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Unit 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Unit 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Unit 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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20 Digital Tools for Classroom for Innovative Teachers & Students

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A selection of digital tools for classroom for making infographics, presentations, videos, animations, as well as tools for assessments, quizzes, and more!

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Unit 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Updated for 2020: Since this post was first written, the education landscape has changed greatly! We've updated it to include five more tech tools teachers can use to inspire creativity in the for virtual learning.
Virtual Learning Tools

The shift to remote learning had many teachers scrambling to find effective ways to share lessons, deliver instruction, and allow students to collaborate. Here are some of our favorite tools to get online/hybrid classes running effectively:

Ozobot 1:1 Program | Evo Student Packs

With the shift to remote learning, we knew we needed to work with districts, teachers, and our extended community to understand education's new challenges. The result is our 1:1 Robotics Program, designed for teaching core subjects anywhere without sacrificing STEAM. Each student receives a Student Pack-a care package from you to them-to make core subjects more hands-on and collaborative with their robot study buddy using our 2 Ways to Code. Plus, we made Ozobot Classroom remote-friendly, including a seamless Google Classroom integration and Learn Anywhere Lessons that can be used virtually or back in the classroom.

More good news: Ozobot qualifies for federal and state initiatives (CARES Act, 21st Century Schools etc), making 1:1 possible for educators nationwide. Sign up for a personal demo to learn more and see how we can be part of your K-12 solution to keep students engaged in class or at home.

Buncee

Buncee understands how much more kids learn if they're engaged, so their platform makes it easy to engage students from anywhere. Teachers have the flexibility to create activities that their class will enjoy with over 1000 templates, and students earn badges as they complete their work. Buncee also makes it easy for students to collaborate with sharing and discussion functionality.

Bakpax

Bakpax is an AI tool that autogrades student work, giving them (and the teacher) instant feedback on assignments! As teachers know, hand grading student work can take hours, so Bakpax allows teachers to save time with the more administrative aspects of teaching, so they can focus more on creative lessons/activities and individualizing student instruction.

Bakpax wants to support educators during the transition to remote learning, so teachers can currently access Bakpax for free!

Pear Deck

Pear Deck allows teachers to make lessons interactive so every student can actively participate, whether instruction is synchronous or asynchronous. It utilizes formative assessment, active learning, retrieval practice, and more to close the achievement gap, even for students who are learning from afar. Bonus: PearDeck has the stamp of approval from many Ozobot Certified Educators.

SeeSaw

Rather than limit students to one method for demonstrating their knowledge, SeeSaw allows students to show what they know with tools like draw+record, collage, video, and more. Educators report that SeeSaw is intuitive for students to use, so minimal support is required to use this tool!

For more tips on creating successful virtual learning environment, check out our Ozobot Certified Educator-hosted webinar!
Original post by Amanda Dodge:
Students who grow up with a love of learning are more likely to stay engaged in STEAM subjects and other lessons as they grow older. They won't take what they learn at face value, and will instead seek out ways to expand their knowledge and ask questions about what they learn.

Teachers are always looking for ways to pique student interest, from engaging experiments to unique learning methods. If you want to add fresh elements to your classroom and encourage your students to be creative, check out these tools. They might offer the tech solutions you need to wow your students during the learning process.

Evo Classroom Kit

We may be a little biased, but our personal favorite tool is the Evo Classroom Kit. This kit is made for students grades 4 through 8 and includes 12 Evos, accessories, and a driver's ed activity that allows students to program Evo's proximity sensors and other features. Plus, students and educators can explore over 100 STEAM lessons in the Lesson Library. Lessons cover a wide range of subjects along with Ozobot's two ways to code-online with OzoBlockly and screen-free with Color Codes. Teachers across the country have shared how they use their Classroom Kits to encourage creativity while teaching coding concepts. We pride ourselves on fostering a creative experience that motivates students to keep learning.

Nearpod

Nearpod specializes in multimedia displays to make discussions more engaging. One of their top tools for teachers is Nearpod VR, an affordable virtual reality headset that lets teachers explore different concepts in 3D. There are more than 450 VR tutorials, broken down by subject and grade level. Take your students to explore volcanoes or for a historic look at the Taj Mahal. This technology inspires curiosity about the world and student engagement in lessons.

Learn Around The World

The goal of Learn Around the World is to use technology to connect students and educators globally. They have events and collaborative projects where students can work with people in different countries, and virtual field trips for exploring foreign lands. LATW also has guest speakers and private events that teachers can take advantage of. Imagine speaking with someone who lives in Buenos Aires while learning about Argentina. Your students can ask questions and use their curiosity to spur discussion.

Buncee

Never sit through boring Powerpoint presentations again with Buncee, a multimedia display tool that allows students to easily create displays and narrate them through microphone recordings. There are more than 8,000 graphics to choose from and students can upload their own media as well. They can either create a presentation based on their own findings or use Buncee's tools to add graphics to their ideas. This is also a useful tool for students who might be too young for Powerpoint tutorials.

Glogster

Glogster is one of the fastest-growing multimedia management tools for teachers and students. Your students can easily create posts and other graphic designs to enhance their learning experience. This site also allows teachers to find awesome content. There are more than 40,000 Glogs shared online across 80 topics and nine disciplines. With over 1.9 million teacher accounts and 17 million student accounts, Glogster is a favorite worldwide.

FlipGrid

Do you wish classroom discussion could continue after the bell rings? Do you wish you could encourage quiet students to speak their minds without feeling intimidated? With FlipGrid, teachers create discussion topics and students can respond with video recordings. Their peers can respond to keep the discussion going. This tool helps students formulate their ideas in a pre-recorded setting, which means no one gets talked over or ignored by louder voices.

TodaysMeet

TodaysMeet provides a backchannel of discussion for your classroom. Teachers monitor chat discussions during the lessons and can respond to or highlight questions asked by students as they go. Instead of stopping the class or losing your train of thought to answer questions, teachers can set aside time for questions and discussion at various points throughout. Plus, quiet students can ask questions and voice their opinions without having to worry about speaking up or waiting until the end.

Microduino

Microduino offers small electronic building blocks that kids can creatively assemble to find solutions to problems or explore ideas. These blocks can be stacked on LEGO bricks, expanding your resources as far as your imagination will go. This product also has open-source code compatible with Scratch and other programs you might already use.

TinyTap

TinyTap is home to more than 100,000 learning activities for students and teachers to use. You can search for games for your kids to play to better help them understand concepts, or ask them to create games of their own. TinyTap Market encourages students to learn by teaching, and provides the tools to help people develop their own games. Creators can even sell their games to gain recognition for their work.

Because Learning

This tool is ideal for teachers who want to bring STEAM learning to the classroom but worry about their lack of programming background. You don't have to be a professional web developer to engage your students. Because Learning is designed for educators and offers STEAM kits based on national learning standards. You and your students can start creating in just a few steps.

SiLAS Solutions

More instructors are increasingly concerned with social skills and encouraging their students to work together. SiLAS Solutions is a tool that can help. Through video game technology and 3D development, students use characters and create conversations with their own voice recordings. They can make videos talking through problems and expressing their emotions. Grading is easy, with teachers able to assess students and provide feedback through the system.

Labster

Do you wish you had access to a University-calibre laboratory? Consider testing simulations with Labster. Students can run a variety of simulations on topics ranging from diabetes to herpetology. The software runs mathematical algorithms based on the criteria so students get a full lab experience. Teachers can grade participation in different parts of the simulation as they would with a full-fledged science lab.

PhET Sims

Another simulation software that younger students can use is PhET simulations. Teachers can filter simulations by grade level and topic and use them to explore different ideas in the classroom. The goal of this organization is to increase STEAM literacy worldwide and create engaging interactive content that encourages students to ask questions and explore topics beyond what the common core demands.

