Education Archives | Page 7 of 8

Incorporating Technology into Non-Tech Classes

Posted on March 23, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

BSD works with core subject teachers around the world who are tasked with weaving technology into their classroom experience. In many cases, there are no guidelines for where to begin or metrics provided for measuring impact. To help navigate the challenges of tech integration, we’ve outlined 4 tips for creating meaningful technology experiences that will engage students and enhance learning.

1. Ditch the Gadgets

All too often, we see schools attempt to meet technology requirements by purchasing the latest smart board or 3D printer. There is a notion that learning naturally follows after the acquisition of these devices. However, even when a motivated English teacher elects for her students to use a 3D printer during her poetry unit, how can she be sure that learning is happening? Are students gaining real world technology skills? Is the presence of 3D printing enhancing the existing poetry curriculum? How can we be sure?

Inevitably, without regular professional development, tech support and integrated lesson plans, we find that these devices go under-utilized.

2. Embrace Computational Thinking

Counter intuitively, the key to successful technology integration is not technology! Rather, students must learn to think in a way that empowers them to use technology to create real world solutions. Computational Thinking is a method of problem–solving used by computer scientists that breaks down into Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, and Algorithm.

Let’s expand on the example above of an English teacher who aims to bring technology skills into her poetry lessons. The goal of this project is to analyze a poem and extract insights.

Decomposition – Students choose a collection of poems and identify specific properties within each work, such as author details, number of lines, rhyming schemes, syllables, tone, etc.

Pattern Recognition – The class determines various connections that can be made by noticing patterns across works. Do certain authors reuse specific metaphors? Do distinct vocabulary words appear only within the work of a defined time period?

Abstraction – Challenge students to decide which properties are important to solving the problem and which are not? If your goal is to determine whether or not a poem is a haiku, then syllables are quite important. Whereas, if you’re hoping to surmise the poet’s gender, then syllables may be irrelevant.

Algorithms – Using what they’ve learned, each student will now design a reliable method for extracting specific insights from a poem. Notice, that students have not necessarily used technology up to this point! The final product can take the form of a flow chart or survey that asks relevant questions about any given poem in order to determine something about it. Examples could be “Was this poem written by Emily Dickinson?” or “Is this poem a sonnet?” or “Was this poem written before 1900?”

By following the Computational Thinking process, students are thinking deeply about the core subject matter while gaining 21st century problem solving skills.

3. Leverage Real-World Data

Teachers know that students learn best when they feel that the learning applies directly to their real lives. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to illustrate real-world connections using real time data!

A classic word problem in math asks students to calculate the exact time and place that two trains traveling in opposite directions will pass each other. Perhaps the updated version requires students to plot the route using Google Maps and incorporate factors like train delays, weather, and holiday scheduling.

Consider a US history assignment that prompts students to write an essay about their favorite president. By leveraging 70 years of free detailed presidential approval ratings online, teachers can challenge students to map their chosen president’s approval rating to significant historical events and use those insights to make predictions about the future.

4. Share Student Work Online

Finally, one of the simplest ways to bring technology concepts into non-tech classrooms is by publishing student work online. Regardless of their future endeavours, curating an online presence is an unavoidable part of being a member of the innovation economy.

In addition to popular tools such as Github, Behance, and Linkedin, the BSD Online platform provides all students with a place for showcasing real-world technology projects that can be shared with college admissions and even directly to employers.

If you are a teacher or school administrator and have questions about integrating technology into your classroom, please feel free to reach out to BSD Education. We can help you prepare your students for the ever–changing challenges of tomorrow and engage them with projects that combine core subjects with 21st century technology skills.

Boost Your Confidence in Introducing Technology Into Your Classroom

Posted on March 6, 2019October 4, 2023 by user

<h1>… <p>… <body>? Does it sound familiar or like a foreign language to you?

This is the answer we usually get when we work with non-tech teachers to make technology part of their classroom.

Teaching is fun but can also be terrifying, especially when you’re doing it for the first time. Adding technology you may not be familiar with, to enhance your students’ learning experience, may even sound more intimidating. But don’t worry, we have come up with top tips to make this potentially daunting experience, easy for you.

1. Learn with your students. Your students will love the opportunity to drive the learning and at times act like the teacher. Frame it as an adventure to explore together: “Let’s explore together, I know that some of you may have had experience with it before, let’s take this opportunity to learn from each other and together.”

2. Use the in威而鋼
ternet as a tool. A lot of technology experts use YouTube to top up their skills – whether to learn a new code or create a new tool. Can you use YouTube creatively with your students to learn and build something? For some classes with older kids, this can be a great way to change the learning environment. Besides, who would say no to watching YouTube for homework?

