This series has told the stories of some of the grant recipients of the Next Generation Learning Challenges program, describing schools that have taken seriously the need to adapt, modify and in some cases entirely reinvent learning modes, and teaching models using technology as a basis. In our third and final blog in our series on the Next Generation Learning Challenges we’ll explore successes in the elementary school context.

Where last time we drew attention to schools that had made innovative leaps in assessment protocols, today we look at schools that are taking the design of personalized learning pathways seriously. Fully transforming a large and established high school such as Vista Unified is no mean feat, and reading the story of Vista Unified is both illuminating and encouraging.

“Next generation” learning is a concept promoted by a program called Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC), run by the non-profit Educause. Check out a great case study that demonstrates how far we can go in reinventing traditional educational tropes such as grades, to develop better, more flexible and personalized assessments that serve to truly empower a student’s onward journey into college or the workplace.

We are fond of a quite in-depth approach on this blog, and try and drill down to the bare bones of a debate or subject, but today I will put aside the complexities of migrating to a flipped or tech-enabled classroom, and instead offer you a quick listicle of a bunch of fun, useful, trendy and simple ways to bring tech to a classroom near you. In no order of preference, check out some of these easy ways to power up your edtech journey.

While overbearing parenting comes from a place of good intentions, it can be damaging to a child’s process and psychology. It can also affect your process as a teacher, and the relationship you have developed with the student. So let’s look at some basic, practical ways you can limit the anxiety for everyone involved: open the door to communication, set boundaries from the beginning, and nurture responsibility constantly.

Fostering a sense of social responsibility among students has wide ranging positive impacts, and some schools choose to incorporate the practice into a school-wide doctrine of peace and fellowship that can have dramatic impacts on graduation rates, parent participation and conflict resolution. That’s why I have gathered a collection of fun and effective apps and websites that teachers can use to start simple social responsibility programs in class.