Author: Beth

How Digital Skills Can Help Students Be Career Ready

Posted on by Beth

What digital skills are necessary for future-ready, career-ready students? I’m sure if I asked 100 people what they thought the answer was, I would get 110 different examples. So how and which digital skills do we teach when we don’t know what those jobs look like because they haven’t been created yet? It’s like training for a sport, but you don’t know which sport you will be playing. Will I need to throw a football or hit a ball with a bat, or maybe I will be doing track and field? So how do you prepare when you don’t know what future jobs will look like?

Some think they know the answer.

When I started teaching computer fluency skills (about eight years ago), I was told by a school admin not to focus on keyboarding skills. “The keyboard will go away, and the students will not need this skill. “  I sat and listened to the admin in front of me, who had minimal technology skills or knowledge. I let him continue to tell me the best method for my classroom, and I let it go in one ear and out the other. I taught the students keyboarding skills along with multiple other hard and soft skills that year. Two years later, I was asked to teach keyboarding to kindergarten through second grade. It was interesting to see how as time went by, the keyboard did not go away but instead became more of a need for the students. 

Some thought it wasn’t a problem.

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Then COVID hit a few years later, and there was a big reality check. Schools realized that their students were not digitally fluent. Emails were sent to teachers with the body in the subject field, video cameras were turned off or were used inappropriately, and now the teacher needs to learn and teach the students Google Classroom, Google Meet/Zoom, etc. But we survived.

Now we’re back to “normal” for the most part. We have had time to fill the gaps across all curricula, but the question remains: What digital skills will the students need to be career-ready/future-ready? 

Let’s start with what we know.

All students will need computer literacy or digital literacy, or computer fluency. However, you want to label it. They need to know the technology hard skills along with soft skills as well.

Nowadays, when you ask young students what they wanna be when they grow up, you don’t hear nurses, firefighters, police officers, etc. Now you hear students say they want to be YouTubers, game designers, or technology-related careers. 

Remember, these students were born with a device in their hands, but that does not mean they know how to use it properly. Yes, they probably know how to create a video, peruse YouTube, or maybe even create a simple game using scratch. However, they really do not know the fundamentals of digital skills. Being forced into online learning proved that to be true.

To prepare them for future careers, we need to be sure we’re introducing students to all different levels of digital technology. We want our students to be well-rounded and give them opportunities to try something new. A simple progression starting with foundational hard skills such as word processing spreadsheets, presentation materials, and email is a great start. Once those students have those foundational skills, you can start incorporating real-world projects and help the students develop their soft skills simultaneously.

Let’s focus on soft skills for a moment. I look at soft skills as the umbrella, and under that (supporting the umbrella) are different categories such as communication. Then within communication comes the skills needed (the raindrops if we keep with my metaphor), such as public speaking, collaboration, writing, etc.  We can do the same with critical thinking. The skills needed there are curiosity, adaptability, resilience, and empathy. Then you have leadership, where students need time management, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.

There is one thing that you should note, people fear that the future will entail jobs being replaced by robots. However, one thing you must remember is that robots cannot feel or experience critical thinking. So therefore, the most important skills the students will need will be soft skills; curiosity, adaptability, resilience, and empathy are all the core soft skills that robots cannot mimic.
So, our suggestion is first to define digital skills, create a progression, and incorporate soft skills.

For more information on how to complete this process and help your students become career ready, check out my next webinar, “How Digital Skills Can Help Students Be Career Ready,” on September 8, 2022, from 1:00-1:45 EST. Reading this article after the date of the webinar, no problem! All previously recorded webinars can be found here on our website.

For more on this topic, check out our BSD Learn Webinar over on our YouTube channel today

A Well-Managed Classroom for 21st-Century Educators

Posted on by Beth

As a teacher, staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever and keeping your teaching skills sharp. To do that, you need to be flexible and adaptable to changes in technology and methodology. A well-managed classroom is also key – here are five tips to help create a positive learning environment that encourages student success!