3. Work in partnership. Remember the idea to make your students the teacher? You can assign students a role to make them part of the learning – whether it’s the CSS Superhero or HTML expert – this is a great way to build their capacity as experts and confidence teaching their peers a new skill.

4. It’s cool to copy. In technology, it’s not considered cheating if you copy! In fact open-source code is how a lot of programs are built. The role of the programmer or product designer is to bring together existing pieces to make something useful and they only build new things where they need to. Don’t be afraid to look online for inspiration for your design or code, and focus on encouraging students to think of new combinations that make something useful in the real world.

How Project Based Learning Boosts Personalization

Posted on February 21, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

A growing chorus of employers is voicing frustration about job applicants who are technically proficient, with touted high grades and test scores but lacking in key skills such as communication, decision-making, and problem-solving that are necessary to successfully do the jobs they have applied for. To better prepare students for professions in the 21st century, educators are increasingly combining project-based learning and personalized learning.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) blends content mastery, meaningful work, and personal connection to create powerful learning experiences, in terms of both academic achievement and students’ personal growth. PBL can be transformative for students, especially those who lack access to school-time educational opportunities such as workplace internships.

Project-Based Learning allows students to actively participate in activities that have real-world relevance and application. For example, students can solve problems that are important to them and their communities. At its best, PBL leads to deeper understanding and greater retention of content knowledge, with students better able to apply what they know to new situations thanks to a personal connection to their academic experience.

Let’s look deeper to see how project-based learning integrates technology and personalized student learning.

What is Project-Based Learning?

Project-Based Laerning PBL encourages students to investigate and respond to a complex topic, problem, or challenge.

With its ability to support students of different abilities, it is gaining popularity in schools and other educational settings. Problems can be provided based on a learner’s knowledge, making the experience unique for each student.

What are the benefits of PBL?

Project-based learning can be a catalyst for transforming learning, helping students move from asking “what?” to also asking “why?” and “how?”

In a traditional classroom, students often focus on memorizing facts to pass a test. However, research has shown that by organizing learning around meaningful goals, PBL can be an effective way to cultivate a “need to know” attitude in students—students are motivated to deepen their understanding in order to solve a problem that is meaningful to them.

Concepts are better understood when students see a need for their use, make an authentic connection with them because that need encourages them to apply what they’re learning to relevant situations, leading to a better sense of understanding. Researchers have also observed higher rates of students staying on task and paying close attention to the teacher and their peers.

Understanding the limits of Project-Based Learning

However, there are key characteristics that differentiate “doing a project” from engaging in Project-Based Learning.

However, without the correct tools, PBL can be just a buzzword. Active citizens and a fast changing workforce demand more than simply technology, personalization, and coding. Quality curriculum and instructional design are still the keys to PBL’s long-term influence on students.

A vivid example of these limitations is provided in the following passage from a 2017 Edutopia article:

“As students learn to read, it is critical that they build a strong and wide foundation of knowledge. Background knowledge plays an important role in a learner’s ability to acquire and absorb information from what they read. Thus, customizing learning through technology works best when combined with focused, coherent, and rigorous training.… Yes, tapping into and developing children’s interests and instilling in them a sense of ownership of their education is important. Yet allowing them the unbridled choice of what they learn, especially when they are young, means that in certain cases they will miss building that foundation… If students don’t have a working familiarity with a body of knowledge, a new passage on the topic—no matter how elementary it may seem and no matter how strong the reader’s fundamental decoding skills—will frustrate… Without at least a working familiarity with a topic, Google—where you have to generate the right question to ask—will only take you so far in the moment. That is because, as cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham wrote, “Every passage that you read omits information. All of this omitted information must be brought to the text by the reader.”

This passage is an important reminder that how educators incorporate PBL and Technology into their curriculum, will really define the success of their efforts and the long-term impact it has on students.

How does BSD use Project-Based Learning?

PBL’s greatest strength is its ability to engage students in virtually any learning situation. For example, PBL is the core of all BSD in-school and out-of-school time (OST) curriculum. Our approach has continuously proven to be the most effective strategy for igniting & sustaining engagement in the vast majority of students we work with, regardless of prior tech background or interest level.

PBL allows us to alter students’ thinking from ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ to ‘what problems do you want to solve when you grow up?’

Project-based learning allows students to see how abstract concepts and lessons can be used in the workplace. This offers students the chance to experience education through the eyes of artists, entrepreneurs, tech professionals, and more.

