In the pre-distraction era, teachers and students grew relationships and fostered learning through one-on-one conversations in the classroom. Today, learning can take on a multitude of forms and experiences. A new generation of educational technologies use research-backed learning strategies to offer enriched experiences for all learning styles. When virtual learning is designed with both student and teacher in mind, great outcomes are possible.
The Stresses of Concurrent Teaching
Prior to the pandemic, about 40% of school districts in the United States were one-to-one, meaning they provided one computer or tablet device per student. We don’t have 2021 data yet, but that figure has likely doubled. Even with one device per child, more than one in four teachers says that technology has yet to help them in a meaningful way. In fact, some feel that the onslaught of new learning management systems and software dumped on them during the pandemic is a burden.
Still, a majority have figured out a way to incorporate tech for the better. 71% of teachers say that technology has helped them to improve the quality of instruction in the classroom. That’s an encouraging statistic, but it’s not sustainable to overlook the 29% of teachers who don’t see the benefit of changes that most agree are here to stay. A concerted effort to use educational technology better is needed. Products like Boardworks are making student-teacher interactions and progress more intuitive and meaningful at a time when removing barriers to technology is key to achieving equitable learning.
Edtech Isn’t Reaching Everyone…Yet
Educational technology management specialists at LearnPlatform recently conducted a meta-analysis of 270,000 educators to better understand how affluent and less-affluent school districts experienced change during the pandemic. The results were astonishing. In wealthier districts, the COVID-19 shutdowns corresponded to an immediate 30% increase in the use of edtech in the virtual classroom. In lower-income districts, edtech engagement decreased for several weeks before returning to pre-shutdown levels.
Clearly, some students benefited from educational technologies more than others. It’s important that moving forward, edtech solutions reach out to all students and teachers. From the very beginning, edtech has been heralded as a leap towards equitable educational opportunities, but that’s only going to happen with the right tools.
Don’t Overcomplicate Effective Tools
Ease of use is what makes or breaks the first impression that a user has when trying a new digital platform. When the user is a K-12 student, first impressions are even more important. If lessons are both engaging and intuitive, young learners are more likely to take away something valuable from the experience.
Platforms are working to simplify their resources for both educators and students while concurrently enhancing the quality of instruction. Boardworks stayed ahead of the curve. With expertly designed lessons, the user remains focused on what matters – learning. Whether the learning happens in the classroom, at home, or both, teachers can access and assign activities to students providing continuity across all instructional models.
How many logins and passwords do you struggle to keep track of in the post-pandemic era of digital multitasking? Now imagine how your students felt being tossed into any combination of virtual, blended, and on-campus learning. Boardworks eliminates the need for a login or password to access presentations. The outcomes have been amazing. Less time is spent resetting forgotten passwords and more time is spent learning and applying knowledge.
Boardworks Uses Technology Better for the Benefit of Students and Teachers
By providing a turnkey library of standards-aligned interactive lessons, Boardworks is the ultimate learning resource for educators who value customizable, rich content. Bring lessons to life with engaging presentations that seamlessly transition into formative and summative assessments that identify progress from multiple perspectives.
In a fast-paced world, there’s only so much time that can be spent learning how an online resource works before it becomes a time sink – wasting valuable instructional minutes. Luckily, Boardworks was specifically designed to offer an intuitive experience that simply makes sense for the user. Ultimately, students will become more confident in their self-driven learning experiences. What if a student is struggling to grasp a concept? Boardworks learning modules provide immediate feedback to address successes, mistakes, and common misconceptions to turn every challenge into an empowering experience.
Teachers still value the classroom environment, whether in-person or virtual. With Boardworks, teachers can share a presentation code to conduct a live lesson in conjunction with a Boardworks interactive lesson. This quite literally helps keep students and teachers on the same page.
Flexible, Intuitive, and Interactive
Boardworks is working to empower teachers and students of all backgrounds to enrich K-12 education. Virtual instruction is likely to remain part of the educational experience in the future. If digital resources aren’t easy to use, then virtual learning can become a burden rather than a blessing. Boardworks offers thousands of ready-made, interactive lessons for every learner, regardless of style and experience. Learn more about how Boardworks can take your classroom to the next level of learning.
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