1. Establish rules and procedures for your classroom and enforce them consistently. 

A positive learning environment begins with clear expectations and a sense of order. Enforcing rules can be difficult, but it’s important to be consistent in your expectations. If students know what is expected of them, they are more likely to meet those expectations. Creating a set of procedures for various classroom activities will also help keep things running smoothly.

2. Create a positive learning environment that is conducive to student success.  

The physical environment of your classroom can have a big impact on student learning. A well-organized and clean classroom will help create a positive learning environment. Make sure there is enough space for students to move around and that the furniture is arranged in a way that promotes collaboration.

Encouraging students to take responsibility for their learning is another way to create a positive learning environment. When students feel ownership over their education, they are more likely to be successful.

3. Encourage independent learning.

One of the best ways to promote student success is to encourage them to be independent learners. This means teaching them how to take responsibility for their learning. There are a few different ways you can do this:

– Encourage students to set their own goals and track their progress.

犀利士

– Teach students to use different resources,

such as the library or online databases.

– Help students develop time management and study skills.

Teaching students how to be independent learners can set them up for success inside and outside the classroom.

4. Flexibility in teaching methodology and technology.

As a 21st-century educator, it’s important to be flexible and adaptable to teaching methodology and technology changes. With new technological advances, there are always new ways to teach the material. Likewise, new research on how students learn can impact how you teach. By being open to change, you can ensure that your students are getting the best education possible.

5. Making Professional Development A Priority

Seeking professional development opportunities is a great way to stay up-to-date on teaching methodology and technology changes. Various professional development opportunities, such as workshops, conferences, and online courses, are available. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can ensure that your teaching skills are sharp.

Connect2Work – Graduation of the first cohort

Posted on by Beth

BSD is happy to announce the graduation of our first IBCP (Career-related Studies) connect2work cohort. We would like to wish them every success in their careers! 

As stated in an article from the World Economic Forum, We asked young people about work and skills. Here’s what they told us, which polled 11,000 young people around the world, and where young people identified that building resilience and adaptability, relevance and transferability of their school learning, as well as opportunities to hone soft skills like active listening, are enablers of success. So, using Digital Skills to lead thematic learning, BSD developed the Connect2Work program, using digital skills to lead thematic learning,  with students aged sixteen and above in mind to enable students to prepare for the future of work by balancing learning in practical skills, valuable soft skills, as well as instilling a strong entrepreneurial spirit in students through our CARE model (Curious, Adaptable, Resilient, and Empathetic). 

We set out on a mission to create a Digital Skills program to create a learning environment for students to explore and discover areas of interest and develop impactful career-ready skills. The program was developed over three years, and we continue actively collaborating with schools, industry professionals, and experts to bring our students the most relevant and compelling learning experiences. 

We identified core skill areas aligned with employers’ needs across industries and job roles. In this two-year program, students develop digital skills that will enable them to be prepared for success in their future careers. Students explore (digital) design, programming, data analysis, organization, and digital marketing topics. Students will apply skills within a range of industry themes and job activities to expand their understanding and opportunities of where their own greatest interests lie related to the world of work. Students can interact with industry professionals, and learning happens outside the typical classroom environment to provide an opportunity for students to practice taking charge and teamwork. 

Some learning highlights include working with a seasoned Supply Chain Management (SCM) professional in the technology manufacturing industry to explore common SCM challenges and how we may potentially solve these through Blockchain technology collaborating with Food and Beverage and Environment experts in designing more efficient collaboration and communication with local farmers and restaurants to effectively sell surplus produces via an app.

As the instructor of our first cohort of students, I am constantly in awe of my students’ entrepreneurial nature and professionalism. With the level of creativity, I witnessed through each project, I remain hopeful and excited about how students will shape their futures.  

An EdTech Checklist for New Teachers

Posted on by Beth

It’s back-to-school time, so teachers are busy preparing their classrooms and lesson plans. While preparing your classroom, don’t forget to make the most of your technology! Here is a back-to-school EdTech checklist to help you get started.

1. Make sure your devices are charged and ready to go.

Before the first day of school, charge all your devices, including your laptop, tablet, and phone. This will ensure that you can use them throughout the day without worrying about running out of battery.

