any brand. Not only that, but it has a multi-language interface. It also offers group management, several built-in user groups, and multiple roles.

Starts at $37 per month

With all of these options, many of which have a free trial period, take the time to try each out and see which LMS works best for you!

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What Is Student-Driven Learning?

Most traditional learning is made up of lectures and memorization. Student-driven remote learning takes those lectures and either complements them or replaces them with learning guidance and active learning strategies. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator, whose job is to create an atmosphere conducive to independent student learning. This better engages the students, helps the students retain what they learn, improves understanding, and helps students achieve more.

The Characteristics of Student-Driven Learning

There are ten characteristics of student-driven remote learning. These ten things set it apart from traditional education. These characteristics are:

1. The teachers work the hardest.

• The students learn from each other.

• They learn through being actively involved and experiencing things firsthand.

• They take what they learn and apply it to genuine, everyday experiences.

• Teachers offer directed, frequent, and prompt feedback.

• Teachers encourage their students to explain what they have learned to other students.

• The students are encouraged to engage regularly in communication among themselves.

• They understand the subject and why they are learning it.

• They are given tablets or mobile phones on which to learn.

1. Student-driven learning produces a higher degree of engagement.

The Advantages of Student-Driven Remote Learning

There are several advantages to using a student-driven approach to learning in your remote classroom. Here are a few:

• As I’ve already mentioned, it increases the rate of knowledge retention.

• Students also find learning to be more fun in a student-driven remote classroom.

• The students’ participation level is higher than it is with traditional learning.

• Their performance level is higher.

• The students find learning more fun when they are in a student-driven classroom.

• Students work together better.

• Student-driven learning helps students to develop problem-solving skills further.

How Do You Promote Student-Driven Learning?

There are several ways to promote student-driven learning in a remote classroom. Here are a few ideas:

• Always be searching for ways to further integrate technology into the learning experience.

• Utilize breakout rooms to group students together for projects and to enhance collaboration among your students.

• Allow your students to be leaders.

• Let your students take part in the decision-making process.

• Use interactive videos and slides. Pedagogue allows you to create your own interactive videos for use in the classroom.

• Let your students take part in scoring the student assessments.

• Rather than having a classroom where the rules drive the students’ behavior, create a thirst for knowledge and mutual respect in your students. Let that guide behavior instead.

• Create projects that will carry on beyond on lesson.

• Rather than handing out homework, assign learning-based projects that are engaging and fun.

Exploring New Ideas

So what kind of specific things can you do to make your classroom student-driven? Here are some examples:

• Break the students off into breakout rooms and have them quiz each other on what they have learned.

• Break the students off into breakout rooms and have them go over their quizzes together, reviewing their answers. 

• Have a brainstorming session.

• Present an issue. Allow your students to discuss it. If they lack the information to have an informed conversation, send them in search of it.

• Let the students create a quiz for the other students to take. They can use a site like Google Form, Survey Monkey, or Microsoft Form.

• Have the students design an experiment.

• Have a Q & A session.

• Hold a debate between students.

There are so many other great ideas out there. Just remember, you are the facilitator. Engage the students.Let the students lead as you continue to explore new ideas for student-driven remote learning.

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