100% agree. The last few months have become the greatest EdTech pilot project in schools across the country. Teachers have grown their capacity to use technology. 1-to-1 programs have grown. Most importantly, the need to treat internet access as a public utility has never been more clear. Great video!
I have gone on my own rants about the points you addressed here, too many times to count! #4 is so crucial to help teachers grow and learn. Yesterday I sat though yet another pd where I didn't learn anything knew. I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner and every year I focus on something new I want to learn. That's how I started my journey with Google Classroom two years ago. It has been so successful alongside traditional teaching. When the switch to remote happened I know that my kids were more successful because they were already connected and had the knowledge of how things within Google Classroom worked as well as other basics like knowing a credible source, copying and pasting, etc. This allowed me to focus on student engagement. Padlet and flipgrid were great tools for engagement, for example. I'm so glad I found your page!
In our area in rural East Texas, 40% of our students did not have internet even though the district provided chrome books. Most areas outside of the city limits simply don’t have the infrastructure to provide internet and cell service is so limited, hot spots don’t work. We had to hand out packets and do online learning. In the new year, I am determined to do things differently. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much for sharing your experience. The other day I had serious connectivity issues when trying to present at a virtual conference and it was a stark reminder that the first priority when it comes to closing the digital divide has to be access to reliable Internet.
Thank you for this video. You definitely spoke the truth. As a teacher, having to go to remote learning these few months has improved my teaching style tremendously. It has taught me how to focus on my students learning styles and integrate technology on a higher level
Totally agreed, many of my colleagues had a hard time adapting in the short amount of time given, It had to do with the lack of IT knowledge; hopefully we can set up a better training schedule in our school to help those teachers.
I honestly believe that this was a great teaching and learning experience for me and my students. I teach Spanish and this was my first year, so thanks to people like you and others in the RUclips world, I feel prepare and ready, for whatever the new year brings. I only hope that all of my colleagues were as positive as I am. I think, I was doing a great job in the classroom, but this pandemic has force me to be even more intentional and confident with my new found love for useful technology .
Man, it’s almost like you jumped into my mind. All four points you made are what I was thinking or have thought. My district has been one to one for a few years but we still have many students who don’t have home internet. Also, if it weren’t for your videos and some others, I wouldn’t have been able to try different learning platforms. I’m pretty good with technology, but I had never used Padlet, Edpuzzle, or others before. Once again, thank you so much for your informative and easy to follow instructional videos. You are really good at what you do.
Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad to have been of help, and happy to hear that my ideas resonated with you. Now let's hope we see some much needed changes in education!
Online teaching and learning, It works for some people because it is another way of communication and is very accessible but some people take as a way of entertainment. And some don’t take it seriously. It has both sides good and bad. The information that you get from it can be improved. For me, I like both online and in person. Thanks 👍
Thank you for this dose of optimism! I've been learning so much from your videos as I prepare for online university teaching this fall. I'm recommending your channel to all of my colleagues. Keep up the great work!
Great points, Sam. Big shifts do not happen over night in pretty ways (this one was downright ugly), but they do often catalyze changes that put us on path towards excellence - and that's where the beauty is. I teach high school advanced culinary arts. As an elective course, I have the opportunity to integrate and support core subjects, so I create & present my lessons with that in mind. I've learned so many new apps this quarantine, and put them to use immediately in my Canvas classroom. Up until Covid, we'd had only used Google Classroom and the G Suite apps. Not even add-ons, so it was a huge shift for the students, too. It was interesting to me that students who were struggling with the course work on-site did significantly better across the board online. I saw many of my "A-students" relax standards a little and fall behind online. A number of my seniors became depressed which factored in greatly. I've used an integrated LMS in conjunction with on-site classes for many years. I like the balance it brings, I use very little paper and it helps a lot with catching-up students who are absent. With so many teachers tinkering and sharing ideas, this can only get better. Thank you for sharing your awesome ideas and approaches. I share your videos with fellow educators; they're wonderful.
I love that approach to the classroom, Tina. The issues you bring up are important and all the more reason to make sure we properly invest in making this transition as smooth as possible for our students. Best of luck to you!
Very interesting insights! I agree with you; yes we can transform this adversity into positive outcomes if we learn from it and keep on improving. And your leadership in EdTech will definitly support that vision. So please keep up the good work you're doing, it is an important one, and now more than ever!