If you have a laptop or desktop computer, it’s also a good idea to ensure that it’s up-to-date with the latest software. This will help you avoid potential glitches or problems during the school year.

Finally, take some time to familiarize yourself with any new technology you’ll use in your classroom. Whether it’s a new app or website, spending a few minutes learning how it works will save you time and frustration.

2. Update your software and apps.

Now that you’ve charged your devices, it’s time to update your software and apps. This will help you avoid potential glitches or problems during the school year.

If you’re not sure how to update your software, don’t worry! The process is usually pretty simple. You can find the update option in the settings menu for most devices. Once you’ve located the updates, follow the prompts to install them.

If you’re using an app that needs to be updated, you’ll usually be notified when there’s a new version available. To update the app, simply go to your app store and search for the app name. Once you’ve found it, click “update,” and the new version will be downloaded to your device.

You can avoid any potential headaches down the road by taking a few minutes to update your software and apps.

3. Download new curricula and resources.

Now that your devices are all charged and up-to-date, it’s time to download any new curricula or resources you’ll be using in your classroom. This could include new textbooks to digital resources like eBooks or apps.

If you’re unsure where to find these resources, check with your school’s IT department. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

Once you’ve downloaded all of the new resources you need, take some time to familiarize yourself with them. This will help you hit the ground running on the first day of school!

This ensures you’re making the most of your technology this back-to-school season. By taking a few minutes to prepare, you can avoid any potential headaches and be ready to take on the new school year!

4. Set up your learning management system (LMS).

If you’re using a learning management system (LMS) in your classroom, now is the time to set it up. An LMS is a great way to keep track of your student’s progress, assign and grade assignments, and provide feedback.

There are many different LMS options, so take some time to research which one will work best for you and your students. Once you’ve chosen an LMS, create an account and start familiarizing yourself with how it works.

If you’re unsure where to start, check out our list of the best LMS options for busy teachers.

Setting up your LMS can make your life much easier during the school year. Trust us, it’s worth the effort!

These simple tips will help you make the most of your technology this back-to-school season. By taking a few minutes to prepare, you can avoid any potential headaches and be ready to take on the new school year!

5. Connect with other educators online.

One of the best ways to make the most of your technology is to connect with other educators online. There are tons of great online communities where you can share resources, ask questions, and get advice from your peers.

By connecting with other educators, you can ensure you’re always up-to-date on the latest technology trends. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about feeling alone in your journey as a busy teacher!

What are your favorite back-to-school tips? Share them in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.

Increasing Student Agency with Digital Skills

Posted on by Beth

What do we mean by the term “student agency”? As students gain knowledge and skills in any subject, we think that students should have the freedom and flexibility to explore that knowledge in ways suitable to them and demonstrate their understanding of that knowledge in self-motivated ways. Ultimately it’s about a personalized approach to learning where students have a say in their learning and assessment. This does not mean that students should do what they want, but they should be guided by educators and facilitators toward learning critical and necessary skills/subjects/lessons. 

One way to help students increase agency is to provide “voice and choice” for how students conduct their work and demonstrate their understanding. For example, imagine a social studies teacher teaching a unit on Ancient Civilizations, such as the Greeks and Romans, and has required that students learn how ancient civilizations responded to changes in the availability of resources. 

To provide maximum agency, the teacher would give various learning resources such as books, videos, lectures, models, museum visits, etc. Then students would be free to choose how to share their learning, such as making dioramas, writing blogs, or 3D printing models. This is in contrast to traditional approaches where every student reads from textbooks and essays and then is assessed on a multiple-choice test. Which option would you prefer?

At BSD Education, we have helped teachers from every subject area increase student agency by providing digital projects that allow students to showcase their skills and display their learning. For example, imagine the above Social Studies scenario again and this time, imagine that a student wants to highlight a series of events that happened over time. 

Our timeline project is perfect for that! Check out this related example. Along the way, students are learning how to build websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the programming languages that run every website on the internet!

Our goal with increasing student agency isn’t just to help students learn valuable digital skills like programming with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s also showing digital skills help share ideas, create something, or display what you know or care about as an educator.