ZeeMaps

ZeeMaps is a tool that students and teachers can use to create their own graphics. You can create maps on a local, state, national, and even global level. Students can choose different map types and assign colors and labels as needed. This is perfect for creating visual aids for projects, mapping out complex concepts (like battles in a war or evolving country borders), and letting students learn in an interactive manner.

Tiki-Toki

Just as ZeeMaps is useful for mapping out various concepts and ideas, Tiki-Toki is great for developing timelines. Students can customize events and choose different formats to explore their ideas. They can provide as much information as they need to fully explain a topic. This tool is ideal for both classroom-led activities and solo work.

Popplet

Popplet is a mind-mapping and brainstorming tool for students. You can use this tool to guide assignments, encouraging students to create mind maps for their projects, or create a classroom-guided brainstorm to explore new ideas. This tool is also used in group projects to help students creatively come up with solutions to problems. It teaches the concept of brainstorming and has a useful option to save your ideas for later.

Venngage

You don't need to be an expert graphic designer to create engaging infographics for your classroom. Even better, your students can create graphics for you! Venngage offers free infographic tools to help students visualize their data and clearly present ideas. The infographics can be shared and saved online, so they can be used by students in real time and future students can also benefit.

Sutori

Sutori lets anyone build a multimedia-rich story that looks like a timeline, though the focus is on arranging information into an engaging, interactive format for storytelling. It's a useful format, too, because it's a more intuitive way to illustrate the relationships between concepts than, say, a slidedeck. The applications are many, as well: Teachers can use pre-made stories in their lesson plans (there are nearly 800,000 users, so stories are plenty), or they can create their own stories in a snap to use as teaching tools or study aids. What's more, stories can even be assigned as projects or homework, which could be a welcome alternative to an essay assignment.

Lifeliqe

With more than 1,100 3D models and 700 lesson plans, Lifeliqe provides an interactive way to meet Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. This tool has data behind its name: 86 percent of students who used their 3D models to learn improved their science scores. The company attributes their success to the idea that 65 percent of the population is made of visual learners. By connecting with kids in the way they learn best, they're more likely to enjoy the material.

Storybird

STEAM educators who are looking to add reading and writing elements to their curriculum can try Storybird. This company curates millions of images from illustrators across the world and encourages students and teachers to use them to tell stories. Consider assigning an image to each student and asking them to write about it, or ask them to create a book using the lessons they learned in science or math class. It's a great way to get creative with online tools.

KidBlog

If you're trying to get your students to blog more and reflect on what they learned, consider using Kidblog. Nothing goes live until the teacher approves it, so you have final say in what is published. KidBlog creates a safe space for students to publish content without exposing them to the trolls of the Internet. It's available for K-12 students and you can tailor your lessons based on the age group. You can also track engagement statistics each year to see if your students are reading each other's work.

LiveBinders

The goal of LiveBinders is to help educators and their students go paperless with digital binders. Users can save articles and videos, take notes, and post other forms of content in one place. They can also share binders with each other and collaborate to create something useful. With this tool, you never have to limit yourself to just one textbook or resource. You can keep all of your resources in one place for years to come, always adding when you find something new.

Padlet

Padlet is another collaboration tool that teachers can use. Students can submit a variety of supplemental material to make the learning process easier and can comment and interact with it as needed. Teachers can monitor all interactions that students have with the content and track engagement analytics. This tool can be used for any subject or grade level.

Celestia

This tool is definitely more space-focused instead of the other one-size-fits-all solutions on this list. However, it's rare to find such a dynamic resource for exploring outer space. Not only is there a wide variety of content on Celestia, but students and educators can customize the content or add their own based on their needs. If there's something you can't find, create it.

Project Noah

Launched in 2010, Project Noah was created to encourage citizen scientists to document the world around them. People can photograph organisms and share them online, helping scientists document the location and rarity of various species. Teachers can make this part of the classroom experience by turning students into citizen scientists sharing their discoveries.

Science360 Video Library

One of the biggest challenges that teachers face is modernizing the classroom and making students care about what they're learning. Part of the National Science Foundation, the Science360 Video Library shares the latest videos related to science, technology, and engineering. Whether you're introducing students to outer space discoveries or explaining undersea exploration, you can update those lessons with this video collection.

Teachers TryScience

If you're uncertain where to start with science and STEAM lessons, check out Teachers TryScience. Teachers can find lesson plans and follow different strategies and tutorials to make their content more engaging. It can be intimidating giving students the keys to explore a particular topic, but this site makes it easier.

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27 Tech Tools Teachers Can Use to Inspire Classroom Creativity | Ozobot

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Discover our favorite user-friendly tech tools for inspiring creativity for students learning in virtual or in-person classrooms!

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Unit 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Unit 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Best Games, Apps, and Sites for Personalized Learning

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Meet the unique needs of each student. Explore this Best Games, Apps, and Sites for Personalized Learning Top Picks list of 17 tools curated by Common Sense Education editors to find relevant and engaging edtech solutions for your classroom.

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Unit 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Unit 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Unit 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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By now you've probably heard of personalized learning, which tailors instruction, expression of learning and assessment to each student's unique needs and preferences. While one-on-one instruction geared toward the strengths and challenges of each student has always been an ideal, only in recent years has technology allowed it to become a reality in education.

Personalized learning capitalizes on students' almost instinctual ability to use technology, but it is so much more than technology and algorithms. It is the purposeful design of blended instruction to combine face-to-face teaching, technology-assisted instruction and student-to-student collaboration to leverage each student's interests for deeper learning. When done right, it meets several of the ISTE Standards while leading to a more rigorous, challenging, engaging and thought-provoking curriculum.

Over the last six years, I have transformed my traditional classroom into a blended-learning environment that provides a more personalized learning experience for each one of my students. It hasn't been easy. It's taken a lot of research, trial and error, and adjustments. But the results have definitely been worth it.

Here are five lessons I've learned that have helped me take my classroom from a traditional sage-on-the-stage affair to a tech-assisted personalized learning haven.

1. Learn from others.

I won't lie. The journey from old school to new learning paradigm was bumpy at first. I tried blended lessons that took less time than planned, had technology failures, chose the wrong method of delivery for various types of content or skills, and generally made every mistake you can imagine. But I didn't give up, and eventually I had more successes than failures. My students' input and further pedagogical study helped me refine my lesson planning until I got it right.

I started by researching personalized and blended learning as a member of the Rodel Teacher Council (RTC) to create the Blueprint for Personalized Learning in Delaware. I was also a member of the BRINC Consortium, a group formed to implement blended learning in several Delaware districts.

Being able to work with other teachers also implementing blended learning was key to my continued growth. We worked with Modern Teacher to understand the shifts in pedagogy necessary to transition to blended learning. I heard Caitlin Tucker at a BRINC training and have used her books to guide my continued development.

All of these experiences helped me find more effective ways to lead my students while empowering them to take responsibility for their own learning. On top of that, learning from and collaborating with others is a hallmark of the ISTE Standards for Educators, a subset of the ISTE Standards. The Educator Standards advise us to "dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems."

2. Use the technology you have.

Although it is not the focus of a student-centered classroom, technology plays a big part in the success of this approach because it allows the differentiation of instruction, assessment and expression of learning as well as the collection of student data.

My students - who are my co-learners and teachers - have helped me adapt to whatever tools are available. The standard hardware in core content classrooms throughout my district includes a set of 15 iPads, a projector and a document camera.

Students are allowed to use their cell phones for educational purposes. We use Schoology as a learning management system. I use Google Classroom and curriculum sites such as CommonLit | Free Fiction & Nonfiction Literacy Resources to embed high-quality digital content within our LMS. Much to my surprise, technology itself plays the smallest role in providing personalized learning for my students.

3. Let students make choices.

When I first embarked on this mission, I decided to "release" one piece of the assignment at a time in an effort to control student's' pathway through the material. Since then, I have learned to take a more personalized approach to assignments, which also aligns to the ISTE Standard for Educators that advise us to "foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings."

