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Scarborough, C. (2020, October 14). Best technology tools to support social-emotional learning. TeachHUB. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.teachhub.com/technology-in-the-classroom/2020/10/best-technology-tools-to-support-social-emotional-learning/

In the article the author, Clay Scarborough, provides readers with four technology tools that support SEL skills development in the classroom. First, he discusses how technology can help social-emotional learning. He notes that some students feel safer when they express themselves through technology compared to face-to-face interactions. He provides the example of students feeling more comfortable asking questions in a video chat rather than asking in front of their classmates. The first tool that Scarborough introduces is called Classcraft. This tool is accessible through both a website and app. The goal of this tool is for students to earn points through collaboration and competition. The games meet the students where they are and builds as they play. The next tool is called Weird Enough Productions. The comic storylines focus on SEL, literacy, and digital citizenship to connect students with superheroes called “The Uncommons." The third tool is called Class Catalyst. Administrators, teachers, and parents can use this website. For teachers, it can be used to connect with students and identify their social and emotional needs. For administrators, the website is helpful in deescalating situations and addressing students needs. Lastly, for parents the website can be used to address issues before they happen and fosters self-awareness and responsibility. The last tool is called FUNecole. This tool is a cloud-based program that incorporates STREAMS, 21st century skills, SEL, digital literacy, and coding by using cartoons.

This article made a good point in that some students are most comfortable collaborating and interacting with others through technology. This is especially true for students coming out of online learning. I liked how the article had a wide range of tools for teachers to use in their classrooms. I feel like my students would enjoy the Class Catalyst website the most and I also liked how there was a way for administrators and parents to be involved. Being an emotional support teacher, my students really thrive on earning and getting rewards so I also feel that Classcraft would be useful to me in the classroom. I especially liked how the games meet the students where they are and adapts as they play.

Kerianne Kuebler

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The year is 2020 and technology now seems like a utility (lights, electricity, water, etc.) in our lives. It is a way of life for our students growing up. With that, the basic needs of our students to develop the ability to manage their emotions, set and achieve positive goals, demonstrate empathy for others, build positive relationships, and make good decisions in a technological world that can lend itself to isolation can be a struggle.

How Technology Can Benefit Social-Emotional Learning

Since technology is now so integrated into our world, it also serves as a tool to help students develop the social and emotional learning aspect of their development. There are many students in classrooms everyday that would feel safer expressing themselves through technology. For some, the ability to not be face to face but still make a connection is part of the process for them building better relationships and overcoming anxiety in expressing themselves to others.

From my own experience teaching technology applications, I had software where I could see each computer in my room to monitor students' work, take over a computer to model what to do instructionally, and to chat with the students. There were times when students felt better asking questions through the chat rather than in front of their peers.

Just this week, I was doing a walkthrough in a class and part of the review for the students was on Quizlet. The teacher had the classroom divided into teams, and since I participated, I was on a team also. Let me add at this point I did poorly on this review of spanish numbers above thirty, but I digress. Students immediately started working together on their team to get more points than the other team. There was nothing on the line, except doing better than their friends. Through technology, students were working together toward a common goal. Sounds like a soft skill that employers desire-which is another benefit of using technology to develop social-emotional learning.

Best Technology Tools to Support SEL

Classcraft

Classcraft is based on the Self-Determination Theory which is based on what drives individuals to engage in specific activities. Those factors include extrinsic or intrinsic motivators, cultural factors, and competency.

Each student has the ability to earn points and improve regardless of their starting point so each student has equal opportunity regardless of where they start. The games involve collaboration and competition and allows educators to connect with students.

The games meet the student where they are in their development and builds from there, so the game is helpful in meeting students' needs and their various backgrounds.

Weird Enough Productions

At Weird Enough Productions, they have developed some superheroes called "The Uncommons" where "five unlikely outsiders must save each other to save the world." The comics focus on social-emotional learning, literacy, and digital citizenship in such a way that students identify with the superheroes. The stories help students to embrace their quirks and be comfortable being themselves.

After looking at samples, I get the picture that their goal is to help students who feel out of place or not necessarily included to have a place where they can identify themselves in their stories.

Class Catalyst

This program focuses on three goals: connection, self-awareness, and self-regulation. The website provides detailed information on how Class Catalyst benefits teachers, administrators, students, and parents.

For teachers, Class Catalyst is discreet so that a student has a private way to connect with an adult and it provides a look at each student's emotional and social needs. For administrators, Class Catalyst can de-escalate situations and help address Tier II students and their needs.

For parents the program helps to pinpoint issues before they happen and fosters self-awareness and personal responsibility. The benefits for the students seem fairly obvious in their SEL development.

One main difference between Class Catalyst and other websites is that it boasts there are no cartoons, tests, or cheesy content to follow.

FUNecole

This cloud-based program incorporates an interdisciplinary program with components of STREAMS (Science, Technology, Reading and Writing, Engineering, Arts, Math, and Social Sciences), digital literacy, computer science coding, 21 st-century skills, and social-emotional learning.

One of the teacher benefits of FUNecole is that if you are not strong in computer science or coding, there are materials to help you through so that you can help your students.

The FUNecole diverse cartoons feature Mr. Attitude, Starjack the Innovator, Ram the Doer, and Systematic the Analyst. These characters all have features to reach out to the diverse economic and cultural backgrounds of our students.

In the end, as great as technology is and will be in all of our lives and the lives of our students, by its nature it makes it easier for the introvert or person who would rather 'hide behind a screen' to do so and not have as much face-to-face interaction. With that at times comes a natural regression in basic people skills.

The programs listed above and many more online will help many of these students have a safe and comfortable way to come out of their shell in a way that is more familiar to them and at the same time, learn valuable skills that will help make them successful in their future endeavors.

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Best Technology Tools to Support Social-Emotional Learning - TeachHUB

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The year is 2020 and technology now seems like a utility (lights, electricity, water, etc.) in our lives. It is a way of life for our students growing up.

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Roberts, K. (2020, July 9). Using technology to foster social-emotional learning. LearnSafe. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://learnsafe.com/using-technology-to-foster-social-emotional-learning/

This article opens with the author discussing how educational technology has opened new learning opportunities for students. The author proposes that infographics and virtual reality can help visual and kinetic learners in a way that learning auditorily cannot. The author then describes what Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL means to readers. Next, the author explains why students need SEL. She states that now more than ever students are reporting higher levels of anxiety and depression. SEL is a solution that can provide students with the skills and support they need. The last section of the article provides examples of how to implement SEL learning using technology. The example discusses how to use AI to help autistic children learn communication skills in a safe, nonthreatening way. “Milo” in Robots4Austism can repeat instructions and communication as many times as a student needs and does not get irritated. The author also provides a link to Common Sense Education which can be used to find games and apps to teach “soft skills” to students across all grade levels.

The author made a good point in saying that technology is incredibly useful for students who learn visually and kinetically. We are told as teachers to modify and differentiate curriculum to meet student needs and that statement provided me with a moment of reflection. It was worrisome to see all the statistics that were reported from students regarding their mental health in particular the percentage of students that stated they have strong feelings of anxiety and depression. I feel that the Robots4Autism would be so beneficial to teachers. I think it’s particularly important to be mindful that all students need to be taught SEL skills, especially those with special needs. I feel that the last sentence of the article I felt summed it up nicely; “There is no doubt that SEL can enhance not only a learning experience but a student’s overall life experience as well.” (Roberts, 2020, para. 4) It's important to remember that we as teachers need to teach students the skills they need to be successful, not just academics.

Kerianne Kuebler

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Using Technology to Foster Social-Emotional Learning - LearnSafe

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Educational technology has opened up a new world of learning possibilities. Virtual reality and infographics help visual and kinetic learners in a way not possible with lectures alone. During the coronavirus pandemic, technology helped schools keep students safe while maintaining a high standard of teaching and learning.

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Woolf, N. (2021, November 8). Building
social-emotional skills with technology: how to use SEL to cultivate digital wellness. The Digital Wellness
Lab. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://digitalwellnesslab.org/articles/building-social-emotional-skills-with-technology-how-to-use-sel-to-cultivate-digital-wellness/

This article discusses how to build SEL skills using technology, specifically to cultivate digital wellness. Nick Woolf begins with explaining what SEL is and research as to why it has such a positive impact on student outcomes. For example, improved mental health. He continues to explain how technology has expanded student’s access to a whole new world of learning. Woolf then answers the question on what digital wellness is. Digital wellness is the idea that technology and media build digital environments to help the well-being of the whole child. One example he gives is for students to build social awareness skills through communicating online. Through digital citizenship lessons, students can identify and combat cyberbullying and learn how to be responsible with their online identity. The last part of the article discusses how parents can use technology to build their child’s SEL skills at home. The author states that research shows that when SEL skills are modeled and reinforced at home, that it can accelerate student’s social-emotional development.