If you are a teacher and don’t know how to program in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, don’t worry! Our guided projects樂威壯 help students through a scaffolded approach where we slowly introduce coding steps and focus on the project’s content instead of the technical aspects. If students are interested in learning the technical aspects, we have projects for that too, because we believe in student agency! 
To learn more about this, tune into our upcoming webinar on the topic. If you are reading this article after the date of the webinar, no problem! You can find all previously recorded webinars here on our website.

Back To School Strategies To Help Teachers Thrive

Posted on by Beth

It is the first day of school. You are refreshed and ready to go, or you are scrambling to finalize everything before your students arrive. No matter how you feel when the first day of school comes, it is coming if you are ready or not.

Need some suggestions, tips, or words of “wisdom”? As a classroom teacher for over a decade, I was fortunate to see all the students throughout the year. The most students I ever had was 800 students a week for the whole school year! Yes, you read that correctly. I know that I am not the only one with a large student body, but throughout my time teaching, I have learned a few tricks along the way to stay on task (and keep my sanity) and have FUN!

Suggestion #1: Comfort

Teachers spend 8-10+ hours at school. Your students become your children, your colleagues become your family, and the school becomes your second home. So why not make it cozy and warm for all of you? Some simple adjustments or additions to your lighting, such as soft lite lamps or filters for your overhead lights to soften the room. You may even consider adding pillows or camping chairs for your quiet space or reading nook. Having tables or desks that students can quickly move to form new learning environments is also a significant change. Flexible seating is always a win with the students. They get to choose the learning space that will help them be active learners. Check out Steelcase for some great design resources.

Suggestion #2: Organization

If you are a veteran teacher, you probably have your organizational method already established. However, if you are new to teaching, you probably created a pretty binder with tabs and labels and created your organizational process that you “think” will work best. Note to new teachers; you will reorganize yourself a million times before you get the desired rhythm.

My cooperating teacher taught me some (now) “old fashion” tips that still work for me today. First, create a “Begining of the Year” folder (not a Google Folder, but a tangible folder) and place a copy of everything you use for the beginning of the school year (notes to parents, login information, welcome letters, first day activities, etc.). Then create an “End of the Year” folder, again, tangible. Place items relevant to the end of the year.

Another tip is to include the document’s location in your footer when you print a copy. This way, when you need to update that particular document, you know where to find it on your drive. She also taught me to create a folder with unplugged activities for when the internet is down and a folder with quick lessons when your time is cut short due to assemblies, field trips, or testing.

Helping the students be organized is another challenge. Encourage your students to use a planner. Many schools provide this, but if not, be sure to add it to your supply list for students to purchase. Start the year by checking the planner daily to ensure they write legibly and include all the details. After a few weeks, if the student is using the planner correctly, you can offer them “Planner Independence,” which means you no longer need to check the student’s planner.

Another helpful tip for teachers is to have a station dedicated to supplies. If a student breaks a pencil, needs a new highlighter, or needs paper, they can get the materials they need without having to ask and interrupt the lesson. I even know a teacher that created a “pencil graveyard.”

When the student used the pencil to the end, they would push it into a baking pan with soil. She made a graveyard sign that read “RIP Pencils.” They then turned it into a game/competition throughout the year to see who could guess how many pencils would end up in the graveyard and if they had more than last year’s class.

She found that pencils were not left on the floor at the end of the day. This same teacher also created a lost and found tote. If a pencil, eraser, hair tie, etc., were found on the floor, they would put it in the tote for the owner.

The traditional way to stay organized is to assign jobs. Many teachers believe this is suited only for an elementary class. However, I have seen this used in all grade levels. Not only will you teach responsibility to the students, but you will also have a clean and organized classroom. Jobs can include sweeping, organizing papers, checking homework, collecting student notes, or whatever your need may be.

Take this one step further, especially for little ones, and pay the student upon completion of their job. Send the students to the banker (another job) to collect their daily or weekly pay. The students can then use that money to pay for fringe benefits, like eating lunch with the teacher, having a pizza delivered to them for lunch, one free homework pass, etc.