Class often starts with a mini-lesson, which then flows into students making choices about what they need to do next to meet specific learning targets aligned to the standards.

My units offer guidance to the students while allowing them to choose their own learning pathways and complete the activities in the order that makes the most sense to them.

For instance, while reading a short story, they can choose between just reading or reading along as they listen to a story. They can also decide whether to annotate online or on a printed copy. They can take notes on paper or record their thoughts verbally as they analyze the story.

While my students are still required to write traditional essays for many assignments, they also get the chance to show their learning in a variety of other ways. When appropriate, they can submit their analysis by writing a traditional essay, creating a website, creating infographics, writing a script for a video that they then record or via a communication tool they suggest.

4. Flip the content delivery.

I had another a-ha moment when I finally understood how to choose the right delivery method for various types of content. My first few attempts included finding a video on each topic to provide background information or delivering a face-to-face lecture on a new concept, followed by an online quiz. My inaugural online lesson consisted of a folder with a page for my essential question, a copy of my PowerPoint and a link for students to submit their notes.

But I was simply using technology in place of my normal face-to-face teaching. When asked to explain the "why" behind my choices during professional learning sessions, I realized there was more to creating blended lessons than simply adding technology.

Today, I carefully construct my units with specific learning goals that drive the method of delivery and learning activities. When deciding how to structure my lessons, I look at the learning activities I've used in the past to decide which were successful and which need to be refined or replaced. As a result, instead of lecturing to students and showing them a PowerPoint during class time, I often give them screencasts or videos to watch at home.

The screencasts, which I create with Zaption, Screencast-o-matic and Video Ant, are better than PowerPoints because students can hear my voice instead of clicking through a silent slide deck. And videos are better than face-to-face lectures because they can skip forward, pause or rewind as needed until they get the lesson. They still get a chance to ask questions during our class time or online.

This flipped learning setup frees up my students to use class time to practice their skills. For instance, they might annotate a short story or poem in Google Docs or take part in a Socratic seminar. During our unit on research into social justice issues, students receive a digital review of the research process and choose their learning activities based on their needs. Some may meet with me to review how to embed quotes while other groups start planning their presentations and still others work independently on gathering valid research.

5. Assess as you go.

Instead of just giving a final exam at the end of each unit, I try to use formative assessment to enable me to give my students guidance and assistance when they need it. I use a variety of methods for this. For instance, my video lectures often include interactive questions to assess their understanding of the material. Playposit and TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing are my go-to tools for this type of assessment. And our classroom is often noisy and active as we play a round of Kahoot, which gives me instant, actionable feedback on what we need to do next, who needs to be pulled into a small group for reteaching and who would be better off in a group that pursues extended learning while I reteach the rest of the class.

I also gather formative assessment data through:

Discussion threads.

Self-grading quizzes, which give students immediate and actionable feedback on their proficiency in specific skills.

Monitoring of students works in progress on Google Docs.

Exit tickets, which assess the class' comfort level with new concepts.

I use all of this data to inform adjustments to learning activities as well as selection of resources to help students meet the standards addressed in the unit. When the assessments show a student has mastered a skill, I can provide them with instruction to go deeper or learn new skills.

6. Pull it all together.

My original objective was to transform my classroom into a blended learning model that would give my students the best access to rigorous, engaging, personalized learning experiences.

Going into my eighth year, I am pleased with the progress we've made toward this goal and excited to implement new ideas including more flexibility in seating and groups as well as a better use of formative data.

My classroom today is a vastly different place than it was five years ago. Instead of showing up to class to hear me deliver all the content and teach the skills they need to meet the standards for our curriculum, my students are now the masters of their own learning destinies.

Instead of relying on notes they take during one-time lectures, they can access and even return to my videos and screencasts and other resources when they need them most, as they are working on an assignment or reviewing for a test.

My role used to be standing in front of the room lecturing about the research process, modeling various components and monitoring students' progress toward a final, correctly formatted research paper.

Recently I began partnering with the Human Ecology Foundation to expose my students to a range of real-world issues. The students then form groups and choose one to research and propose a solution or way to make an impact. Not only are they learning to do authentic research, they will be volunteering and learning about the issue through first-hand experience. Students can even win a scholarship for their research and projects!

I am available to assist students, conduct check-ins, and assess their individual responsibilities and group outcomes throughout the project. But most of the time I just stay out of the way while they learn how to effectively research, collaborate and create presentations together.

The biggest compliment I have received since all this started came from a student in my AP Language and Composition class. He told me, "Your class is easy. I don't mean simple - I mean it is easy for me to learn because I can pick assignments that let me do my best work."

I strive to make my classes that kind of "easy" for every student I teach. Across the board, my students acknowledge that they feel better prepared for college or jobs because of our use of collaborative technology. I've had students who are now in college tell me that our use of digital content made it easier for them to adjust to college.
Robyn Howton is English Department chair and the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) coordinator at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware. She is a member of the Rodel Teacher Council, which created the Blueprint for Personalized Learning in Delaware, and a member of the original cohort of the BRINC consortium. This is an updated version of an article that originally published on May 19, 2015.

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Turn Your Classroom Into a Personalized Learning Environment

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Personalized learning is the purposeful design of blended instruction to combine face-to-face teaching, technology-assisted instruction and student-to-student collaboration to leverage each student's interests for deeper learning.

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Unit 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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At a glance

Personalized learning is an educational approach that aims to customize learning for each student's strengths, needs, skills, and interests.

Each student gets a learning plan that's based on what they know and how they learn best.

Personalized learning doesn't replace an IEP, a 504 plan, or intervention programs.

To get an idea of what personalized learning is, try to picture a classroom that doesn't have a "one size fits all" approach to education. The teacher doesn't lead all students through the same lessons. Instead, the teacher guides each student on an individualized journey. The what, when, where and how of learning is tailored to meet each student's strengths, skills, needs, and interests.

Students may learn some skills at different paces. But their learning plans still keep them on track to meet the standards for a high school diploma.

That kind of classroom isn't the reality for most students. But it's the end goal of personalized learning, which is already being used successfully in some schools and is expanding in several states. Here's what you need to know.

What personalized learning is

Kids learn in different ways and at different paces. Personalized learning is a teaching model based on that premise. Each student gets a "learning plan" based on how they learn, what they know, and what their skills and interests are. It's the opposite of the "one size fits all" approach used in most schools.

Students work with their teachers to set both short-term and long-term goals. This process helps students take ownership of their learning.

Teachers make sure learning plans or project-based learning match up with academic standards. And they check to see if students are demonstrating the skills they're expected to learn as they progress through their education.

Personalized learning is not a replacement for special education. It's an approach to general education that can work with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a 504 plan, response to intervention, or other specialized intervention programs.

But accommodations, supports, and accessible learning strategies need to be essential parts of personalized learning. If done well, all students will be more engaged in their learning. And struggling students will get help sooner. If not done well, students with disabilities could fall further behind.

How personalized learning works

No two schools using personalized learning will look exactly the same. But here are four widely used models that schools follow. Each of these models sets high expectations for all students and aligns their learning to a set of rigorous standards.

1. Schools that use learner profiles. This type of school keeps an up-to-date record that provides a deep understanding of each student's individual strengths, needs, motivations, progress and goals. These profiles are updated far more often than a standard report card. And these detailed updates help teachers make decisions to positively impact student learning.

A learner profile also helps students keep track of their own progress. It gives the teacher, the student and, in many schools, the parent a way to know if they need to change a learning method or make changes to goals - before the student does poorly or fails.

2. Schools that use personalized learning paths. This type of school helps each student customize a learning path that responds or adapts based on progress, motivations, and goals. For instance, a school might create a student's schedule based on weekly updates about academic progress and interests.

Each student's schedule is unique. But it's likely to include several learning methods. (These are often called modalities.) The mix might include project-based learning with a small group of peers, independent work on certain skills or complex tasks, and one-on-one tutoring with a teacher.