This article was helpful in that it had resources at the end that could be shared with families to help guide them in reinforcing social-emotional skills at home. I feel like this was another way to encourage teachers to make caregivers a part of their child’s SEL instruction. It's so important to have a home to school connection and the resources included would be very beneficial for me to send home with my students. I feel that a major takeaway from the article was that in using technology to teach SEL skills that it gives students a “safe place” to practice what they are learning in regard to SEL instruction.

Kerianne Kuebler

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Throughout the past two decades, social-emotional learning has evolved into one of the most frequently talked about (and researched) topics within the field of education.

Social-emotional learning (or "SEL") is defined as the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain healthy relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions ( CASEL, 2020).

A growing body of research indicates that teaching SEL skills (such as empathy, perspective-taking, and gratitude) has a positive impact on a wide variety of student outcomes-from greater academic achievement to improved mental health to success in higher education and post-secondary careers. This has led school districts around the country to invest heavily in implementing SEL programs and practices that seek to support students in becoming self-aware, caring, responsible, and engaged lifelong learners who work collaboratively to achieve their goals and create a brighter future for all.

Along with SEL's surge in popularity has been a drastic increase in the presence of digital media and technology in the lives of children. Between 1:1 device programs in schools, the rise of virtual learning and educational technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the influx of new devices and streaming services from tech and entertainment companies, it's safe to say that students in today's world are more connected than any previous generation.

In many ways, educational technologies have opened up an entirely new world of learning possibilities for students. We must acknowledge how many new skills students have learned over the past two years while interacting through virtual classrooms and maintaining connections with family and friends through screens. The digital environment in which children and teens interact is a central part of their life experiences, positive relationships, and identity development.

As we continue to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of technology amidst a global pandemic, it's clear that supporting the social and emotional well-being and overall digital wellness of youth must be prioritized-this school year and beyond.

In this article, we will review the definition of digital wellness and explore how SEL efforts can be used to support the well-being of children and adolescents in both classrooms as well as at home.

What is digital wellness?

Digital wellness is an intentional state of physical, mental, and social health that occurs with mindful engagement in the digital and natural environment. Defined by the Digital Wellness Lab in 2021, the term refers to the capacity of media and technology to build digital environments that can help advance the overall well-being of children, their families, society, and humanity at large.

How can I use digital tools to promote SEL in the classroom?

Research tells us that digital learning and multimedia tools can support the development of social and emotional learning skills. Teachers and student support staff in schools can take advantage of digital tools that students are interested in using - such as tablets, smartboards, and computers - to build safe, supportive learning environments in which they teach and reinforce key SEL concepts.

For example: empowering students and elevating their voices are two themes that align with core tenants of social-emotional learning. Many SEL practices and lessons are designed to help students expand their minds and vocalize their thoughts. Technology can help teachers amplify students' voices and give students a chance to direct their own learning. Incorporating technology within SEL instruction and core academic content can help students work to their strengths, complete assignments at their own pace, and enjoy a more personalized experience in the classroom.

For certain student populations, using technology to help practice self-regulation and emotional labeling skills is particularly helpful because it provides them-as digital natives-with a more comfortable environment to practice. Moreover, teachers are able to offer specialized support and individualize learning for these students by adjusting the content, medium, learning style, and pace of SEL instruction.

Many schools are also incorporating digital citizenship programs (typically at the middle school and high school levels) that teach students how to apply SEL skills within online platforms for the purpose of managing digital environments with empathy, perspective, and self-awareness. In the same ways that we can teach (and model) perspective-taking, resilience, and productive struggle during in-person instruction, project-based learning with media and technology can enable students to practice kindness in the digital world. Communication in online settings (such as video games), identifying and combating cyberbullying using social awareness skills, and being self-aware and responsible while developing an online identity, are all examples of ways we can apply SEL skills to advance our collective digital well-being. Digital citizenship lessons can also help students reflect on their social media use, its impacts on their emotional health, and how it influences their social relationships.

How can I use technology and media to build my child's SEL skills at home?

Our childrens' social and emotional development begins in the home. Families and caregivers are the experts on their children and some of the most influential figures when it comes to cultivating social-emotional learning skills.

Research indicates that family members who reinforce and model the same SEL skills and competencies that are taught in the classroom can accelerate a student's social-emotional development. Yet, it can be overwhelming for parents to know where to start. School leaders, researchers, and educators can help initiate and nurture consistency between home and school for SEL.

Whether you're a parent, educator, administrator or caregiver here are a set of resources that you can use and share with families to help guide social-emotional learning efforts at home.

SEL with Families and Caregivers - this portal includes guidance from the Collaborative of Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) on how to extend SEL into the home.

Inner Explorer @ Home - this free mindfulness app from Inner Explorer is specifically designed for parents and caregivers to use with their children and features daily guided mindfulness and self-care practices for all age-groups.

Harmony at Home - these SEL activities (developed by leading curriculum provider Harmony) guide parents through ways to help check-in with children about their emotions and practice key skills such as empathy and critical thinking.

The Play at Home Guide - this toolkit from Playworks includes 30+ games that young children can play at home to stay active and build valuable life skills.

Additional Resources

This guide is just a starting point for using SEL to cultivate digital wellness. Here are some resources to continue deepening your knowledge:

- Nick Woolf, SEL specialist and education consultant

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Building Social-Emotional Skills With Technology: How to Use SEL to Cultivate Digital Wellness - The Digital Wellness Lab

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Throughout the past two decades, social-emotional learning has evolved into one of the most frequently talked about (and researched) topics within the field of education.

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Werra, E. (2018, June 16). The Right Fit: SEL and Technology. Advancing K12. https://www.skyward.com/discover/blog/skyward-blogs/skyward-executive-blog/june-2018/the-right-fit-for-sel-tech

The article discusses ways to develop solid SEL skills with the use of technology.  Erin Werra, the author begins by telling us ways that we can use technology to measure SEL.  Beyond using it to measure skills, students can use technology to work collaboratively as well as to reflect. They can perform self-reflection along with group reflection. Technology can be used with special needs to have explicit practice with social skills in a less threatening environment. Self-directed projects can help to motivate students and help to provide them with a sense of ownership. Another way to incorporate technology and SEL is to arrange video conferencing with individuals in different parts of the world.  It would allow students to see how others live and learn empathy for other cultures. The article concludes by discussing hardware that promotes SEL that is being developed. One is robot companions, as advanced as it may seem it is unlikely that a robot is able to show true empathy.  Finally, Werra details wearable SEL technology, one being a watch that has the potential to always record the wearer’s emotional state.

The article provides the reader with a variety of ways that technology and SEL can be integrated. Working collaboratively with peers is an important skill that many adults use in the workplace, having students work on this skill while still completing academics is a great way to intertwine both needs.  An earlier class I took emphasized the importance of students having ownership of their work to increase their motivation.  Having self-directed assignments allows them to take ownership of their learning, if a self-reflection component is added, it again helps to weave the skills together. I also thought the suggestion of video conference with individuals in different parts of the world would be a brilliant way for students to not only learn about other’s cultures but develop empathy for those that may not live with the advantages that they may have. It could be set up as a one-time event or even like a pen pal for students to make connections.

Lisa Rundle

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#Technology

Schools are heavily invested in preparing students for a future built on technology. At the same time, district leaders have refocused on incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) across all grade levels.

Both do involve a great deal of fluid, rapid change, but beyond that, a number of dichotomies start to emerge. Technology is solid, easy to measure, and widely accepted as being useful. SEL gets a lot of theoretical buy-in, then ends up stumping leaders who try to measure its abstract impact. Still, the Aspen Institute's on SEL in schools notes the "lack of consistency doesn't mean that social and emotional competence is 'soft, immeasurable, irrelevant, or faddish.'" Further, they note the critical importance of addressing SEL in schools as well as in students' homes, given the sheer amount of time students spend at school interacting with peers and educators.

We can agree the impact of technology is usually easier to observe than the impact of SEL, though both are important. With that in mind, let's explore how technology can help leaders implement strong SEL initiatives in schools.

Measurement
A primary function of technology is to measure the occurrence of learning and report data. When it comes to student data, if it matters, you should measure it. studied how to achieve the most effective SEL measurement possible. Their evidence produced the "3Ms Test." SEL competencies measured must be:

Meaningful: Predictive of student outcomes

Measurable: Valid assessments can produce reliable data

Malleable: Skills can be taught or developed in school

Their research tells us there's no point in using technology to measure fixed skills. If schools are not using assessments, or can't use the data they're gathering to measure outcomes, the assessment isn't worth the time spent to administer it. The good news is, some computer-based assessments can live up to these standards. Along with guidelines for assessment design, the Data Quality Campaign also stresses the importance of professional development to prepare teachers for using assessments and discussing data with stakeholders.