Suggestion #3: Try Something New

My last suggestion is an important one. Teachers are often so focused on our structure that we forget to go out of the box. I challenge you to try something new every year. I set this challenge for myself and found it refreshing for my students and me.

For my classes, I always chose a new application or technology gadget. One year I brought in Cosmo and Vector, the following year, I brought in Mecconoid, and one year I tried coding with the students, which I added to my yearly curriculum. You can even start small by adding something new to an existing lesson.

For example, I worked with a wonderful, kind, and creative 4th-grade teacher specializing in social studies and science. She loved the revolutionary war and had a great lesson that she had done with the students for years—the students dressed in American Revolution costumes and put on a skit for the whole building. Upon our return to face-to-face teaching, many of the teacher’s costumes were put in storage, and she couldn’t access them. She came to me for some ideas. She was open to trying something new!

I found a virtual reality reenactment of the American Revolutionary War and a virtual tour of the museum. The students loved the VR tours, especially the reenactment. The ELA teachers heard about their experience and had the students write an opinion essay on which experience they enjoyed the most and why.

Tip: ASK 3 B4 ME

My #1 tip is – ASK 3 B4 ME.

When students work independently or in small groups, encourage the students to search three other resources before coming to you for a quick answer. I post this saying in my room. Then, when the student comes to me with a question, I ask them what their “3 B4 me” resources were. If I approve their efforts, I assist them. Otherwise, I send them back to search again. At the beginning of a project or an assignment, I remind the students about ASK 3 B4 ME, and we take 2-minutes to discuss possible sources they can use for help.

The last thing I want to leave teachers with eloquently said by Seymour Papert, “The goal is to teach in such a way as to produce the most learning from the least teaching.”

Keeping yourself and the students organized, comfortable for active learning, and the willingness to try something new will set a refresh for your classroom this year. So enjoy the journey, and good luck this school year!

How to Integrate Coding into Core Curriculum

Posted on by Beth

Should coding be integrated into the core curriculum, or should it be an elective or a particular area class all on its own?

Segregation or Integration?

Integration is always the way to go speaking from personal experience.

I was a computer lab teacher (I prefer Digital Literacy Teacher). Students would come to my lab once a week for 35-minutes. After taking attendance, reviewing, and giving that day’s assignment, we were left with about 20-25 minutes. Three times a year, the lab would be used for 3-weeks to do assessment testing (which is a total of 9-weeks – plus a make-up week). So as you can see, I didn’t have much time with the students. I taught word processing, presentations, internet searching, coding, and keyboard skills. For six out of the seven years that I taught computers, our district was not 1:1, nor did the teachers have computer access unless they signed out the one computer cart housed in the media center. 

So my class was segregated. The students received about 12 hours of instruction a year. ONLY in my room. When teachers did sign out the computer cart and worked on typing an essay or making a presentation slide deck, they would come to me and say:

“The students are not good at typing.”

“Some of my students don’t know their password.”

“Did you teach them how to do a presentation? They seem to have trouble.”

At first, I was upset with myself. Did I not teach effectively? Were my lessons not engaging? Then I blamed the students. “Why are they not retaining, and why can’t they use the skills from my class in their general education classroom?

After some reflection, I realized that segregating these skills harms the students. So I spoke to my principal and presented my “new” idea.

“I want to meet with the teachers, find out what topics they are covering and integrate them into my classroom.”

I started small and used simple topics. For example, fourth-grade students were learning about New York State geography. So I had my students use Google Earth to locate rivers and mountain ranges, then they used Google Search to gain insight into the history. Finally, they collected the information and created a Google Slide presentation for their teachers. Next, I wanted to take a more significant step. The fourth graders were also learning about the Iroquois Indians, so I had the students work in small groups, and they created an Iroquois village using Minecraft.

I wasn’t on an island anymore; I was part of the community!

So how does all that relate to our topic, “How to integrate coding into the core curriculum.” First, I want you to understand the importance of integrating subjects into your classroom versus segregating. Then, the students will see the value and how these skills apply to other areas of their life.