A personalized learning path allows a student to work on different skills at different paces. But that doesn't mean the school will let a student fall far behind in any area. Teachers closely monitor each student and provide extra support as needed.

3. Schools that use competency-based progression. This type of school continually assesses students to monitor their progress toward specific goals. This system makes it clear to students what they need to master. These competencies include specific skills, knowledge and mindsets like developing resilience.

The student might work on several competencies at the same time. When they master one, they move on to the next. Each student gets the necessary support or services to help master the skills. The emphasis isn't on taking a test and getting a passing or failing grade. Instead, it's about continuous learning and having many chances to show knowledge.

4. Schools using flexible learning environments. This type of school adapts the environment students learn in, based on how they learn best. That includes things like the physical setup of the class, how the school day is structured and how the teachers are allocated.

For example, schools might look for ways to give teachers more time for small group instruction. It's not easy to redesign the way teachers use space, time and resources in the classroom. But this type of design thinking can help student needs reshape the learning environment.

The potential of personalized learning

Personalized learning isn't widely used in schools yet. Many aspects still need to be explored. But this approach has the potential to help reduce the stigma of special education and better meet the needs of kids with learning and thinking differences.

IEPs are too often focused mainly on deficits. But personalized learning paths can balance that by focusing on students' strengths and interests. Together, IEPs and personalized learning can give kids the supports to work on weaknesses and a customized path that engages their interests and helps them "own" their learning.

Personalized learning can also give students the chance to build self-advocacy skills. It encourages them to speak up about what interests them. It also allows them to be equal partners in their learning experience.

Personalized learning has a lot of potential, but it also has some risks. Teachers might not have enough inclusion training to make this approach accessible to all students. They might not know how to support kids with executive functioning issues. They might not know how to track competencies or analyze other kinds of student data.

The key is to make sure that when schools start using personalized learning, teachers have the training to meet your child's needs. And the more you know, the more involved you can be in the conversation.

Key takeaways

There are several models of personalized learning that schools can use.

Personalized learning may help reduce the stigma of special education.

Teachers often need more training to fully include struggling students in personalized learning.

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Personalized learning: What you need to know

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Imagine an approach to education that isn't "one size fits all." That's personalized learning. Here's what you need to know about this educational approach.

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Unit 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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ASSURE Model - Instructional Design Model

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Unit 5: Raising Rigor and Relevance

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Unit 5: Raising Rigor and Relevance

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The Most Popular Digital Education Tools For Teachers And Learners

Hundreds of digital education tools have been created with the purpose of giving autonomy to the student, improving the administration of academic processes, encouraging collaboration, and facilitating communication between teachers and learners. Here we present 11 of the most popular.

1. Edmodo

Edmodo is an educational tool that connects teachers and students, and is assimilated into a social network. In this one, teachers can create online collaborative groups, administer and provide educational materials, measure student performance, and communicate with parents, among other functions. Edmodo has more than 34 million users who connect to create a learning process that is more enriching, personalized, and aligned with the opportunities brought by technology and the digital environment.

2. Socrative

Designed by a group of entrepreneurs and engineers passionate about education, Socrative is a system that allows teachers to create exercises or educational games which students can solve using mobile devices, whether smartphones, laptops, or tablets. Teachers can see the results of the activities and, depending on these, modify the subsequent lessons in order to make them more personalized.

3. Projeqt

Projeqt is a tool that allows you to create multimedia presentations, with dynamic slides in which you can embed interactive maps, links, online quizzes, Twitter timelines, and videos, among other options. During a class session, teachers can share with students academic presentations which are visually adapted to different devices.

4. Thinglink

Thinglink allows educators to create interactive images with music, sounds, texts, and photographs. These can be shared on other websites or on social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. Thinglink offers the possibility for teachers to create learning methodologies that awaken the curiosity of students through interactive content that can expand their knowledge.

5. TED-Ed

TED-Ed is an educational platform that allows creating educational lessons with the collaboration of teachers, students, animators-generally people who want to expand knowledge and good ideas. This website allows democratizing access to information, both for teachers and students. Here, people can have an active participation in the learning process of others.

6. cK-12

cK-12 is a website that seeks to reduce the cost of academic books for the K12 market in the United States and the world. To achieve its objective, this platform has an open source interface that allows creating and distributing educational material through the internet, which can be modified and contain videos, audios, and interactive exercises. It can also be printed and comply with the necessary editorial standards in each region. The books that are created in cK-12 can be adapted to the needs of any teacher or student.

7. ClassDojo

ClassDojo is a tool to improve student behavior: teachers provide their students with instant feedback so that good disposition in class is 'rewarded' with points and students have a more receptive attitude towards the learning process. ClassDojo provides real-time notifications to students, like 'Well Done David!' and '+1', for working collaboratively. The information that is collected about student behavior can be shared later with parents and administrators through the web.

8. eduClipper

This platform allows teachers and students to share and explore references and educational material. In eduClipper, you can collect information found on the internet and then share it with the members of previously created groups, which offers the possibility to manage more effectively the academic content found online, improve research techniques, and have a digital record of what students achieved during the course. Likewise, it provides the opportunity for teachers to organize a virtual class with their students and create a portfolio where all the work carried out is stored.

9. Storybird

Storybird aims to promote writing and reading skills in students through storytelling. In this tool, teachers can create interactive and artistic books online through a simple and easy to use interface. The stories created can be embedded in blogs, sent by email, and printed, among other options. In Storybird, teachers can also create projects with students, give constant feedback, and organize classes and grades.

10. Animoto

Animoto is a digital tool that allows you to create high-quality videos in a short time and from any mobile device, inspiring students and helping improve academic lessons. The Animoto interface is friendly and practical, allowing teachers to create audiovisual content that adapts to educational needs.

11. Kahoot!

Kahoot! is an educational platform that is based on games and questions. Through this tool, teachers can create questionnaires, discussions, or surveys that complement academic lessons. The material is projected in the classroom and questions are answered by students while playing and learning at the same time. Kahoot! promotes game-based learning, which increases student engagement and creates a dynamic, social, and fun educational environment.

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11 Digital Education Tools For Teachers And Students

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Interested in tools that give autonomy to students and encourage online collaboration? Check 11 Digital Education Tools for teachers and students.

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Unit 5: Raising Rigor and Relevance

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Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom

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Unit 5: Raising Rigor and Relevance

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In shifting instructional techniques to utilize new technology and support Common Core instruction, it is easy for teachers to access an abundance of exciting applications, web tools, and lesson plan ideas that allow students to practice skills in a new way. Scrolling through Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, or other such sites, one could spend hours looking at examples of neat digital tools and captivating lessons that teachers are using in their classrooms. And although these tools provide catchy, exciting, and even memorable classroom experiences for our students, I would offer up a word of caution: Don't get too caught up in the fun and flashy, and forget about rigor.

Admittedly, this is a mistake I have made myself over the past couple of years. In creating and implementing lessons for an elementary STEM lab, I have gotten excited about the overwhelming student engagement, but neglected the learning outcomes. Don't get me wrong- student engagement is an essential part of good teaching. But I fear, at times, I have sacrificed rigor for relevance. The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the art of strong pedagogy is finding the sweet spot where students are so engaged that they embrace challenges that push them to apply their understanding at a deeper level.