Skills assessments aren't the only tech-friendly method of gathering data. Documenting productive struggle using digital methods goes hand-in-hand with building grit and resilience. Although we know simply praising effort works to develop a growth mindset in younger children, once they've grown up a little, the strategy begins to fall flat.

New research shows praising teens' effort may actually . Adolescents have figured out effort means work, and they react accordingly. Instead of pushing effort, teachers instead used technology to document the process teens take when completing assignments or projects. They also suggested group reflection to identify areas of struggle and strength, since peer learning is important at this stage in development.

Technology stretches the possibilities and increases the accuracy of measurement in so many capacities-it's no surprise schools are embracing new methods to capture and report SEL data. Along with expanding measurement strategies, technology solutions provide specialized support and help teachers personalize learning by adjusting the content, learning style, or pace of SEL instruction.

For certain populations of students with special needs, using technology to practice SEL skills proves helpful because it provides a more comfortable environment to practice-though are careful to note it doesn't completely replace real-life interaction. Using technology to complete projects gives everyone, but especially at-risk students, an opportunity to take ownership and make choices about their learning.

Many schools are incorporating digital citizenship components of SEL to translate those skills to online platforms, includingpositive interactions on social media. Just as students practice empathy, resilience, and productive struggle IRL, they benefit from learning to practice kindness in the digital world. One tech-centered strategy is to introduce students to other kids in different parts of the world using conferences-actually seeing and interacting with faraway students helps build empathy and cultural intelligence.

Hardware on the horizon
SEL technology is expanding and is no longer limited to software. Parents are even experimenting with for their children. MIT researcher warns against leaning too heavily on these types of empathy simulators. As with many things in life, simulated connection isn't up to par with actual human interaction. Plus, humans already have a tendency to overestimate the capabilities of artificial intelligence-one of the major concerns about emerging . Just as driverless cars are a long way from mainstream, there are no robots capable of supporting true emotional connection.

Another forthcoming hardware option: . A few are commercially available (though none are widely used quite yet). Plans include biometric sensors capable of tracking physical responses aligned to stress and emotion, creating the potential for "minute-by-minute" records of an individual's emotional state. Theoretically, this data would be used to build self-awareness, manage emotion, and increase empathy. Even the youngest students have wearable tech options, tracking such as exposure to sunlight and words heard to foster literacy and social skills for early learners.

Tech and SEL: Natural companions
SEL's connection to technology goes beyond assessment and measurement, and it's more than just downloading an app or two. Give structure to students' SEL development by fully exploring the capabilities of technology to quantify and enhance learning alongside actual human interaction.

And if you really want to go all out, adopt a classroom robot.

Follow-up resource: What to measure
You have the right technology, but what on Earth are you supposed to measure? Get started with 5 Ways to Track SEL Efforts.

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Technology Schools are heavily invested in preparing students for a future built on technology. At the same time, district leaders have refocused on incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) across all grade levels. Both do involve a great deal of fluid, rapid change, but beyond that, a number of dichotomies start to emerge.

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Zitter, L. (2021, August 12). Boost SEL and Collaboration in the Classroom with 1:1 Devices. Technology Solutions That Drive Education. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2021/08/boost-sel-and-collaboration-classroom-11-devices

The article is focused on using technology to help students ease the transition to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers two different ways that teachers can use technology to boost social-emotional learning.  One is focused on collaborative learning, while the other looks at students’ well-being. Suggestions are given to use technology to foster collaborative learning with programs such as Pear Deck or Microsoft Teams.  Another suggestion is given to use Google Slides to create escape rooms.  They would help students to work together with a goal in mind.  Regarding students’ well-being, the article disuses a program called Beacon.  This program monitors students’ activity online and alerts staff if there is a concern for a student’s safety or well-being, other programs discussed are GoGuardian Teacher, which allows teachers to check in with students virtually, and DESSA Student Self-Report.  DESSA Student Self-Report allows students to explore SEL in a game-like setting.

The suggestions given to help students ease the transition back to in-person learning were well thought out and helped touch on students as a group and ad individuals.  I can see how the programs listed would be very beneficial for students’ well-being. Having the ability to flag someone that there may be a concern for their safety is huge.  I can see it being used in upper elementary and middle and high school. Any type of program that has students playing a game, while learning at the same time is a win-win for all.  While the purpose of this article was to highlight ways to make the return to the classroom easier, the suggestions that were given and easily be continued well beyond the pandemic.

Lisa Rundle

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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One-to-One Devices Support Classroom Social-Emotional Learning

Teachers can employ programs, accessed through one-to-one devices, to help students regulate their emotions, problem-solve, develop social- and self-awareness and reconnect with friends. Each of these elements are CASEL core competencies for social-emotional learning. School-issued Chromebooks also introduce students to computer-based collaborative learning, which supports social and emotional intelligence as students work to collectively complete goals.

"Cooperative or collaborative learning requires individuals to be self-aware," says Mark Sparvell, director of marketing education at Microsoft. "And self-awareness requires you to be able to accurately recognize, understand and label your emotions."

Mobile devices open the door to personalized e-learning opportunities, where students can practice social and emotional competencies as they develop their academic ones. GoGuardian, producer of many such programs, cites McGraw-Hill Connect, GSuite, and Microsoft 365 as "great examples of social-emotional learning technology." More narrowly specialized examples include Minecraft: Education Edition's The Mindful Knight, which introduces students to mindfulness for self-awareness, coping skills and self-management.

Social-emotional learning technologies can be divided into two categories: those that foster collaborative learning and those that monitor students' social-emotional well-being.
DISCOVER: Complimentary resources to help K-12 IT leaders prepare for learning anywhere.
Social-Emotional Learning Technology for Collaborative Learning

Products like GoGuardian's Pear Deck or Microsoft Teams offer breakout rooms, which can be used on student devices to foster collaborative learning and help students gain coping skills, emotional awareness and empathy through personalized learning experiences.

"Every Pear Deck lesson," Aguilar says, "begins with a simple check-in: 'How are you feeling today?'" Pear Deck's SEL checks help teachers gauge students' emotional well-being. Educators can follow up with positive feedback in real time, chat with the student or even call them after the lesson ends.

Sparvell cites tools that employ video-enabled environments for practicing open communication, as well as Minecraft, which provides experiential learning opportunities to resolve conflict, collaborate and make responsible decisions.

Educators have found creative and collaborative uses for other tools at their disposal, such as using Google Sites to create virtual escape rooms. These require students to work together to solve problems, aiding their social-emotional growth in the process.

Social-Emotional Technology for Monitoring Students' Well-Being

Then, there are products like Beacon from GoGuardian that analyze online activity in real time and help teachers monitor students' well-being through school-issued one-to-one devices. This and other SEL applications act as suicide or self-harm prevention tools while monitoring students online behavior.

Beacon monitors one-to-one devices for concerning activity and notifies responders if students seem likely to pose a threat to themselves. Another program, Impero Wellbeing, spots and addresses mental health issues proactively, says Kaitlin Trujillo, key account manager of Impero Software.

Aperture Education provides SEL school assessments that can be completed individually on a student's device in a gamified format. The organization's DESSA Student Self-Report allows students to "explore their SEL-related responses, identify their areas of strength and growth opportunities, and create a personalized growth plan through research-based strategies and personalized SMART goals," says Christine Nicodemus, Aperture Education's chief product officer. "All of this is done within a gamified, mobile-friendly software platform."

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Boost SEL and Collaboration in the Classroom with 1:1 Devices

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Teachers can employ programs, accessed through one-to-one devices, to help students regulate their emotions, problem-solve, develop social- and self-awareness and reconnect with friends. Each of these elements are CASEL core competencies for social-emotional learning. School-issued Chromebooks also introduce students to computer-based collaborative learning, which supports social and emotional intelligence as students work to collectively complete goals.

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Krause, C. (2019, July 12). How Tech Is Taking Social-Emotional Learning out of Its Silo. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-07-06-how-tech-is-taking-social-emotional-learning-out-of-its-silo

The author, Caitlin Krause, discusses the shift that is occurring in many schools and classrooms across the country; we are no longer isolating teaching SEL skills to students.  It is discussed that meaningful learning often goes hand in hand with interdisciplinary teaching. At the core of this learning are SEL skills.  She emphasizes that the more that we can integrate SEL skills with technology and academics the better off our students will be.  While attending the ISTE conference she points out that different ways that companies worldwide are recognizing the need to integrate and are rising to the challenge with many different options for educators. She closes the article by talking about “soft skills”, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. It is stated that these skills used to be often overlooked in technology and they are now seen as crucial skills needed to be able to complete things such as coding.