No matter where you teach or which grade level you teach, you hear the words computational thinking, problem-solving, and critical thinking to name just a few. These are vital skills that coding teaches students. Of course, all subject area teachers K-12 want their students to have these skills because they are essential for any job/career they may go into. However, teaching these skills can be challenging.

If I mention coding to a teacher, I instantly hear:

“Isn’t that for the tech teacher?”

“I don’t have time for that in my curriculum.”

“I don’t know how to code nor have time to learn.”

To solve these problems, check out this BSD Learn webinar, “How to Integrate Coding into Core Curriculum,”. You can find all previously recorded webinars here on our website. 

Project Based Learning with Real World Experiences

Posted on by Beth

As a Project Based Learning (PBL) coach, I help teachers design learning experiences with a project-first approach, as compared to traditional models that are standard/subject-first. The biggest obstacle I have encountered in my years of helping teachers is finding meaningful and purposeful projects. Therefore, I encourage teachers to consider “real-world” connections whenever possible. While that may be a vague term, I elaborate on the term by asking this follow-up question: “will I ever need this skill in the future?”. To me, that is what defines “real-world” learning. Students should feel that what they are learning has a purpose they will find helpful now or in the future that they can easily understand. 

There are generally two ways to provide real-world experiences. You can provide a genuine experience or a simulation of an experience. An example would be an internship or a project that delivers tangible results or learning artifacts. A simulation can be just as powerful, but students should always be aware of the elements and why they are being simulated. For example, a science teacher might want to teach about volcanoes but doesn’t have easy access to any volcanoes, so students learn through models, videos, and examples. 

Hydroponic Gardening Business (year-long project)

Plan

Starting with student strengths and core math content goals, The Harbour School Middle School Math teacher, Learning Extension Coordinator, and Foundry (maker space) teacher planned and organized the unit together. The group decided on an entrepreneurship focus that would provide application skills of algebra, geometry, and financial literacy content and a product development component that would use The Foundry and develop new skills in using tools.

Immerse

After a brainstorming session and an introduction to entrepreneurship lesson, students decided to co-create a business focusing on sustainability and gardening. For the project kick-off, students and teachers researched gardening in Hong Kong and discovered a local hydroponic growing company. Next, they organized a field trip to their facility to learn more about gardening, hydroponics, sustainability, and business practices. Through interviewing staff and interacting with the hydroponic system, students learned hands-on what it takes to garden with Hong Kong water and soil. They also learned best practices for organic gardening with hydroponic systems and about easy-to-grow plants for their business.

 

Teach and Reflect

Students developed a business plan and designed a schematic for a 6-tier hydroponic gardening system. With a solid business plan, the students were offered an investment from The Harbour School to acquire the materials and resources to start the business and build the hydroponic system. After students built the hydroponic gardening system, they tested through several iterations of growing different vegetables. They adjusted their business projections with each iteration, settling on a plan to maximize their profits. They also learned about business profit projections, investment interest rates, organic fertilizers, hydroponic substrates, and optimal growing conditions.

Delivery

Students settled on an online pop-up launch of their business, selling vegetables and herb packages to The Harbour School faculty and staff through a simple online ordering form. They marketed their packages with posters and word of mouth and ensured timely delivery to all customers. After selling out of stock, students earned enough money to repay production costs, purchase their next cycle of vegetables and herbs, and profit to pay themselves for their roles in the business. The students are planning their next business idea and looking for potential investors.

Outcome

The hydroponics gardening system will continue to operate at the school and serve as a community model for sustainable practices. The students that started the project will conduct a hand-off meeting with incoming students to explain how the system works and other transference of knowledge. The incoming students will be allowed to decide what to do with the system and how to proceed. One idea is to start a community gardening project for residents who live nearby without access to organic vegetables and produce.

Reflect

The Middle School Math teacher, the Learning Extension Coordinator, and the Foundry teacher mapped out how students met the learning objectives, wrote narratives for student portfolios, and documented the final details of the project for future use By using the Critical Friends protocol of criticizing the success of the project by stating “I like” and “I wonder” statements. This has demonstrated that a year-long project paid huge dividends for the students involved, which is sometimes difficult to adhere to. Students met their learning goals, earned real dollars, and are now interested in starting their businesses.