Contextualized professional alternatives stimulate students to learn more in a subject, transforming education from a task to an opportunity.

Teaching Primary Students Versus Teenagers

Posted on February 21, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

Technology activities should always focus on having three things:

Competency – you learn something new about technology and the world
Context – the activity is relevant and interesting, not a worksheet
Collaboration – it connects you to your peers or the world around you

These are our underlying principles – and we apply them whether we are working with Year 3 students or Year 3 teachers. However, what are the additional key steps that we take to tailor our activities so we can engage an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old?

Interaction

Young children thrive with hands-on, sensory experiences. At early ages, we start with hands-on activities – many of which are offline – to build our computational thinking. Rather than worksheets, we encourage them to 3D print objects, enhance their shoes with technology or build circuits with their hands.

Many of these projects continue work for older students but we extend them to create useful and genuinely functional everyday objects, full fashion shows, or entire robots with advanced skills.

Risk-Taking

Teenagers love to take risks. This is how they learn – by trying something new, learning to accept feedback, and focusing to improve or take an even bolder step. Rather than trying to limit risks, we encourage teenagers to take more risks. To try something harder. To build a project that is more daring. To share their ideas about how to change the world with more people. We create a safe space for teenagers to take risks and dare to do something greater as result.

Autonomy

Young students love to have support from their teachers. They want to be engaged directly and are often happy to learn something new from their peers or an adult. Teenagers prefer a bit more autonomy – to be challenged, make mistakes themselves and learn from them. As students age, in BSD’s online platform, we use machine learning to provide real-time feedback in a safe way.

How do you adapt your lessons for different ages? Let us know!

How Nord Anglia International School is Using TechEd Curriculum

Posted on January 22, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

What are the MIT STEAM Challenges?

The MIT STEAM Challenges is a collaboration between Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Nord Anglia Education to enhance the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) by connecting MIT innovation and culture to Nord Anglia schools globally through project-based challenges.

Nord Anglia schools have been participating in three MIT challenges each year since 2016. The Challenges are in-school cross-curricular experiences for Nord Anglia students based on MIT research. TThe MIT Challenges provide a unique chance for every Nord Anglia Education school, teacher, and student to experience MIT. Each MIT Challenge embodies the teaching and learning culture of MIT, is rooted in the research of MIT faculty, and makes that research relevant and accessible to Nord Anglia students.

This Year’s Theme

The 2018-2019 MIT Challenge is themed “STEAM Superheroes”. Participants are encouraged to take inspiration from three MIT professors and their graduate student research assistants.

The three “STEAM Superheroes” challenges showcase the work of an MIT professor and a graduate student researcher. Nord Anglia students then tackle a project of their own, using the professor and their process as inspiration

The three STEAM Superheroes and their powers are:

Epic Identity featuring Prof. Leia Stirling: Students will learn about wearable technology and its ability to improve human performance.

Super Natural featuring Prof. Anette “Peko” Hosoi: Students will closely observe the natural world and understand the physics behind an animal’s adaptation, then apply that knowledge to engineering design.

Medical Marvel featuring Prof. Chris Voigt: Students will tap into the potential of applying engineering principles to biological problems to improve human health.

BSD Education and Nord Anglia International School, Hong Kong

BSD partnered with Nord Anglia International School, Hong Kong (NAIS HK) in 2017/18 to develop and deliver projects for the MIT STEAM Challenges.

As part of the partnership, BSD trained 4 NAIS HK teachers in 2017 and is currently training 8 in 2018. The 4 teachers developed in 2017, internally trained 4 teachers each, making a total of 20 teachers trained in 2017.

What students will learn to build using BSD Online in 2018-19

Year 3-6 students at NAIS HK are using BSD’s cross-curricular TechConnected to create their own MIT STEAM Challenge inventions. BSD’s cross-curricular TechConnected helps NAIS HK students construct MIT STEAM Challenge inventions. Creating digital artifacts and displaying their work are among the topics covered in this technology education course.

The BSD projects recommended can be used by students to showcase and present work or to apply their learning. For example, students will showcase their work by documenting their journey of researching and building their own STEAM Challenge and present this by creating a digital portfolio. Students learn about the challenges of space travel, the preparation required and what astronauts do when they face problems in space; then students apply this learning by creating a Mission to Mars theme Choose Your Own Adventure game.

All students will be building their own Personal Portfolio Showcase to document their learning and showcase what they have built. In addition to this, students will complete the following projects in each year group:

Firstly, Year 3: Introduction to coding in HTML & CSS followed by coding and designing their Online Poster with a Keep Calm and Carry On theme.