So as we begin developing lessons for next year, how do we make sure that we do not get so caught up in catchy content that we neglect high expectations for learning? I would argue that just about any app can be included in a rigorous lesson when used as part of an engaging learning process, as opposed to standing alone as the entire learning experience. For example, a few months ago, I was planning a lesson on landforms and how the earth changes. Immediately, the old baking soda and vinegar volcano came to mind since it always proves to be a memorable crowd pleaser. However, as I thought about it, I realized that the demonstration, although fun, presents students with very little challenge or even interaction with the content. Therefore, I continued my search. I then found an app called "Volcano 360" which allows students to take a 360 degree helicopter tour of an erupting volcano. Again, this was a very fun-sounding prospect but it lacked the potential for deep learning. Finally, it occurred to me to use both of these experiences as part of a language arts lesson on compare and contrast. After spending a few minutes experiencing each of these short activities, and an introduction to compare and contrast, the students created a Popplet web comparing and contrasting the real volcano with our model. In doing this, they were able to discover how a volcano changes land and many even argued why that particular way of modeling a volcano is somewhat inaccurate. From this example, you can see how an app or activity that lacks rigor can be used as part of a lesson that is both engaging and produces higher order learning outcomes.

One of the most important considerations when developing rigorous lessons is setting strong objectives from the very beginning of the learning process. Recently, I was helping a teacher plan a science lesson on physical and chemical changes. Although we had identified an engaging science experiment for the students to learn about the two, we felt that the students needed more explicit instruction about facts related to these topics. Therefore, we decided to create a Padlet wall with links to websites and videos that would provide the necessary information. However, although all of the information would be disseminated to students, the links themselves did not provide an opportunity for productive struggle. Therefore, we decided to create a task for students to complete for each link that were more challenging for them. When creating these tasks, we wanted to make sure that students were considering answers to higher-order questions. Therefore, we used a Bloom's taxonomy diagram to help us create a rubric to set student learning goals for each task. (Google "Bloom's Taxonomy verbs" and take your pick from hundreds of images.) In grading their responses, we were able to screenshot evidence from their responses to justify our evaluation of each task. Again, this activity began with a simple science experiment and research tool, but was transformed into a much more rigorous learning experience by focusing on higher-order outcomes and the integration of content areas based on cross-cutting concepts.

Moving forward in our instructional shift and digital conversion, perhaps no one is more excited than I am about providing engaging, memorable, and meaningful learning opportunities for our students. There is no question that neat apps and interactive projects make content more relevant and enjoyable for students. However, in doing so, we cannot forget the pitfalls we learned from the whole learner movement. Exciting classroom experiences that lack opportunities for students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesis information will yield basic-level understanding at best and educational gaps at worst. There are so many amazing digital resources out there. But it is up to us as teachers to apply those resources in a way that will produce optimal learning outcomes and motivate students to embrace these challenges.
This article was originally posted on the Sam Houston Elementary School blog. You can view the original post .

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author: Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp

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author: Courtney Koestler, Jennifer Ward, Maria del Rosario Zavala, Tonya Bartell

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author: James B. Short and Stephanie Hirsh

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The Role of Rigor in Digital Learning - Corwin Connect

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In shifting instructional techniques to utilize new technology and support Common Core instruction, it is easy for teachers to access an abundance of exciting applications, web tools, and lesson plan ideas that allow students to practice skills in a new way.

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Unit 5: Raising Rigor and Relevance

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How Technology Can Increase Rigor In The Classroom
by Barbara R. Blackburn

Instructional rigor is a concept we can agree is important, despite the debate about the use of the word itself. Rigor is "creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels; each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels; and each student demonstrates learning at high levels (Blackburn, 2008)." But how does technology relate to rigor? As with any instructional tool, educational technology is critical to increasing rigor in the classroom. There are five ways technology can be used to increase rigor.
Technology can promote higher-order thinking.
Technology that increases rigor promotes higher order thinking, not rote level tasks. There are times it is appropriate to do lower level tasks, but they should build to higher levels of thinking. In other words, look for technology that is more than a basic worksheet on the screen. One tool that can be effective is using real-world simulations, which require students to analyze, reflect, synthesize information, and create solutions.
Expectations can be raised.
In a rigorous classroom, expectations are high for everyone, even though the product may look different for a student with special needs and one who is an honors student. For example, the teacher in one classroom I visited wanted to increase expectations by moving students beyond simply summarizing a text. First, some students compared two texts they read rather than one; others compared and contrasted three texts for an overall analysis of a theme or author study. In both examples, students then created analysis vlogs (or video logs) from the perspective of a book reviewer for a TV network rather than writing simple summaries. The technology perspective enhanced the expectation level of the assignment.

Consider if the teacher did not use analysis vlogs. Instead, he or she simply asked students to write a paragraph or paper comparing and contrasting the texts. Certainly comparing and contrasting is higher level than summarizing, but the technology transforms the activity. With the vlogs, students are required to put themselves in the position of a book reviewer for a TV network. This means they have to analyze the text materials, synthesize the information, and then present it in a manner pertinent to a TV audience, which typically has a short attention span. Therefore, the students must identify the most important points and back them up with evidence, rather than telling everything they know. These expectations are far more rigorous.
'Application' is more natural.
Third, application is the focus. Using an app like Glogster, students can apply their knowledge by creating a multimedia, interactive poster. This can be used for a variety of application-oriented projects, from creating their own math word problems with images to creating a new character in a story or book. I also like having students create an informational poster that contains three errors, and other students must discover the mistakes and correct them.
Technology-based often requires multiple steps.
According to Webb's Depth of Knowledge, increasing rigor also requires multiple steps to accomplish the assignment rather than one single step. Instead than simply writing an essay about a famous scientist, students can create a fake Facebook page. Through their research, they must generate information to complete the profile, add friends, "like" pages, and complete status updates. This process is far more complex that a simple writing assignment, and requires multiple steps for completion.

The technology provides the structure for the multiple steps. For students to complete the Facebook page, they must first identify what information they will need, so they will have a focus for their research. Next, they must find the information. Third, they must translate the information into the Facebook format, requiring them to analyze and apply.
It can be easier to provide support for rigorous work.
Finally, technology tools that provide support for students to process their learning in different ways also support rigor. In my social studies class, my students learned better by drawing a mind map or other graphic organizer, rather than listing information. Apps like ShowMe for the IPad allow students to not only draw their information, but to record any accompanying information. This is especially helpful for primary students and for those with special needs. Mindmapping is also a great tool for students to use to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and to plan for additional assignments. (You can find some free apps for mindmapping here.)
Conclusion
Technology is a powerful tool that can help teachers increase rigor in their classrooms. As you integrate technology in your teaching, consider how its use reflects the principles we've discussed. I'm sure you'll find that incorporating these five principles will help you not only best meet your students' needs, but raise the rigor of their learning to new levels.
Barbara R. Blackburn is the author of 15 books, including Rigor in Your Classroom: A Toolkit for Teachers. She is also a national speaker and consultant, regularly presenting workshops for teachers and leaders on rigor, motivating struggling learners, and instructional strategies that improve student achievement. She can be reached through her website at www.barbarablackburnonline.com; How Technology Can Increase Rigor In The Classroom

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How Technology Can Increase Rigor In The Classroom

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How Technology Can Increase Rigor In The Classroom by Barbara R. Blackburn Instructional rigor is a concept we can agree is important, despite the debate about the use of the word itself.

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Unit 4: Technology Integration Frameworks

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Technology Integration Frameworks Technology Integration Planning (TIP) What is it? What is its purpose? How is it used? 1 Technology Integration Planning (TIP) The use of technology tools in general content areas in educations in order to allow students to apply computer and What

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Unit 4: Technology Integration Frameworks

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Unit 4: Technology Integration Frameworks (Comparison Reviews)

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Unit 4: Technology Integration Frameworks (TPACK)

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TPACK: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework - Educational Technology

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What is TPACK? Technology has become an increasingly important part of students’ lives beyond school, and even within the classroom it can also help

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Unit 4: Technology Integration Frameworks (TIM)

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Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) and TIM Tools Introduction, 2013 ISTE Presentation

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What does effective technology integration look like? What does it mean? How can it be described in a way that provides guidance to teachers at every experience level? The Technology Integration Matrix provides a framework for defining and evaluating technology integration, sets a clear vision for effective teaching with technology, and gives teachers and administrators a common language for setting goals.