The article was able to show the importance of integrating SEL into other areas of the curriculum.  If students have solid “soft skills” they will ultimately be more successful in school in general. Readers are given just a few examples that were presented at ISTE to integrate technology and SEL.  ClassCatalyst is one that is given, and it allows students to log how they are feeling each day.  It seems like a simple way to do a quick check-in with students daily and allows teachers to see how they are feeling.  The article closes and tells us that if done correctly this should feel completely natural, as a teacher I know that we would all appreciate something that does not require adding one more item to my plate.
Lisa Rundle

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When I started out as a high school teacher in the early 2000s, I was using a lot of technology designed for connection. It was the advent of SmartBoards and podcasts, voicethreads and vlogging. Yet even in the midst of all the excitement, I didn't feel completely connected with my students.

It was only when I coupled tech with meaning-with my own pedagogical practices of mindfulness, attention and presence-that the social-emotional skills and the academic learning began to take off. I realized then what's always been true: Meaningful, authentic learning is connected and interdisciplinary by nature, and communities thrive when there's social care at the core.

This year's ISTE 2019 conference in Philadelphia marked nearly 20 years since I entered the education profession, and I'm seeing a tidal shift in the approach to integrating technology in learning. No longer are social-emotional learning and edtech siloed, or even separate entities. In a way, you could say it's all connected.

The meaning behind connected learning, and human connection itself, is taking center stage, with technology being used as a means to facilitate, expand and empower the mind and voice of every learner-student and teacher alike. Just as edtech is blending with our pedagogical practices, social-emotional learning, or SEL, is also being approached in a more holistic way. Our approach to learning is undergoing a necessary sea change, at a point when it seems all parts of the educational ecosystem-students, teachers, parents and administrators-desperately need it.

SEL is not a new topic, yet for years it's been approached as its own separate entity, to be focused on in a discrete way, perhaps along with a separate mindfulness program. In my book "Mindful by Design," I approach mindfulness from a designer's lens, showing ways that mindfulness-related concepts, such as awareness, advancement and authenticity can be infused directly into daily content and teaching practices. In the same way, research shows that SEL is most effective when it's made part of the daily curriculum, and a regular part of the way in which educators approach using technology.

It makes perfect sense, as true learning happens when we link the lesson to a context that feels real and when we practice interacting with others in a community. Using SEL, we begin to see that no student is an island.

The benefits don't stop there. A meta-analysis of 213 school-based SEL programs involving over 270,000 students between Pre-K and high school not only linked these programs to boosts in attitudes and behavior but significant academic performance as well.

At ISTE, it was clear that the community we're talking about spans the globe, and the ways that companies are taking SEL-infused tech to the next level are as vast as they are visionary.

In some cases, students play the heroes as they map their own journeys. Classcraft, for example, has built an engagement management system that promotes SEL through a game-based platform that blends physical and virtual learning. Weird Enough Productions gives you a chance to create stories where the superheroes and comics represent you and your world. (Or, in their words, "We tell stories that inspire people to embrace their quirks, and get hype about being themselves.")

ClassCatalyst is a new tool that lets students log in how they're feeling during a day, allowing a piece of SEL to be quantified and increasing chances for teachers to connect with students, no matter how busy the day. And Wabisabi Learning -whose motto is "Restore balance and energize the school day"-is a multifaceted community platform that captures evidence of learning, focuses on ways to approach formative assessments and offers portfolios that showcase creativity.

New Metrics for Success

There's so much development and growth in the SEL arena. But it often takes a bit of patience and determination to prioritize it and make the deeper connections using tech. And, perhaps part of the intimidation at first is the vagueness of the term "social-emotional learning" itself. As Voltaire said, "If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." Those working with SEL often point to the definition from CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, which both defines the term and identifies five related competencies related to its definition that can be assessed and mastered: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.

These skills, sometimes labeled as "soft skills," have often been sidelined, especially in edtech arenas, in favor of the hard skills-think: coding-that are more easily measured and used for testing academic ability and growth. Fortunately, these labels are being reevaluated as we learn that they are inter-reliant in terms of looking at long term measures of success. Soft skills help build important qualities such as attention, motivation and positive mindset, which are among the many plastic attributes that can be cultivated for both teachers and students, to incredible effect.

In essence, society is starting to form new metrics for success, which include well-being. To that end, my experience at ISTE revealed people and organizations in the edtech space who are focusing on student voice and expression, visible learning, storytelling and social and emotional learning-a critical part of education's sea change. From Adobe to Flipgrid, Mind Yeti to 3DBear, the legends and newcomers in edtech are innovating ways to amplify student voice, foster wellness and promote social learning across disciplines and cultures, with accessibility for all. These are big visions, and the timing is ripe for it.

The industry now realizes that technology, of course, can be a bridge, helping students and teachers to connect. It can even help us to connect with ourselves. It's no longer the case that tech is competing with humans to build these skills, but rather is complementing our efforts. The question for edtech developers has become: How does SEL look when it's built into technology as one of the core values in the design cycle of product development, with the user experience as top priority?

When I began to prioritize using elements of mindfulness and SEL in my teaching strategies, my classroom looked and felt different, though the content was the same. I didn't announce any shifts, but my students could feel it. I was present, and the tech tools I used became intentional by design. Now, with even more powerful edtech developed with mindful values, teachers can take advantage of a precious resource-time-in order to be even more present and available to students we serve, as well as resilient and refreshed, with a better balance for ourselves.

When done right, this human-centric approach to edtech feels completely natural, as it should be. And, it's already revolutionizing the education world in ways that have a ripple effect, inside out.

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How Tech Is Taking Social-Emotional Learning out of Its Silo - EdSurge News

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When I started out as a high school teacher in the early 2000s, I was using a lot of technology designed for connection. It was the advent of SmartBoards and podcasts, voicethreads and vlogging. Yet even in the midst of all the excitement, I didn't feel completely connected with my students.

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This is where you will summarize and assess the source in the citation. The first paragraph provides a brief summary of the article, covering the main points of the work. The second paragraph points out the article's strengths and evaluates its methods and presentation.

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Only a few decades ago, most people felt that social and emotional skills should be taught primarily at home. Today, the proliferation of character education, antibullying, and social skills programs signals a growing recognition of the important role of schools in promoting social and emotional learning, or SEL.

Too often, however, schools teach social and emotional skills outside the daily curriculum. Consider how much more relevant such skills would be if we embedded them in daily work, supporting students as they learn to cooperate effectively with a lab partner, set realistic writing goals, persevere through a tough math problem, or self-regulate well enough to allow others to speak in a class discussion.

Interestingly-perhaps even counterintuitively-we may find the impetus for this next step in our evolution of SEL teaching in the Common Core State Standards.

Common Core and SEL Together? Really?

Have you ever examined the Common Core State Standards with an eye toward social and emotional skills? As I've worked with schools and districts to help bring academic and social and emotional learning together, I've increasingly been turning to these standards and others (the Next Generation Science Standards, Virginia's Standards of Learning, and so on) to find connections to social and emotional learning.

I tried an exercise that yielded fascinating results. Combing through the Common Core English/language arts standards for grade 5 as well as the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice, which cut across all grades, I found an amazing number of places where SEL skills were embedded in these academic standards. Here are just a few examples of connections between the Common Core standards and the five core social and emotional competencies outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

Responsible Decision Making

It's clear that SEL skills and academics are intertwined. Teaching students how to share ideas respectfully, have empathy for academically diverse partners, push through challenges to meet goals, and control impulses are just as important as teaching them to read fluently, multiply fractions, and write a well-constructed essay. Learning these social and emotional skills is especially important for students who struggle in school academically; these students often lack appropriate social skills and self-regulation, yet interventions often involve pulling them from class to drill them with academic skills, either away from peers or grouped with peers who also lack SEL skills.

Instead of viewing social and emotional learning as tangential-something to fit in around the edges of the curriculum-we should treat it as an integral part of our daily teaching for all students.

Teaching SEL Skills

Once teachers begin to see the connections between teaching for academic learning and social-emotional learning, it makes intuitive sense. After all, we've all seen the powerful academic work that can happen when a group of students work cooperatively and respectfully, and we've all watched even the best-planned lessons and activities disintegrate into chaos when students are antagonistic, irresponsible, or self-absorbed.

Yet many teachers feel that they don't know how to teach social and emotional skills. "I know how to teach math just fine," they might think, "but I don't know how to teach self-regulation. That's a job for the counselor." Actually, the same instructional practices we use to teach academic skills can be applied to teaching social and emotional skills.