Wow....great video. I subscribed! I’m a 1st year teacher, but had a 25 year career in a Fortune 5 technology company. I love and agree with everything you have said. I’m hoping one of the silver linings to this past semester is that there will be a more focused and meaningful discussion about technology. Not just having it, but how to effectively use it! My school has 1-to-1 Chromebooks, but many students barely know how to use all but the most basic of functions. Schools need to figure out how to add meaningful technology training for an already overburdened staff and include it into an overflowing curriculum. It needs to enable teachers to deliver differentiated content more effectively. I don’t know how yet, but I’m going to try! I’m looking forward to reviewing your other content....
Thanks for subscribing, Laura! I completely agree and your background gives you an interesting perspective on the subject. I'm hoping we see that change very soon, best of luck to you!
Sam, thank you very much for your excellent videos. I have learned much, and I have shared many of your videos with my colleagues. I totally agree about teacher PD; it really needs to be differentiated so that all teachers can take something useful away from it and apply it to improve teaching outcomes. Our district in WA. state has worked hard to get access to internet and to chrome books for our students and families, many of whom did not have these resources. My colleagues K-12 worked really hard to communicate with parents and students, and to use learner friendly platforms with our students, many of whom are ELLs. We use Google Classroom as a district. Question for you: if you were to recommend a few learning platforms (maybe 4 or 5) that all teachers in the fall use consistently, what would you recommend? Thank you.
Hi Alipio, Thanks so much for your support! Here's my list of high leverage programs that can have a transformative impact: Adobe Spark Post to encourage creative ways to show knowledge Pear Deck for creating interactive Slides EdPuzzle to make interactive videos Screencastify, Loom, or Screencast-O-Matic for video tutorials Nearpod Chrome Add-on (similar to Pear Deck, but with different functionality. The best features aren't all free though)
Other than technical and policy issues (which are important), some interesting phenomena I observed was how some students who had previously done poor-to-middling began to improve and some of my better students really flagged under the distant-learning model.
Get your FREE How to Teach with Technology Starter Kit: newedtechclassroom.com/starterkit
100% agree. The last few months have become the greatest EdTech pilot project in schools across the country. Teachers have grown their capacity to use technology. 1-to-1 programs have grown. Most importantly, the need to treat internet access as a public utility has never been more clear. Great video!
Thanks for your support!
I have gone on my own rants about the points you addressed here, too many times to count! #4 is so crucial to help teachers grow and learn. Yesterday I sat though yet another pd where I didn't learn anything knew. I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner and every year I focus on something new I want to learn. That's how I started my journey with Google Classroom two years ago. It has been so successful alongside traditional teaching. When the switch to remote happened I know that my kids were more successful because they were already connected and had the knowledge of how things within Google Classroom worked as well as other basics like knowing a credible source, copying and pasting, etc. This allowed me to focus on student engagement. Padlet and flipgrid were great tools for engagement, for example. I'm so glad I found your page!
It sounds like you already had a great perspective, Jane! Thank you so much for the kind words!
Our district as a whole did a fantastic job! And, they, the district, gave each child a computer and they are keeping them for the summer.
Great to hear!
In our area in rural East Texas, 40% of our students did not have internet even though the district provided chrome books. Most areas outside of the city limits simply don’t have the infrastructure to provide internet and cell service is so limited, hot spots don’t work. We had to hand out packets and do online learning. In the new year, I am determined to do things differently. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much for sharing your experience. The other day I had serious connectivity issues when trying to present at a virtual conference and it was a stark reminder that the first priority when it comes to closing the digital divide has to be access to reliable Internet.
Thank you for this video. You definitely spoke the truth. As a teacher, having to go to remote learning these few months has improved my teaching style tremendously. It has taught me how to focus on my students learning styles and integrate technology on a higher level
Hi Careese, So glad to hear this video resonated with you! I'm glad to hear you've used this as an opportunity to grow your practice!
Totally agreed, many of my colleagues had a hard time adapting in the short amount of time given, It had to do with the lack of IT knowledge; hopefully we can set up a better training schedule in our school to help those teachers.
Agreed, best of luck moving forward!
I honestly believe that this was a great teaching and learning experience for me and my students. I teach Spanish and this was my first year, so thanks to people like you and others in the RUclips world, I feel prepare and ready, for whatever the new year brings. I only hope that all of my colleagues were as positive as I am.
I think, I was doing a great job in the classroom, but this pandemic has force me to be even more intentional and confident with my new found love for useful technology .
Thanks for sharing, Alina! I definitely hope other teachers have the same mindset as you.
Man, it’s almost like you jumped into my mind. All four points you made are what I was thinking or have thought. My district has been one to one for a few years but we still have many students who don’t have home internet. Also, if it weren’t for your videos and some others, I wouldn’t have been able to try different learning platforms. I’m pretty good with technology, but I had never used Padlet, Edpuzzle, or others before. Once again, thank you so much for your informative and easy to follow instructional videos. You are really good at what you do.
Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad to have been of help, and happy to hear that my ideas resonated with you. Now let's hope we see some much needed changes in education!
Online teaching and learning, It works for some people because it is another way of communication and is very accessible but some people take as a way of entertainment. And some don’t take it seriously. It has both sides good and bad. The information that you get from it can be improved. For me, I like both online and in person. Thanks 👍
I couldn't agree more: a blended approach is best, I think!
Thank you for this dose of optimism! I've been learning so much from your videos as I prepare for online university teaching this fall. I'm recommending your channel to all of my colleagues. Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much for spreading the word! This transition will be a challenge but can also bring about much needed changes to education!
thank you, i wish the education system would listen
Thanks, Patty. I agree!
Excellent, intelligent and thoughtful approach to this topic. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great points, Sam. Big shifts do not happen over night in pretty ways (this one was downright ugly), but they do often catalyze changes that put us on path towards excellence - and that's where the beauty is. I teach high school advanced culinary arts. As an elective course, I have the opportunity to integrate and support core subjects, so I create & present my lessons with that in mind. I've learned so many new apps this quarantine, and put them to use immediately in my Canvas classroom. Up until Covid, we'd had only used Google Classroom and the G Suite apps. Not even add-ons, so it was a huge shift for the students, too. It was interesting to me that students who were struggling with the course work on-site did significantly better across the board online. I saw many of my "A-students" relax standards a little and fall behind online. A number of my seniors became depressed which factored in greatly. I've used an integrated LMS in conjunction with on-site classes for many years. I like the balance it brings, I use very little paper and it helps a lot with catching-up students who are absent. With so many teachers tinkering and sharing ideas, this can only get better. Thank you for sharing your awesome ideas and approaches. I share your videos with fellow educators; they're wonderful.
I love that approach to the classroom, Tina. The issues you bring up are important and all the more reason to make sure we properly invest in making this transition as smooth as possible for our students. Best of luck to you!
Very interesting insights! I agree with you; yes we can transform this adversity into positive outcomes if we learn from it and keep on improving. And your leadership in EdTech will definitly support that vision. So please keep up the good work you're doing, it is an important one, and now more than ever!
Absolutely, I appreciate that, Line!
Wow....great video. I subscribed! I’m a 1st year teacher, but had a 25 year career in a Fortune 5 technology company. I love and agree with everything you have said. I’m hoping one of the silver linings to this past semester is that there will be a more focused and meaningful discussion about technology. Not just having it, but how to effectively use it! My school has 1-to-1 Chromebooks, but many students barely know how to use all but the most basic of functions. Schools need to figure out how to add meaningful technology training for an already overburdened staff and include it into an overflowing curriculum. It needs to enable teachers to deliver differentiated content more effectively. I don’t know how yet, but I’m going to try! I’m looking forward to reviewing your other content....
Thanks for subscribing, Laura! I completely agree and your background gives you an interesting perspective on the subject. I'm hoping we see that change very soon, best of luck to you!
I agree completely! My kid's school district has chromebooks for all students. The school district I work in does not. The difference is huge.
Thanks for your comment! Glad to hear your child's district has gone one-to-one!
Sam, thank you very much for your excellent videos. I have learned much, and I have shared many of your videos with my colleagues. I totally agree about teacher PD; it really needs to be differentiated so that all teachers can take something useful away from it and apply it to improve teaching outcomes. Our district in WA. state has worked hard to get access to internet and to chrome books for our students and families, many of whom did not have these resources. My colleagues K-12 worked really hard to communicate with parents and students, and to use learner friendly platforms with our students, many of whom are ELLs. We use Google Classroom as a district.
Question for you: if you were to recommend a few learning platforms (maybe 4 or 5) that all teachers in the fall use consistently, what would you recommend? Thank you.
Hi Alipio, Thanks so much for your support! Here's my list of high leverage programs that can have a transformative impact:
Adobe Spark Post to encourage creative ways to show knowledge
Pear Deck for creating interactive Slides
EdPuzzle to make interactive videos
Screencastify, Loom, or Screencast-O-Matic for video tutorials
Nearpod Chrome Add-on (similar to Pear Deck, but with different functionality. The best features aren't all free though)
Other than technical and policy issues (which are important), some interesting phenomena I observed was how some students who had previously done poor-to-middling began to improve and some of my better students really flagged under the distant-learning model.
Yes, I observed that as well!
Pure Gold! 👍
Thank you!