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Unit 4: Technology Integration Frameworks (SAMR)

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

The biggest obstacle to teaching online probably isn't the technology. Teachers seek out educational technology, in fact, because it "can have considerable positive impacts on student performance," according to a 2016 study -improving test scores and allowing teachers to assess student achievement more efficiently. The big problem is how to integrate it: Beyond the sheer number of tech tools available, the same researchers identified "inadequate professional development and training" as the primary obstacle to using technology productively in classrooms.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating edtech, as educators around the country race to get online as fast as they can. But as many of our teachers have noted, the current state of K-12 online learning is more like triage-a form of crisis management-and not at all like skillfully managed distance education.

What's missing from the conversation right now, which makes sense given the immediacy of the need, is a focus on the bigger question of what the highest quality technology integration actually looks like. That's an important conversation to have, because in a post-coronavirus world there's likely to be a greater emphasis on digital learning, even as we return to physical schools and take advantage of face-to-face opportunities.

A Hierarchy of Tech Uses

A powerful conceptual tool to think about technology integration-and edtech's best uses-is the SAMR model, developed in 2010 by education researcher Ruben Puentedura, who was the 1991 recipient of a Phi Beta Kappa teaching award.

The SAMR model lays out four tiers of online learning, presented roughly in order of their sophistication and transformative power: substitution, augmentation, modification, and r edefinition. When switching to an online format, teachers often focus on the first two levels, which involve replacing traditional materials with digital ones: converting lessons and worksheets into PDFs and posting them online, or recording lectures on video and making them available for asynchronous learning, for example.
Creative Commons
Those are important steps, especially when teaching online for the first time, but in classrooms where tech integration has moved to the mastery level, the last two levels of the SAMR model-modification and redefinition-should also be in the mix. Students in classes where this kind of mastery is embedded find more novel and immersive uses for technology. They are creators and publishers of their own work across multiple forms of media, for example, or they are inviting professionals to provide feedback on their work products, or participating in digital forums with other peers around the world.

It's tempting to think of SAMR as a mountain to be summited. But good technology integration isn't about living at the top of the SAMR model; it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

Here's a closer look at good classroom practices at each level in the model:

Substitution

"Substitution" means replacing traditional activities and materials-like in-class lectures or paper worksheets-with digital versions. There is no substantial change to the content, just the way that it is delivered.

The goal here is to keep things simple: there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Scan your lessons and worksheets, convert them into PDFs, and post them online using Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or a similar file-sharing service. Think about the information you have on your walls, such as the classroom norms, the daily schedule, or vocabulary lists, and convert them into digital formats that students can easily reference.

It may also help to provide synchronous as well as asynchronous versions of your lectures. If you're holding class meetings over a videoconferencing service like Zoom or Skype, provide a recording for students who can't attend. You can also create your own instructional videos for students to view at their own pace.

Augmentation

This level involves incorporating interactive digital enhancements and elements like comments, hyperlinks, or multimedia. The content remains unchanged, but students can now take advantage of digital features to enhance the lesson.

For example, students can create digital portfolios to create multimedia presentations, giving them more options to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. And instead of handing out paper quizzes, you can gamify your quizzes with tools like Socrative and Kahoot.

Teachers can also create virtual bulletin boards-using an app like Padlet -where students can post questions, links, and pictures.

Modification

At this level, teachers can think about using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, or Canvas to handle the logistical aspects of running a classroom, like tracking grades, messaging students, creating a calendar, and posting assignments.

Teaching online opens up new channels of communication, many of which can help students who have traditionally been marginalized. Research shows that girls may be less likely to speak up in class, for example, so they may benefit from backchannels -alternative conversations that can run alongside instruction-that encourage participation.

Zoom's text chat feature, meanwhile, gives students an opportunity to write their questions out, which can feel less intrusive if there are dozens of students participating in the call. Also, students who prefer to collect their thoughts may benefit from slower-paced, asynchronous discussions in an online forum or email threads.

Redefinition

Learning is fundamentally transformed at the "redefinition" level, enabling activities that were previously impossible in the classroom.

For example, virtual pen pals can connect students to other parts of the world, whether it's with other students or experts in a field. Virtual field trips enable students to visit locations like the Amazon rainforest, the Louvre, or the Egyptian pyramids. After reading a book in class, you can invite the author to chat about their work and answer questions.

Technology also provides an opportunity to bring authentic audiences into your virtual classroom, and can make publishers out of your students. Kids can write their own wikis or blogs for public consumption and feedback-and platforms like Quadblogging can connect distant classrooms together so students both write and respond. Students can tackle local problems-like investigating the water quality of a nearby river-and invite members of the community to assess their digital proposals.

Going Beyond SAMR

Finally, consider how technology can be used not just as a way to deliver content, but also to strengthen relationships with your students. For elementary school teacher John Thomas, Seesaw and Flipgrid allow him to share a daily greeting, which his students then respond to-or to each other-with a typed or voiced comment. It's a good way to provide some stability while they're isolated.

How can my lesson be improved using technology?

How can I engage and empower students through technology?

How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?

Remember, again, that SAMR is sometimes thought of as a mountain to summit, but it's really more like a toolbox. The goal isn't to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it's a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

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 Unit 3: Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Unit 3: Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Educational Technology Trends: What Teachers Should Know - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Use of education technology, any device that enhances student learning, is increasing in the classroom setting. Identify five recent trends that...

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Unit 3: Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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The last few years have witnessed a dramatic change in the learning model. The way students are being taught today is very different from the teaching methods that were adopted a few decades back. Technology has brought about various changes in the way education is delivered and received.

From self-learning to flipped classroom approach, we have seen technology make a considerable impact on the learning and teaching methodologies.

With numerous benefits to offer, digital learning has become an important part of the education system. Information and communication technology (ICT) brings in multiple benefits for digital learning and student-centric engagement. The ICT trends in education shaped the schools and universities to implement the latest in education technology in order to improve the teaching and learning process.

Top 10 Trends in Education Technology -

1. Collaborative Learning

The innovative trends in educational technology have made it possible for everyone to stay connected. The impact of the current trends of ICT in the field of education has paved multiple options. We connect, discuss and enact upon situations collaboratively. This collaborative approach has gained importance in the learning process as well. In a classroom learning model, teachers encourage collaboration by assigning group activities and tasks.

When students team up together to work on a project or solve a problem, it builds their collaborative skills. Working together improves their understanding and increases engagement.

Although eLearning is quite popular, it includes collaboration with features to share and discuss. In a traditional teaching model, a teacher enters a classroom, speaks for about 30 minutes, and leaves when the bell rings. But today, technology has bridged the gap between teachers and students.

You would find teachers and students interacting with each other more often. Teachers are far more accessible now and act as mentors to help students in their overall development. This collaborative learning approach helps students to interact with their peers and build their interpersonal skills.

2. Learning Outside the Classroom Environment

Various technology trends in education keep changing the digital world. Mobile-based devices have taken learning outside of the classroom. With mLearning and eLearning growing in popularity, students can learn at their own pace and time. This trend is expected to keep up as it is a convenient method of delivering as well as receiving the education. Designing mobile-first responsive content helps students to go through their courses anytime and anywhere.

Internet connection is no longer an issue with offline reading capabilities. eBooks can be embedded with many features to enhance the learning experience. Complete with annotation tools, bookmarks, hyperlinks, dictionary, search feature, an eBook makes learning more flexible. Most of the educational institutes today have adopted mobile learning into their learning ecosystems, benefiting students and teachers alike.

Who would have ever thought that social media would one day be accepted as part of the learning process? The technological trends in teaching and learning are rapidly changing every day. With kids as young as eleven having social media profiles on various platforms, you can't really expect to keep them away from social media for too long. So, teachers found a way to utilize this trend and turn it into a powerful tool for enhancing the learning process.

Educational institutes have started using social media as a communication tool, where students can interact with their peers and faculty members. Usually, students share videos and images with their friends and followers. But with social features embedded in their eBooks, they can share study materials, opinions, projects etc.