For example, like academic instruction, SEL instruction requires the teacher to preplan the key elements of what to teach. What is the skill that students need to succeed? What should it look like in action? How might we break that skill down so we can teach it well?

Another important practice that applies to both academic and SEL instruction is modeling. The same steps we might use to model a new math algorithm can be used to model how to follow group norms during a social studies debate: We model skills so that students see them demonstrated effectively, we explicitly point out the important details of the demonstration, and we give students an opportunity to try the skill out right away. And more broadly, we model social and emotional skill by maintaining positive relationships with our colleagues, keeping our cool when we're frustrated, and apologizing when we make mistakes.

Small-group and individual coaching also work for both academic and SEL instruction. Just as you might pull together a small group of students who all need to practice long division, so, too, you might pull together a small group to reteach and practice setting realistic personal goals.

Finally, both academic and SEL skills require practice. We know that most students can't learn how to balance chemical equations in just one lesson. They'll need several lessons and lots of time to practice and consolidate. The same goes for SEL skills. Managing stress under pressure, regulating one's emotions, empathizing with others, and negotiating conflicts respectfully and effectively are hard skills to master. We should have patience and empathy for our students as they try, practice, make mistakes, and try again.

A Look at Tim's Classroom

Tim's 6th graders are about to begin working together in literature groups to learn and practice skills from the Common Core State Standards, including analyzing the way plots unfold, understanding how authors develop a narrator's point of view and create believable characters, summarizing, and expressing opinions about the texts. They will also practice Common Core speaking and listening skills through their collaborative conversations.

In years past, Tim might have simply assigned students to groups on the basis of what he knew about their interests and abilities and then encouraged them to cooperate and be respectful as they followed their discussion protocols. This year however, Tim has been working at setting students up for success with social and emotional skills through their academic work. He uses several strategies to help students get the most out of these book groups.

Direct teaching and practice. Each day, in addition to teaching and having students practice academic skills, Tim also teaches social and emotional skills. For example, to show what it looks like to disagree respectfully, he has another student role-play a scene with him. The student shares an opinion, and then Tim gives a respectful counteropinion using the prompt: "I can see your point of view, and I have a different idea." After he shares, he asks students to describe how he disagreed respectfully. He then challenges students to try this strategy using the prompt he demonstrated. As groups work together, Tim coaches and reinforces them when they disagree respectfully.

Tim noticed something interesting as he embedded SEL skills in the context of academic work. At first, he feared that teaching these skills would take too much time; after all, like nearly all teachers, he has an insane amount of content to cover. However, in past years when facilitating book groups, Tim would often have to stop to unravel disagreements and hurt feelings that resulted from students' lack of social and emotional skills. These interruptions in the academic work made Tim reluctant to try book groups again.

This time around, although there were still some behavior challenges, groups didn't tend to fall apart. And when Tim saw challenges arising, he simply wove the new skills that students needed right into the next day's academic lessons or coached individual groups as needed. For example, on Tuesday he saw several groups getting derailed when one of their members with a powerful voice took over, so on Wednesday, he led a brief class discussion on how to share "airtime." Tim and his students worked more efficiently and enjoyed the work more, and the students were more academically engaged than he'd ever seen them before.

Not Just One Lesson

We wouldn't expect that one academic lesson, no matter how good, would result in students mastering a new concept or skill. We know that using one intervention wouldn't ensure that students who struggle academically will suddenly catch up to their peers. Good academic learning takes time and practice.

The same is true for social and emotional learning. Tim might teach a great lesson on how to use a calm and respectful tone of voice when disagreeing with a group member, but he knows it will take time and practice for students to master this skill. (Heck, if he's honest with himself, he recognizes how hard this skill still is for him when he disagrees with a colleague in a meeting.) He also knows that some students will require more coaching, support, and patience than others do. Fortunately, the integration of SEL skills into the new standards now gives teachers like Tim a framework and structure to provide the time and practice students need to master these life skills.

Getting Started: A Few Action Steps

Here are some steps your school, grade-level team, or department can take to get started in integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) with academic instruction.

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Social-Emotional Learning and Academics: Better Together

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The Common Core State Standards give us a golden opportunity to teach social-emotional skills and academic skills together.

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Werra, E. (2018, June 16). The right fit: Sel and technology. Advancing K12. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://www.skyward.com/discover/blog/skyward-blogs/skyward-executive-blog/june-2018/the-right-fit-for-sel-tech.

Erin Werra notes the demand in education for increases in technology and social emotional skills and suggests the two can be intertwined to support each other. Technology can support social-emotional learning through assessment and measurement of skills. The process of completing group projects can be documented through technology and allow for students to reflect and (digitally) discuss their strengths and weaknesses, thus reducing the need for teacher praise, which can have a negative impact on the amount of effort teenagers put into their work. SEL content can be customized and personalized through technology along with the presentation and pace to meet individual learning styles and needs. Often technology provides a more comfortable, risk-free environment for students with special needs to practice social skills and allows students to work on self-directed projects, increasing their ownership and motivation in the learning process. Digital citizenship lessons can provide students with instruction in appropriate etiquette for online platforms, which translates to their social media life at home. Teachers can schedule video chats with students from across the globe to help their class build empathy and cultural understanding. Finally, wearable SEL technology is available that tracks responses to stress and emotion to increase self-awareness and emotion management.

This article makes a valid point, that often when teenagers are provided with praise (especially vague praise) in front of peers, it can cause them to withdraw and decrease their effort. Even with my younger students, if I provide praise it can go in one ear and out the other, but showing students their progress has a drastic effect. The article suggests similar ideas such as customization to needs, judgement free environment, and digital citizenship, but I enjoy the suggestion of self-directed projects. During the Ownership of Learning course, we discussed in depth the idea of self-directed projects; I struggled greatly with this idea at first. However, it definitely helped my student increase her motivation and would never have been possible without technology. As for the wearable SEL technology, I know my Halo band can collect data on my voice to determine how well I express my emotions, but I feel this may be too invasive for students, as I do not want it turned on for my own device.

-Michelle Whitehouse

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#Technology

Schools are heavily invested in preparing students for a future built on technology. At the same time, district leaders have refocused on incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) across all grade levels.

Both do involve a great deal of fluid, rapid change, but beyond that, a number of dichotomies start to emerge. Technology is solid, easy to measure, and widely accepted as being useful. SEL gets a lot of theoretical buy-in, then ends up stumping leaders who try to measure its abstract impact. Still, the Aspen Institute's on SEL in schools notes the "lack of consistency doesn't mean that social and emotional competence is 'soft, immeasurable, irrelevant, or faddish.'" Further, they note the critical importance of addressing SEL in schools as well as in students' homes, given the sheer amount of time students spend at school interacting with peers and educators.

We can agree the impact of technology is usually easier to observe than the impact of SEL, though both are important. With that in mind, let's explore how technology can help leaders implement strong SEL initiatives in schools.

Measurement
A primary function of technology is to measure the occurrence of learning and report data. When it comes to student data, if it matters, you should measure it. studied how to achieve the most effective SEL measurement possible. Their evidence produced the "3Ms Test." SEL competencies measured must be:

Meaningful: Predictive of student outcomes

Measurable: Valid assessments can produce reliable data

Malleable: Skills can be taught or developed in school

Their research tells us there's no point in using technology to measure fixed skills. If schools are not using assessments, or can't use the data they're gathering to measure outcomes, the assessment isn't worth the time spent to administer it. The good news is, some computer-based assessments can live up to these standards. Along with guidelines for assessment design, the Data Quality Campaign also stresses the importance of professional development to prepare teachers for using assessments and discussing data with stakeholders.

Skills assessments aren't the only tech-friendly method of gathering data. Documenting productive struggle using digital methods goes hand-in-hand with building grit and resilience. Although we know simply praising effort works to develop a growth mindset in younger children, once they've grown up a little, the strategy begins to fall flat.

New research shows praising teens' effort may actually . Adolescents have figured out effort means work, and they react accordingly. Instead of pushing effort, teachers instead used technology to document the process teens take when completing assignments or projects. They also suggested group reflection to identify areas of struggle and strength, since peer learning is important at this stage in development.

Technology stretches the possibilities and increases the accuracy of measurement in so many capacities-it's no surprise schools are embracing new methods to capture and report SEL data. Along with expanding measurement strategies, technology solutions provide specialized support and help teachers personalize learning by adjusting the content, learning style, or pace of SEL instruction.

For certain populations of students with special needs, using technology to practice SEL skills proves helpful because it provides a more comfortable environment to practice-though are careful to note it doesn't completely replace real-life interaction. Using technology to complete projects gives everyone, but especially at-risk students, an opportunity to take ownership and make choices about their learning.