 

This example shows various ways to answer the question, “will I ever need this skill in the future?” If you are interested in learning more about Project Based Learning, here are some resources you can check out:

PBL Works

PBL Professional Development

My blog with several project examples

To learn more about this, tune into our upcoming webinar on the topic. If you are reading this article after the date of the webinar, no problem! All previously recorded webinars can be found here on our website. 

Tap Into the Power of Play

Posted on by Beth

As a child, I was always one of those kids with my pockets and backpack full of toys, games, rocks, and sometimes live animals! My Mom had to do a full security check before I left for school each morning, but I was always a step ahead with some clever way to hide my toys and sneak them to school. Later my Mom would find out when my teachers would turn over the confiscated items to her when I was picked up. Even today, I carry at least a couple of things to play with in my bag. 

I learned from these early childhood experiences that there seemed to be some war on play and fun. At the time, I didn’t understand the big deal, but now as an educator, I can see how traditional education systems that are hyper-focused on test results don’t have space for play. When I was teaching in public school classrooms, I became one of those teachers that asked students to put their toys away, or they would be confiscated. 

Today, a growing body of compelling research says playing is the natural state of being for a child and that playing can play an influential role in learning. Play has been an ongoing research topic since the 1980s and has been led by research groups at UNSESO, LEGO, Harvard, IDEO, and many others.

The LEGO Foundation has produced several research briefings and playbooks that summarize the characteristics and benefits of play.

5 Characteristics of play: Play is …

  • Meaningful
  • Joyful
  • Socially Interactive
  • Actively Engaging
  • Iterative

Play builds these five skills:

  • Physical
  • Social 
  • Creative
  • Emotional
  • Cognitive

Tap Into the Power of Play

The World Economic Forum has released a report saying that “94% of businesses say they expect people to learn new skills on the job (as recently as 2018, only 65% said the same).” The skills they most want to see are critical thinking, problem-solving, active learning, resilience, stress tolerance, creativity, and flexibility. Coincidentally, these happen to be the same skills that play offers!

This research has developed practices, pedagogies, and tools to implement structured play in classrooms. These are slowly starting to be adopted all over the world.

Whether you want to add a bit of play to your current curriculum or you want to overhaul the entire system to be more playful, there are guides and best practices to follow

If you are looking for low-barrier entry points into playful learning, try these approaches:

  • Game-based learning
  • Gamified learning activities
  • Tinkering
  • Outdoor activities
  • Project-based learning

. 
To learn more about this, tune into our upcoming webinar on the topic. If you are reading this article after the date of the webinar, no problem! All previously recorded webinars can be found here on our website.

A Teacher’s Journey into Digital Citizenship

Posted on by Beth

My journey with digital citizenship started in 2013. So much has changed since then. Topics, issues, discussions, apps, sites, resources – anything connected to technology changes like {snap} that! How can you stay ahead of it or at least at the same pace?

Let me start by setting Scene 1.

In June of 2013, I worked for a title one school district as a part-time AIS math teacher, waiting for my technology skills to shine and an opening for a “computer teacher.” There currently was no one in the position. I kept stressing the importance of digital literacy (computer skills). After all my fusing, I finally made an impact. I was privileged to teach ‘computers’ in my computer lab!

After the excitement, I knew my next step would be to write my curriculum for 3rd-5th grade students. I knew what was important personally, but what did the students need to know at that age? I figured every grade would have to start at the same level, and then I could adjust the content area. I started researching and settled on a few topics to start. 

  • How to log in (an obvious one)
  • How to search the internet efficiently (note the word efficiently, not effectively)
  • How to create a word processing document (basic layout, fonts, style, size, margins)
  • Digital Citizenship (this was new to me, so I knew I had to do some additional research)

Please note, at that time, the students did not have a computer class, there was no talk of 1:1, Google was not the hype, there was no talk of virtual learning, and I was told by administrators that I should not focus on keyboarding instruction because the keyboard will become obsolete very soon (we will come back to that later).