They can comment on someone else's post or share links to other websites, all the while building peer networks and enhancing the online learning experience. Teachers allow the use of social media as part of the learning model because it helps students to stay interested in their course and increases engagement. Social media is here to stay and incorporating it into learning modules will build a culture of collaboration and sharing, leading to an improved learning experience.

4. Interactivity in Classroom

Bringing technology into the classroom has made classrooms lively and interactive. With eBooks, the course content can be embedded with videos, augmented reality, audio files etc. Unlike a printed book, eBook allows for more interaction to take place in the classroom. The flipped classroom model has allowed students to do all the learning at home and all the practical work at school.

All these new technologies have brought about a change in the way that classes used to function traditionally. Teachers can now assist and guide students with their homework in class.

They can have discussions and activities in classrooms, creating an interactive environment where students are completely involved in the learning process. Creating interaction and engagement has become a priority for many schools and universities. This style of learning has seen a growth in recent years for its ability to keep students engaged in the classrooms. Here's a list of the 10 best ebook creators
Related: How to Create an Interactive eBook

5. Data Management & Analytics

Managing data has become ever so convenient and important with the advent of technology in the education system. Teachers can now have complete analytics of a student's performance, such as the number of tests attempted, chapters completed etc.

Homework and assignments can be assigned to the entire class at once and teachers can evaluate the results online. This kind of automation in classroom activities has enabled teachers to focus more on their course modules and offer in-depth guidance.

Analytics has become an important part of any online learning model as it enables the measurement of a child's engagement and academic performance. According to the data available, teachers can develop action plans to improve students' performance.

In case the data reveals a collective issue or a troubling pattern with an individual student's performance, it can be highlighted, and appropriate measures can be taken. The remote monitoring of student activities enables teachers to offer personalized training if required. All these factors have contributed to making data management and data analytics an important part of education.
Related: 5 Ways to Use Learning Analytics in K-12 Education

6. Immersive Learning with AR and VR

With the introduction of augmented reality and virtual reality into the education system, the classroom learning experience has undergone a tremendous change. Learning has become much more immersive than traditional methods. Unlike plain images and hands-on experiments in the lab, students can now view enhanced versions of the image and objects on their mobile devices. The augmented and virtual reality trends in education technology are making learning a compelling experience.

While augmented reality provides an enhanced view of a real image, virtual reality gives a false perception of reality around them. Both these techniques have taken digital learning to new dimensions. AR and VR are increasingly being used to explain complex concepts. From atoms to planets, and from Egypt to the Colosseum, students can explore and learn so much more.
Related: How Augmented Reality Can Transform the Classroom? Click on the image below to view an infographic about the Future of Education with Augmented Reality

7. Gamification in Education

The latest trends in educational technology have been gaining popularity for the simple reason that it increases student engagement. We have seen gamification being used in classrooms in different forms such as leaderboards, reward points, badges, stickers etc. Of all the trends in education technology, gamification is the one trend which guarantees an increase in participation, engagement, and competition.

Students become actively involved in the classroom activities to increase their scores and leaderboard rankings. And the need to lead the scoreboards result in improved performance and better retention.

Gamification incentivizes students to learn and practice, improving the overall learning process. So, teachers use gamification as a means to increase engagement, boost motivation and create an interactive classroom environment.

Either ways, it is helpful in increasing students' morale and encourages them to perform better every time. We can see this trend being utilized further, in more innovative ways to enhance the learning model.

8. Online Data and Cybersecurity

The need for data security is at an all-time high. While cloud storage has become the norm these days, it could prove disastrous at times. People and institutions prefer cloud storage because it is a shared environment and it makes accessing data easy for everyone. With that being said, there have been a lot of instances in the past where online data has been hacked for ransom.

Cyber threats have been a cause of worry for many institutions- educational and otherwise. Student information like name, email address, date of birth and phone numbers cannot be compromised. Test results and assignments are also stored on the cloud by many. Education institutes are implementing the best data security measures to protect their online data and their students' interests.

While we are at the topic of cybercrimes, we must also address cyberbullying. In 2017, 14.5% of students in the U.S. reported that they were bullied electronically. Cyberbullying could lead to dangerous outcomes, and hence schools and universities are taking appropriate precautionary measures to prevent online bullying. Cybersecurity, therefore, is one trend which holds a lot of importance in these times.

9. Personalized Learning

Personalized learning is an approach to education that tailors teaching and learning to individual students' needs and preferences. In 2023, personalized learning could become even more prevalent thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and data analytics. Teachers and educational technology platforms may use AI algorithms to analyze student data and provide personalized recommendations on content, pacing, and learning strategies.

10. Global Online Learning Communities

Online platforms are connecting students and educators from around the world. This global perspective fosters cultural understanding and collaboration. It also opens up opportunities for diverse learning experiences and cross-cultural projects.

Conclusion

It was only a matter of time before the education sector was taken over by technology. Although the acceptance rate was low in the beginning, it gradually gained momentum. Teaching and learning methods have undergone a significant change due to all the trends in education technology. Every year, new trends emerge to provide something new to the learners.

They say change is constant, similarly, innovations in the field of technology are also constant. And certain innovations can be implemented in the education system for improving their learning and development process. The result of these innovations become a trend which then leads to better teaching and learning techniques.

To know more, write to us at KITABOO@hurix.com.
Related:

DISCOVER HOW AN INTERACTIVE EBOOK PUBLISHING & DELIVERY PLATFORM CAN HELP YOU

Kitaboo is a cloud-based content platform to create-publish & distribute interactive mobile-ready ebooks.

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10 Trends in Education Technology That Will Have A Major Impact

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Discover the latest trends in education technology that are poised to revolutionize the way we teach and learn. In this blog post, we explore the top trends that will have a major impact on education in 2023, including personalized learning, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and more.

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Unit 3: Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Educational Technology Trends In 2020-2021

Big Data, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) were the biggest educational technology trends of 2019. However, distance learning has become the one trend that rules them all. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we teach and learn. Students now have to get used to distance learning via digital platforms due to social distancing. Even though some schools are reopening, this trend may continue until 2021. The latest EdTech trends in 2020, and further into 2021 are being revolutionized with a strong focus on connectivity, versatility, and student-centered learning. Let's take a look at the latest top 10 trends in educational technology.

What Is Educational Technology And Why Should It Matter?

Many people can recognize that EdTech is devoting technology to promote education. It's true, but not sufficient. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology ( AECT) has defined EdTech as "facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources." On the other hand, educators who actually use EdTech have a much simpler definition of the term. They say that it is a concept of transforming traditional book teaching and learning to digital form. For them, the main difference lies in the way knowledge is delivered (thanks to technology innovation) to make teaching more effective.

In short, EdTech is simply the is a process of integrating technology into education to build better teaching/learning experiences that result in higher learning outcomes.

For example, several hospitals are training their new nurses with online safety courses by using animation.

Why Should It Matter?

There are lots of reasons why educators shifted to EdTech, replacing the traditional paper-and-pen teaching method. Particularly, we list some common advantages of EdTech that you can easily see here:

Innovative Teaching Methods

Technology is an innovation of humans, so when an educator can apply technology to teaching, it is also innovative. EdTech allows teachers to provide multimedia to address diverse learning styles, such as animation, live video, etc. Besides, EdTech enables teachers to create online courses where students can learn in their own space and at their own pace.

Improve Collaborative Teaching

Technology has made it possible for everyone to stay connected. Students and teachers connect, discuss, share their opinions, and act upon situations collaboratively.

For example, eLearning is an educational tool that features collaboration by enabling students to share and discuss. Instead of being in a classroom and listening to teachers speak for 30 minutes, eLearning students can join an online group/platform and learn together by interacting with their peers. In this case, teachers are more accessible and act as mentors to help students develop themselves. This collaborative learning approach has bridged the gap between teachers and students and also helps students strengthen their interpersonal skills.