Many schools are incorporating digital citizenship components of SEL to translate those skills to online platforms, includingpositive interactions on social media. Just as students practice empathy, resilience, and productive struggle IRL, they benefit from learning to practice kindness in the digital world. One tech-centered strategy is to introduce students to other kids in different parts of the world using conferences-actually seeing and interacting with faraway students helps build empathy and cultural intelligence.

Hardware on the horizon
SEL technology is expanding and is no longer limited to software. Parents are even experimenting with for their children. MIT researcher warns against leaning too heavily on these types of empathy simulators. As with many things in life, simulated connection isn't up to par with actual human interaction. Plus, humans already have a tendency to overestimate the capabilities of artificial intelligence-one of the major concerns about emerging . Just as driverless cars are a long way from mainstream, there are no robots capable of supporting true emotional connection.

Another forthcoming hardware option: . A few are commercially available (though none are widely used quite yet). Plans include biometric sensors capable of tracking physical responses aligned to stress and emotion, creating the potential for "minute-by-minute" records of an individual's emotional state. Theoretically, this data would be used to build self-awareness, manage emotion, and increase empathy. Even the youngest students have wearable tech options, tracking such as exposure to sunlight and words heard to foster literacy and social skills for early learners.

Tech and SEL: Natural companions
SEL's connection to technology goes beyond assessment and measurement, and it's more than just downloading an app or two. Give structure to students' SEL development by fully exploring the capabilities of technology to quantify and enhance learning alongside actual human interaction.

And if you really want to go all out, adopt a classroom robot.

Follow-up resource: What to measure
You have the right technology, but what on Earth are you supposed to measure? Get started with 5 Ways to Track SEL Efforts.

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Technology Schools are heavily invested in preparing students for a future built on technology. At the same time, district leaders have refocused on incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) across all grade levels. Both do involve a great deal of fluid, rapid change, but beyond that, a number of dichotomies start to emerge.

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5 Tools for Incorporating Technology in Social Emotional Learning

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5 Tools for Incorporating Technology in Social Emotional Learning

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Curletto, A. (2020). 5 tools for incorporating technology in social emotional learning. Stanfield. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://stanfield.com/5-sel-technology-tools/.

Amy Curletto points out although kids love technology, without instruction it can often hinder communication rather than improve it. However, when implemented properly technology can make SEL more engaging and help students work on several skills at a time. Five tools are suggested between classroom hardware, applications, and online resources. Microphones and audio systems are recommended to teach students public speaking and active listening skills. Robots are suggested to provide communication skills in a less threatening, patient, and consistent manner. The Circles Social Skills Utility application provides instruction in the different levels of relationships and appropriate touch, talk, and trust allotted to each. Classroom management applications, such as Class Dojo and Bloomz, provide rewards for behavior and track progress allowing a teacher to reflect upon classroom social-emotional needs, build a community, and communicate or share information with parents. Finally, Google Classroom allows for students to collaborate on projects and hold discussions in an academic context.

This article includes suggestions commonly noted throughout other articles on using technology in providing SEL, such as robots for students with autism, Class Dojo, and Google Classroom for project collaboration. However, it is the first time I have read about the use of microphones and speakers for students to practice public speaking. I feel as though it is a wonderful and often overlooked idea. Typically, I hear teachers telling quiet students to speak up, but public speaking is much more than talking louder. It makes sense to provide them with a tool to increase the volume of their voice and allow them to build other speaking skills while increasing the opportunity for the rest of the class to hear the speaker and work on their active listening skills. I am also very intrigued by the Circles Curriculum, since I currently have a student who is legally blind and does not understand appropriate levels of touch. Everything in her world is accessed by touch and this would greatly help her to understand the social expectations for increasing distance with people she is not close to.

-Michelle Whitehouse

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It's no secret that kids today love their technology. In many ways, technology hinders a child's communication abilities. Kids in the same room often prefer to text each other than to talk face-to-face or get lost on social media. However, some technological tools can help students develop their social and emotional skills. Here are a few ideas inspired by eSchool News:

Microphones/Audio Systems

These range from mic systems that are built into the walls or ceiling of a classroom and synced with other technology to a simple karaoke machine. Most kids fear public speaking, yet it is a skill kids need to be comfortable with. It's important to expose students to as many opportunities to speak in front of their peers as possible. When their peers talk, the other students learn to listen. A microphone and speaker have many benefits:

* It allows the other students to hear the speaker clearly, helping them be more attentive.
* The student holding the microphone is a visual cue to the other students, so they know it is the speaker's turn.
* The student gets used to hearing their own voice and being heard by others, increasing their confidence.

Robots

Robots? No, it's not the Jetson's, it's a reality. While robots cannot replace a teacher in the classroom (what we do would never be replicated by a piece of technology), some schools are finding success incorporating robots into their SEL curriculum with the help of Robots 4 Autism.

Robots 4 Autism sells a robot that helps teach kids on the Autism spectrum social skills. Most kids love working with the robot, which they call Milo.

The robot is less threatening than a human and usually holds the child's attention far more than a teacher or therapist can. Some of the other benefits are that the robot is infinitely patient, consistent, and it won't react in ways that are unhelpful. This robotic friend helps bridge the gap for kids from technology to real-life interaction.

This app is a very useful tool for teachers to teach students about their relationships and social boundaries. The Circles Social Skills Utility is based on the best-selling, proven effective by Harvard, Circles® Curriculum. Circles is an interactive program that makes the abstract concept of social boundaries concrete with the use of color to help students differentiate the types of relationships they have with people, and what levels of touch, talk, and trust are appropriate with each.

Apps like the Circles Social Skills Utility™ have been found to be especially useful for students in special education. You can learn more about how and why here.

Classroom Management Apps

There are some pretty amazing apps available for teachers and students to use in the classroom. These apps are designed to help with communication and classroom management.

* Class Dojo: An app where students can earn points in areas designated by the teacher. Kids can view their progress and so can parents. The app also helps teachers and parents communicate with each other.
* Bloomz: Students can receive reward points in this app as well. They try to get their flower to 'bloom.' Parents and teachers can communicate with each other through the app and teachers can share what is going on in their classroom.

The real power in these apps for social and emotional learning comes when student use them to reflect on their behavior. Teachers and students accomplish a lot in a school day, and it is easy to forget all but the highest highs and lowest lows. Having a simple way to track a student's choices throughout a school day gives the student the ability to reflect at the end of the day.
Teachers can also look at trends in the class overall, so they can set goals for improvement and discuss solutions to problems within the classroom. This regular reflection builds classroom community and empowers students to improve themselves. The parent communication component is particularly helpful. Parents can reinforce skills learned at home and can help their child in the self-reflection process.

Google Classroom

One of the best things about google classroom is that students can be working on one project all at the same time. They can chat with each other while working on the project. It gives students a platform for collaborating digitally, a skill that is of increasing importance in a digital age. Of course, your students likely have experience communicating digitally (even a 3-year-old can send garbled text messages or emojis), but that doesn't mean they can communicate well. Google classroom gives you an opportunity to teach students to communicate digitally and do it well while in the classroom. Plus, it offers you the opportunity to bring up the concept of internet etiquette.

Although there are many ways to teach SEL skills in the classroom, using current technology can be more engaging for students and help them work on several skills at once. Not to mention, any way to make screentime more constructive and educational is always encouraged.
By: Amy Curletto Amy has been teaching for 12 years in grades K-2. She has a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and also has endorsements in reading and ESL. Besides education, her other passion is writing and she has always dreamed of being a writer. She lives in Utah with her husband, her 3 daughters, and her miniature schnauzer. She enjoys reading, knitting, and camping.

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5 Tools For Incorporating Technology In Social Emotional Learning

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It's no secret that kids today love their technology. In many ways, technology hinders a child's communication abilities. Kids in the same room often prefer to text each other than to talk face-to-face or get lost on social media. However, some technological tools can help students develop their social and emotional skills.

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Using Technology to Foster Social-Emotional Learning.

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Using Technology to Foster Social-Emotional Learning.

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Roberts, K. (2020, July 8). Using technology to foster social-emotional learning. LearnSafe. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://learnsafe.com/using-technology-to-foster-social-emotional-learning/.

Kassie Roberts starts by defining social-emotional learning and identifying these skills allow students to understand and communicate emotions to better function in relationships. The need for SEL is expressed through statistics on increasing anxiety and depression; the Pew Research Center reported 70% of teens suffer from anxiety and 20% from depression. These emotional needs have only increased since the disruption in our normal routine from COVID with 50% of students identifying a need for emotional support since schools first closed. These difficult emotions are easier to process when students have the tools SEL provides them. Artificial Intelligence can be one avenue for providing instruction and works well for students with autism in providing communication instruction in a risk-free environment. Common Sense Education was recommended in providing games and applications for teaching soft skills to students of various ages. Finally, LearnSafe was promoted in a way to monitor and address student behavior on computers.