I started reading about how other teachers were tackling these topics. That’s when I was introduced to Common sense education. They opened my eyes to many new topics I didn’t even know existed. There were articles, videos, community groups, lesson plans, guides, and MORE! I smiled with satisfaction and relief, “I found my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” I cheered!  Okay, I know, a bit much, but I felt like I hit the lottery. I found everything I needed to teach digital citizenship and some extra activities. I found applications that were reviewed by teachers and Common sense education. I was very pleased with myself.

My first year was challenging. I was that typical teacher/person who thought because a student has a computer or tablet or phone doesn’t mean they are tech-savvy or know how to be safe, respectful, and responsible. I only tested digital citizenship out with the fifth-grade students because time ran short for the other grade levels. We focused on making a digital citizenship pledge for in school and out. We talked about online gaming and chat rooms and private and personal information. Overall, I learned A LOT that year about technology, myself as a teacher, and the 425 students I connected with.

Scene 2: 2014-2015

This school year, I was fresh and ready to go. I created my course progression for the 4th and 5th-grade students, added digital citizenship to the 4th and 5th-grade curriculum, and snuck in keyboarding because I didn’t agree with administrators that the keyboard was going away anytime soon. I researched Common sense education again for something new to try. That year I attempted pen pals from another state thanks to a suggestion from a Common sense education community member.

This was also the first year I became a Certified Digital Citizenship Educator. I was so proud of my accomplishments, the student accomplishments, and the fact that I had come a long way with Common sense education’s help.

Scene 3: 2015-2016 (don’t worry, we won’t be going through each year)

I decided to include digital citizenship with all the students this school year. I realized that the students needed a progression. Common sense education offered an example of a course progression easily mapped out for me. Unfortunately, my students were starting at the 3rd-grade level and had never been exposed before my class. So at first, I had to backtrack to get everyone ‘up to speed’ as much as possible. I used the prior grade’s lesson to teach the students what should have been learned in kindergarten, first and second grade. I modified the lessons because of the age difference, of course.

This was also the year I started teaching students how to be efficient when searching the internet and how to search effectively. Common sense education provided a great project (this is the updated version of the lesson ) that taught the students just that!

At the end of the school year, I applied for my certification in Common sense education. To my surprise, I received an email stating that we met the requirements for becoming a certified SCHOOL! I didn’t know this opportunity existed. I always was focused on the lessons and resources, not certifications. I remember glowing with pride. I ran to my principal’s office, “Look at what the students accomplished, look at the topics they discussed, look at what they earned,” I yelled, jumping up and down with excitement. The communication department wrote an article about the students, me, and Common Sense education.

From that year on, digital citizenship grew throughout my district. I continued my certification and became an ambassador as well. I presented at conferences, trained my colleagues, and encouraged our lower elementary, middle, and high school to join the digital citizenship discussion, earning us District Certification. During our first year at the district level, I also got a handful of teachers to become certified. By our second year, we had certified 30 of our teachers. We held special events during digital citizenship week, guest speakers throughout the year, and even themed dress-up days like ‘dress as your favorite superhero or wear green to support Common sense education.

I continued to work with Common Sense education by writing reviews for applications such as MinecraftEdu, was interviewed for EdTech Magazine, and spoke at several webinars live and virtual. My school district even contacted me for help regarding inappropriate behavior on students’ devices. The students were comfortable coming to me for help and advice. So the principal always had me present when talking to students about their behavior. I created a class called P.O.L.E. (Positive Online Education) for students who were inappropriate on their devices (gaming, inappropriate searching, chatting, etc.) The class wasn’t meant to scold the students but to educate them on how they could have handled the situation differently.

Scene 4: 2022

Fast-forward to now. (No, I am not reviewing the years during COVID, that’s a whole nother blog!)

I ended my journey as a teacher, instructional technology coach, and trainer. I was offered a position with BSD Education as their trainer and coach for North America. This was my opportunity to spread my wings but still stay with my passion for digital literacy.

During the interview, I was asked if I had any questions. My response was, “I know your design and support curriculum are based on digital skills, but what about digital literacy, specifically digital citizenship?” Their response was, “Of course! One of the first projects students come to is how to create a digital citizenship pledge.”

I was sold!