Teaching And Learning Process

Firstly, EdTech benefits how teachers teach, both online and offline. Not always having to go to a specific class at a specific time, students can learn whenever and wherever. Secondly, EdTech changes the way students approach learning. EdTech makes learning more fun and exciting for students. When we feel engaged in learning, we learn better, remember better, and also apply knowledge better to real life. Lastly, technology makes education smarter, more effective, thus, satisfying learners' needs more. True educators bring valuable knowledge to learners, both in theory and in real life. But smart educators are those who can create teaching from what learners want to learn.

To sum up, EdTech doesn't mean teachers have to become IT experts. But it's true that teachers can do these fascinating things only with technology, and that's why we need EdTech in life.

Top 10 Current Educational Technology Trends In 2020/2021

If you are an innovative educator, following the trends in education is probably not something new but rather essential. Even with this list, however, it is still up to you to choose the most suitable "trendy" aid for your teaching and training. Here we select the 10 latest educational technology trends that are must-know when diving into this industry.

1. eLearning

Distance learning became the top 2020 educational technology trend overnight because of the rapid spread of COVID-19 and school closures. This led to a rising demand for online educational platforms. eLearning is education or training delivered electronically. It can be slide-based online activities, or it can also be an online course that helps a business train employees in necessary skills.

With eLearning, educational content is delivered to learners through computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Not only saving time but opening many doors for interactive learning. Rather than being in a passive experience, learners can choose what they need to learn quickly and easily, wherever they are. They also learn through interacting directly with on-screen information through, for instance, dragging content from one place to the next. Moreover, the decision-making scenarios in eLearning also encourage learners to make their own choices on what they will learn next.

In eLearning, learners just soak in knowledge through reading or viewing content, it changes the way education is delivered. Also, many eLearning courses include animation, podcasts, and videos that create a multimodal and practical learning experience.

The last point is, although eLearning has been around for a long time, it is staying green and continuously developing. Educators are using the advantages of technology to make learning more effective. That's why more and more online and blended learning courses are produced nowadays.

Variety is the outstanding feature of online learning platforms. You can teach your students in real time (synchronous) via live stream or group meetings using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or you can use recorded (asynchronous) methodologies with a wide range of media and digital functions available to enrich lessons. A good online learning platform can also be combined with a Learning Management System (LMS) so you can keep track of your students' learning outcomes.

2. Video-Assisted Learning

In recent years, video-assisted learning has become more and more popular as classroom displays. The "video day" is no longer a television on a trolley being wheeled into a class. With the internet and digital devices, every day can be a "video day."

This trend is also booming in distance learning conditions, which students learn through computer screens. Videos, especially animated videos, are extremely beneficial to enrich lessons and make content comprehensible. It improves students' outcomes and reduces teachers' workload.

3. Blockchain Technology

The Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) from blockchain brings so many benefits to education, especially data storage. Every time new data is added, it adds another "block" to the system, so the storage is technically limitless. Simultaneously, the data will be encrypted and distributed across multiple computers in the system. It makes transacting data decentralized and transparent.

Blockchain technology is used in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and ePortfolios to verify skills and knowledge. The DLT systems will answer the problems of authentication, scale, and cost for eLearning agencies. Moreover, it can help student applicants publish their accomplishments during the job-seeking phase.

4. Big Data Will Get Bigger

To cater to learners' needs, the learning experience needs to be personalized. And with COVID-19 and online learning booming, we now have bigger data than ever before. Instructional Designers have relevant information about learners' experiences to customize and present the course in a suitable format. Some information you should look for is the course's topic, learner enrollment, learner performance (time per course, completion, test result), and learner feedback (rating, survey).

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI now is the "in thing" in the US EdTech market. People have predicted that through 2021, AI could become the primary trend and grow by more than 45%. So why is the trend booming in one of the world's largest markets for EdTech? First and foremost, AI can automate basic activities in education, like grading. It's now possible for teachers to automate grading of the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Thus, automated grading of students' writing may not be far behind.

Furthermore, both learners and educators could benefit from AI. For example, students could get help from AI tutors when teachers are too busy to take care of everyone. Also, AI-driven programs can give both learners and educators helpful feedback. That's why some schools use AI systems to monitor student progress and to alert teachers when there might be an issue with students' performances. Therefore, it's not too far fetched that AI is a powerful assistant for in-class teaching. Meanwhile, why don't you help your learners get more out of the educational experience via AI?

6. Learning Analytics

The current landscape of learning analytics has dramatically expanded, especially for higher education. Learning analytics allows educators to measure and report student learning just by the web. From that, it's possible for them to better understand and optimize learning.

When teachers read insights from students' learning processes, they can improve the knowledge and skill acquisition of their students accordingly. For instance, teachers are able to see what type of information (text, images, infographics, or videos) that students enjoy most and use it more in their following lessons. Also, teachers are able to notice what pieces of knowledge weren't effectively delivered and enhance them next time. Moreover, learning analytics helps educators identify blocks of students who may have academic or behavioral challenges. From that, teachers could develop a way to help students reach their full potential.

7. Gamification

If you are looking for a way to turn learning into a more fun and engaging process, gamification is the most suitable educational technology trend. There is no reason for students not to be actively involved in classroom games. Students can learn and practice while they are joining in on exciting game activities. Gaming elements help create a funny and positive learning environment for learners.

The adoption of gamification is most popular in the K-12 education sector. It's because kids are quickly engaged in gaming videos or getting higher scores in a game. However, it doesn't mean that higher education or corporate training doesn't need fun elements to improve the engagement level of learners.

8. Immersive Learning With VR And AR

The class learning experience has undergone a tremendous change since Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) came to education. The rise in demand for experiential learning pushes forward the development of learning with VR and AR.

Learning has become much more interactive than traditional methods. While VR provides a constructed reality, AR gives an enhanced view of a real image. Thus, they help explain complex concepts that plain images or even a lab's hands-on experiments couldn't show students. For example, VR is pretty helpful when you are attending a medical training course. In detail, VR creates a chance for students to experience real-world surgeries in a low-risk environment.

9. STEAM

STEAM-based programs are the new EdTech improvement over the STEM programs. This new trend of EdTech applies meaningful Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (the new element), and Math content to solve real-world problems through hands-on learning activities and creative design.

Concerning the advantages of STEAM, the first thing is that it helps students become increasingly curious about the world around them. Moreover, it also creates a safe environment for the learners to express and experience their ideas while thinking outside the box. The comfort of hands-on learning also helps students collaborate better with others.

10. Social Media In Learning

Have you ever thought that social media would be a part of the learning process? When every student, both young and mature, spends so much time on social media, why don't we turn it into a powerful tool to enhance learning?

It's how the idea to use social media for teaching came about. Many educational institutes have started using social media as a communication tool in which students can interact with others easily. Students can share study materials, discuss with others in a group, or easily comment on someone else's post. Even an animated learning video could go viral on social media. And TedEd is the typical example of this trend! This organization creates lessons worth sharing and posts them on YouTube where people can easily access, find, and share the educational videos with their friends.

Social media is here to stay and build a culture of collaboration and sharing, leading to an improved learning experience.

Conclusion

In the end, we know that there is a lot to digest when we talk about educational technology trends. However, keep in mind that technology has seeped into education and renewed its whole teaching and learning process. Especially eLearning, an educational tool that not only increases the accessibility and convenience of education but also changes the learning behaviors and learners' desires for learning.

But here is good news, you don't need to go alone on this EdTech ship because you have us who will join you in bringing forth the true value of learning, inspiring learners, and making education more relevant and empowering.

Originally published at www.flearningstudio.com.

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Top Educational Technology Trends In 2020-2021

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Big Data, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) were the biggest educational technology trends of 2019. However, distance learning has become the one trend that rules them all. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we teach and learn. Students now have to get used to distance learning via digital platforms due to social distancing.

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