This article was rather brief and obviously written to promote the reader to look further into LearnSafe. I have heard the recommendation for teaching students with autism to communicate through robots or other technology previously and suggested this to my friend whose son is on the spectrum. Within my last course, Future-Ready Classroom, we learned about the need for teaching soft skills to prepare students for their future endeavors and explored the Common Sense Education website. I bookmarked the lessons on Digital Citizenship to use with my students who are learning how to access online content with a braille notetaker, screen reader, or screen magnifier.

-Michelle Whitehouse

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Using Technology to Foster Social-Emotional Learning - LearnSafe

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Educational technology has opened up a new world of learning possibilities. Virtual reality and infographics help visual and kinetic learners in a way not possible with lectures alone. During the coronavirus pandemic, technology helped schools keep students safe while maintaining a high standard of teaching and learning.

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Boost SEL and collaboration in the classroom with 1:1 devices

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Boost SEL and collaboration in the classroom with 1:1 devices

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Zitter, L. (2021, August). Boost SEL and collaboration in the classroom with 1:1 devices.
EdTech: Focus on K-12. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2021/08/boost-sel-and-collaboration-classroom-11-devices

Zitter’s article begins with a look at the negative emotions students may be facing during the COVID-19 crisis. She interviews a variety of experts in the field of technology to determine products and ideas that teachers with access to one-to-one devices can use to bridge standards and SEL competencies. Zitter divides the article into two categories: technology to promote collaborative learning and technology to monitor students’ well-being.

This article was written by Leah Zitter, a technical writer with a Ph.D. in psychology research and a master’s in philosophy and advanced logic. Despite her background in psychology research, this article focused more heavily on products and services than the science behind SEL. Interviews were conducted with executives from companies such as GoGuardian, Microsoft, and Aperture Education. This article piqued my interest because of my school’s one-to-one program and my desire to meet SEL competencies while teaching Common Core Standards.

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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One-to-One Devices Support Classroom Social-Emotional Learning

Teachers can employ programs, accessed through one-to-one devices, to help students regulate their emotions, problem-solve, develop social- and self-awareness and reconnect with friends. Each of these elements are CASEL core competencies for social-emotional learning. School-issued Chromebooks also introduce students to computer-based collaborative learning, which supports social and emotional intelligence as students work to collectively complete goals.

"Cooperative or collaborative learning requires individuals to be self-aware," says Mark Sparvell, director of marketing education at Microsoft. "And self-awareness requires you to be able to accurately recognize, understand and label your emotions."

Mobile devices open the door to personalized e-learning opportunities, where students can practice social and emotional competencies as they develop their academic ones. GoGuardian, producer of many such programs, cites McGraw-Hill Connect, GSuite, and Microsoft 365 as "great examples of social-emotional learning technology." More narrowly specialized examples include Minecraft: Education Edition's The Mindful Knight, which introduces students to mindfulness for self-awareness, coping skills and self-management.

Social-emotional learning technologies can be divided into two categories: those that foster collaborative learning and those that monitor students' social-emotional well-being.
DISCOVER: Complimentary resources to help K-12 IT leaders prepare for learning anywhere.
Social-Emotional Learning Technology for Collaborative Learning

Products like GoGuardian's Pear Deck or Microsoft Teams offer breakout rooms, which can be used on student devices to foster collaborative learning and help students gain coping skills, emotional awareness and empathy through personalized learning experiences.

"Every Pear Deck lesson," Aguilar says, "begins with a simple check-in: 'How are you feeling today?'" Pear Deck's SEL checks help teachers gauge students' emotional well-being. Educators can follow up with positive feedback in real time, chat with the student or even call them after the lesson ends.

Sparvell cites tools that employ video-enabled environments for practicing open communication, as well as Minecraft, which provides experiential learning opportunities to resolve conflict, collaborate and make responsible decisions.

Educators have found creative and collaborative uses for other tools at their disposal, such as using Google Sites to create virtual escape rooms. These require students to work together to solve problems, aiding their social-emotional growth in the process.

Social-Emotional Technology for Monitoring Students' Well-Being

Then, there are products like Beacon from GoGuardian that analyze online activity in real time and help teachers monitor students' well-being through school-issued one-to-one devices. This and other SEL applications act as suicide or self-harm prevention tools while monitoring students online behavior.

Beacon monitors one-to-one devices for concerning activity and notifies responders if students seem likely to pose a threat to themselves. Another program, Impero Wellbeing, spots and addresses mental health issues proactively, says Kaitlin Trujillo, key account manager of Impero Software.

Aperture Education provides SEL school assessments that can be completed individually on a student's device in a gamified format. The organization's DESSA Student Self-Report allows students to "explore their SEL-related responses, identify their areas of strength and growth opportunities, and create a personalized growth plan through research-based strategies and personalized SMART goals," says Christine Nicodemus, Aperture Education's chief product officer. "All of this is done within a gamified, mobile-friendly software platform."

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Boost SEL and Collaboration in the Classroom with 1:1 Devices

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Teachers can employ programs, accessed through one-to-one devices, to help students regulate their emotions, problem-solve, develop social- and self-awareness and reconnect with friends. Each of these elements are CASEL core competencies for social-emotional learning. School-issued Chromebooks also introduce students to computer-based collaborative learning, which supports social and emotional intelligence as students work to collectively complete goals.

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How tech is taking social-emotional learning out of its silo

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How tech is taking social-emotional learning out of its silo

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Krause, C. (2019, July). How tech is taking social-emotional learning out of its silo. EdSurge.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-07-06-how-tech-is-taking-social-emotional-learning-out-of-its-silo

Krause begins this article by drawing on her personal experiences using technology to build connection in the classroom. She then recounts her experiences at the 2019 ISTE conference, noting that there has been a shift in education with the embedding of SEL competencies and edtech. Throughout the article Krause focuses heavily on the concept that SEL and academics naturally align, and she highlights various tech tools educators can use in the classroom. She ends the article with a focus on new, improved measures of success in the classroom that include SEL and academics.

The author, Caitlyn Krause, is the author of two books: Mindful by Design (2019) and Designing Wonder (2020). She is the founder of MindWise consultancy and teaches about technology and wellbeing at Stanford University. She has more than a decade of teaching experience at both the middle- and high-school level. While the article did not specifically interview experts in the field, Krause did mention case studies and referenced the CASEL-5 in her work; she also featured several companies present at the 2019 ISTE conference. This article appealed to me because of the rationale it provided in bringing SEL and academics together in the classroom. It is clear after reading this article that both are united and stronger together.

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When I started out as a high school teacher in the early 2000s, I was using a lot of technology designed for connection. It was the advent of SmartBoards and podcasts, voicethreads and vlogging. Yet even in the midst of all the excitement, I didn't feel completely connected with my students.

It was only when I coupled tech with meaning-with my own pedagogical practices of mindfulness, attention and presence-that the social-emotional skills and the academic learning began to take off. I realized then what's always been true: Meaningful, authentic learning is connected and interdisciplinary by nature, and communities thrive when there's social care at the core.

This year's ISTE 2019 conference in Philadelphia marked nearly 20 years since I entered the education profession, and I'm seeing a tidal shift in the approach to integrating technology in learning. No longer are social-emotional learning and edtech siloed, or even separate entities. In a way, you could say it's all connected.

The meaning behind connected learning, and human connection itself, is taking center stage, with technology being used as a means to facilitate, expand and empower the mind and voice of every learner-student and teacher alike. Just as edtech is blending with our pedagogical practices, social-emotional learning, or SEL, is also being approached in a more holistic way. Our approach to learning is undergoing a necessary sea change, at a point when it seems all parts of the educational ecosystem-students, teachers, parents and administrators-desperately need it.

SEL is not a new topic, yet for years it's been approached as its own separate entity, to be focused on in a discrete way, perhaps along with a separate mindfulness program. In my book "Mindful by Design," I approach mindfulness from a designer's lens, showing ways that mindfulness-related concepts, such as awareness, advancement and authenticity can be infused directly into daily content and teaching practices. In the same way, research shows that SEL is most effective when it's made part of the daily curriculum, and a regular part of the way in which educators approach using technology.

It makes perfect sense, as true learning happens when we link the lesson to a context that feels real and when we practice interacting with others in a community. Using SEL, we begin to see that no student is an island.

