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Managing change in a school isn’t about choosing a new platform or migrating to a new system — it’s about the people that will work with the new tools and how comfortable they are with doing so effectively. Here’s how to help teachers and administrators see the value of edtech:
With schools under lockdown, parents have taken on the role of teachers, in addition to being caregivers and workers. Now more than ever, schools need to establish a good relationship with parents, as their actions and expectations play a role in remote learning as well, especially for younger students, who have not yet developed the skills to set goals and standards for themselves.
This is a time to reflect on what is working and what we could do better. Also, it’s time to evaluate what our core beliefs about education are and how accurate they are in preparing us for the future. Continuing to perfect and adapt edtech for everyone is a must, not a “nice to have” option.
Even if “success” means different things for each school and even if there’s no magic blueprint to make things run smoothly forever, you can still build a successful edtech strategy without becoming overwhelmed. Here are 6 steps to adapt according to your school’s situation and needs:
For the majority of students, school closures caused quite a shock and a big disruption in their routine. To make this transition to remote learning smoother, teachers might find it useful to pass the following information on to their students and guide them throughout the process.
In these troubled times, teachers show how determined they are, as well as how vital it is to be an educator. Disaster-proof education helps you keep going on no matter what happens. Just remember that you shouldn’t panic, try not to overwhelm yourself or your students, consider teaching asynchronous classes and most of all, have each other’s backs.
Teachers often feel as if they’re competing with technology for the attention of students. The presence of devices and apps in their students’ lives seems to be in the way of instilling a habit of reading. Technology can be both a distractor and a positive factor, which gave me an idea to celebrate this month by making a case for the latter.
Educators need to be consistent with the messages they send and incorporate a growth mindset in what they do, especially in the way they use technology to teach. The focus is no longer on what happens in the learning environment, but what happens when edtech comes into the mix and how we can enrich that environment.
Any future teacher, whether they’re on a traditional path or on an alternative route, should learn how to use a variety of edtech tools, but also how to think critically about technology in the classroom and pass their knowledge to other educators as well.
As a school leader, you can fully take advantage of the LMS, which yes, is a great hub for storing all learning materials and assessing students, but it’s also a way of tracking results, helping each student succeed, communicating with parents, and all in all having a better overview of all school activities, regardless of the size of your school.
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