The benefits don't stop there. A meta-analysis of 213 school-based SEL programs involving over 270,000 students between Pre-K and high school not only linked these programs to boosts in attitudes and behavior but significant academic performance as well.

At ISTE, it was clear that the community we're talking about spans the globe, and the ways that companies are taking SEL-infused tech to the next level are as vast as they are visionary.

In some cases, students play the heroes as they map their own journeys. Classcraft, for example, has built an engagement management system that promotes SEL through a game-based platform that blends physical and virtual learning. Weird Enough Productions gives you a chance to create stories where the superheroes and comics represent you and your world. (Or, in their words, "We tell stories that inspire people to embrace their quirks, and get hype about being themselves.")

ClassCatalyst is a new tool that lets students log in how they're feeling during a day, allowing a piece of SEL to be quantified and increasing chances for teachers to connect with students, no matter how busy the day. And Wabisabi Learning -whose motto is "Restore balance and energize the school day"-is a multifaceted community platform that captures evidence of learning, focuses on ways to approach formative assessments and offers portfolios that showcase creativity.

New Metrics for Success

There's so much development and growth in the SEL arena. But it often takes a bit of patience and determination to prioritize it and make the deeper connections using tech. And, perhaps part of the intimidation at first is the vagueness of the term "social-emotional learning" itself. As Voltaire said, "If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." Those working with SEL often point to the definition from CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, which both defines the term and identifies five related competencies related to its definition that can be assessed and mastered: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.

These skills, sometimes labeled as "soft skills," have often been sidelined, especially in edtech arenas, in favor of the hard skills-think: coding-that are more easily measured and used for testing academic ability and growth. Fortunately, these labels are being reevaluated as we learn that they are inter-reliant in terms of looking at long term measures of success. Soft skills help build important qualities such as attention, motivation and positive mindset, which are among the many plastic attributes that can be cultivated for both teachers and students, to incredible effect.

In essence, society is starting to form new metrics for success, which include well-being. To that end, my experience at ISTE revealed people and organizations in the edtech space who are focusing on student voice and expression, visible learning, storytelling and social and emotional learning-a critical part of education's sea change. From Adobe to Flipgrid, Mind Yeti to 3DBear, the legends and newcomers in edtech are innovating ways to amplify student voice, foster wellness and promote social learning across disciplines and cultures, with accessibility for all. These are big visions, and the timing is ripe for it.

The industry now realizes that technology, of course, can be a bridge, helping students and teachers to connect. It can even help us to connect with ourselves. It's no longer the case that tech is competing with humans to build these skills, but rather is complementing our efforts. The question for edtech developers has become: How does SEL look when it's built into technology as one of the core values in the design cycle of product development, with the user experience as top priority?

When I began to prioritize using elements of mindfulness and SEL in my teaching strategies, my classroom looked and felt different, though the content was the same. I didn't announce any shifts, but my students could feel it. I was present, and the tech tools I used became intentional by design. Now, with even more powerful edtech developed with mindful values, teachers can take advantage of a precious resource-time-in order to be even more present and available to students we serve, as well as resilient and refreshed, with a better balance for ourselves.

When done right, this human-centric approach to edtech feels completely natural, as it should be. And, it's already revolutionizing the education world in ways that have a ripple effect, inside out.

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How Tech Is Taking Social-Emotional Learning out of Its Silo - EdSurge News

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When I started out as a high school teacher in the early 2000s, I was using a lot of technology designed for connection. It was the advent of SmartBoards and podcasts, voicethreads and vlogging. Yet even in the midst of all the excitement, I didn't feel completely connected with my students.

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Uniting technology and SEL to teach the whole child

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Uniting technology and SEL to teach the whole child

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Crouse, R. G. (2021, September). Uniting technology and SEL to teach the whole child.
SmartBrief. https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2021/09/uniting-technology-and-sel-teach-whole-child

Drawing from his experiences as both a student and educator, Crouse argues that now, more than ever, due to the COVID-19 crisis, we need SEL in the classroom. He recommends teachers utilize technology to first better themselves for the sake of their students. Presenting the CASEL-5 as a resource, he suggests teachers educate themselves about SEL in order to best meet the needs of the whole child. Some suggestions for unifying tech and SEL in the classroom include leveraging social media as a tool for learning and practicing mindfulness in STEM lessons.

Rodney G. Crouse, currently a fourth grade teacher, has 18 years of experience teaching in North Carolina. While his resources were limited primarily to his own experiences, the article does site a research study by Common Sense and presents the CASEL-5 as a resource. I found this article to be helpful to my practice because it offered practical advice on creating a climate of wellbeing in my classroom.

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Sign up for our daily edtech news briefing today, free.

Social-emotional learning is seeing a surge in mentions in the educational landscape. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic clearly illuminated the fact that academic growth and social and emotional wellness are interdependent and that educators must take into account the social and emotional aspects of a student's reality as they consider academic development.

I know firsthand the power of SEL, both as a teacher and as a former student. I was born and raised in the rural mountains of North Carolina and was greatly influenced by a teacher who led with compassion. This educator forever changed my life because she saw "the whole child" -- she recognized me as more than my abilities in reading and math. She saw me as a hurt child from a broken home, although it was the only home I knew, and knew she could help me reach my potential by engaging me on a social and emotional level.

I have been an educator for 18 years and currently teach fourth-grade students. The students I teach come from similar, and even harsher, backgrounds where parents are incarcerated, deceased, or just not involved in their child's life. This creates a potential deficit in learning and may impede the student's ability to learn.

As we look to the 2021-2022 school year, it's imperative that educators continue to factor social and emotional wellness into student growth. A key aspect to supporting students is meeting them where they are, which is so often on a digital device.

So, here's how to leverage technology to improve social and emotional health and support greater academic achievement:

Develop the whole teacher to empower the whole child

Be an advocate for student social emotional learning and wellness by centering wellness in your own life. Not sure where to start? Start with yourself as the educator. Do you know what SEL means? What about how SEL fits into different grade bands? Or how can SEL connect students? Discover your teaching style by practicing reflection fueled by guided virtual professional learning.

I recommend the CASEL-aligned professional learning series from the Social-Emotional Learning Coalition. A partnership between Discovery Education and leaders across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors, the Social-Emotional Learning Coalition is ensuring the integration of SEL and wellness into lessons and school culture to support whole student development through personal and collective empowerment. You'll find on the Coalition's website a no-cost professional learning series designed to help you center SEL in your students' teaching and learning experience.

Build soft skills with assignments centering technology

Even before the COVID year, kids deftly navigated the interpersonal world of in-person and virtual every single day on social media and gaming systems. What students see there can either help or hinder their development, but either way, they need to build emotional resilience. Recent research from Common Sense found that teens frequently encounter hate speech on social media platforms, a statistic that's grown from 12% to 23% in the past two years alone.

Give students the tools to harness their own curiosity by exploring the technology tools already familiar to them. Social media can be both a lifeline and a social challenge for students. Integrating social media as a tool to support social-emotional learning not only makes lessons more relevant, but it also makes them necessary. Ask students to put together an audio or video assignment, like making a TikTok video or YouTube Short, explaining what happiness means or how to deal with stress in healthy ways. Centering technology as a tool to highlight and teach SEL practices helps instill a responsible use of technology to imagine, create, and connect.

Connect STEM and SEL

Bridge hard and soft skills by taking moments to practice mindfulness in STEM lessons. One of my favorite examples is from a former educator who used to do a meditation exercise during particularly challenging science lessons. With Bunsen burners hot and the periodic table looming, emotions can often run high for students. Help students transform what could be a stressful situation into a positive learning experience by taking a step back to analyze emotions and reassess the situation. Ask students to voice what emotions they are feeling as they are working through formulas or building materials. Are they able to articulate their emotional state? What about sharing how that is impacting their learning?

Communication is key to all success so by building SEL into the ever-important STEM lessons, you're empowering students to be successful now and into the future.

No matter the discipline you teach, create a culture of wellness wherever learning takes place by using technology to support SEL. Simple switches - like moving from pen and paper assignments to social media-influenced assignments and connecting emotions in STEM lessons - challenge students to think outside the box and connect the dots between their health and what they're learning.
Rodney G. Crouse, M. Ed., is a fourth-grade teacher at Reedy Fork Elementary School in North Carolina. Like this article? Sign up for our Edtech news briefing to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief's education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.
More from SmartBrief Education:

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Uniting technology and SEL to teach the whole child

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Sign up for our daily edtech news briefing today, free. Social-emotional learning is seeing a surge in mentions in the educational landscape. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic clearly illuminated the fact that academic growth and social and emotional wellness are interdependent and that educators must take into account the social and emotional aspects of a student's reality as they consider academic development.