Secondly, Year 4: My First Website to explain and document their STEAM Challenge

Thirdly, Year 5: My First Website with the theme of “Into the Unknown” and Choose Your Own Adventure with a “Mission to Mars” theme.

Lastly, Year 6: Trivia Game and MicroBit Wearables with a “Medical Marvel” theme.

At BSD, we believe in and advocate for introducing technology education, including coding, to students during the primary years. This builds a strong foundation of skills, knowledge, and experience applying technology that they have created in a real-world context to make them future-ready and prepare them for technology first careers.

If you are infusing your regular lessons with technology skills we would love to hear from you.

21st Century Tools for the Classroom: Quizzes & Videos

Posted on November 26, 2018September 20, 2022 by user

Formative assessment is an essential part of the learning process, allowing teachers to assess students’ understanding of concepts. Here are a few of our favorite tools to help make assessments fun for students and easy for teachers:

Quizizz:

Quizizz is simple to use, with customizable options and an intuitive interface. One of its unique features is how it includes memes and player points/leaderboards in between questions. These options add a layer of fun to the experience. As a result, Quizizz is simple and easy to use, perfect for creating fast, fun, engaging formative assessments. Students take quizzes individually, but teachers can monitor student progress in real-time and download performance reports afterward.

Kahoot is less streamlined than Quizizz but offers a wider variety of content. Including game types like Jumble, where students order items instead of selecting a multiple choice answer. In addition, Kahoot has “blind kahoots,” or quizzes designed to teach a concept rather than just test knowledge. Finally, Kahoot allows you to save performance data for each examination, just like Quizizz.

The main differentiating feature is that quizzes are taken as a whole class, with students engaging with one question at a time as a group. Its comprehensive variety of content and focus on group engagement makes Kahoot perfect for stimulating class discussion and encouraging students to engage with each other to answer questions.

Recommended for extensive reviews or when other game modes are better suited to the subject matter. While using Quizizz to reinforces learning in small chunks that allow students to move individually at their own pace.

Both programs easily save performance data and provide opportunities for things like keeping a class-wide term scoreboard, tracking individual improvement, or highlighting areas that need work.

Video Lessons:

Edpuzzle is a platform that allows teachers to take videos and turn them into fully realized lessons. The biggest thing we love about EDpuzzle is it’s intuitive and easy to use.

Teachers can search popular platforms like YouTube or browse collections of videos by subject and grade level. Then, teachers can cut the video, add voice-overs or insert in-video quiz questions.

Students can use these lessons to break up lectures, review, or teach complex concepts in the classroom. It also allows teachers to take full advantage of the visual power of videos in their lessons. Ideal for formative assessments, the questions can be added throughout the class.

Learning Through Play With Lego Mindstorms

Posted on November 23, 2018September 20, 2022 by user

In a recent article we released in Issue #7, we talked about the advantages of extracurricular activities like Technology Camps on student learning; how it helps students develop to become well rounded young adults and the real world skills students acquire in camps such as Game Development.

Looking for Technology Camps for kids younger than 8 can be a challenge. Many organizations are trying to provide options for this age group because they see it as a business opportunity. However, there are a number of child developmental considerations when choosing programmes for younger children that should be taken into account. For example, children as young as 5 for will likely have difficulties in using a mouse, typing, remembering where the letters on the keyboards are, understanding the syntax of coding languages and let’s not forget the much shorter attention spans.

For young kids, we would recommend keeping the phrase “Learning through playing” front of mind. It has been long understood, through practical experience as well as academic work by e.g. Lev Vygotsky and Maria Montessori, that learning through play is a critical element for young children to develop key skills in language, emotion, creativity and social interaction, it pulls together the logical and creative areas of the brain.

In practical terms, we have found that introducing Technology with Lego Mindstorms to young kids is more effective than making them code early on. Even in children as young as 6 years old, we have found Robotics with Lego effective to expose them to both the principles and ideas of coding, like logic, and elements of engineering through robotics. The small parts in Lego Mindstorms challenge younger students developing motor skills and coordination.

Here’s some of the key benefits of Lego Mindstorms and what kids learn and build in a Lego Mindstorms Camp:

1.) Boosts empathy and awareness
In our camps, we ensure to kickstart it with a few intriguing questions: “What type of problems do you face in daily life?” “Are there more people who are facing the same problem?” and “What can we do to solve it?”. Prompting these questions helps young learners begin to consider their environment. This helps them think about the problems they would like robots to solve, these can be as simple as “retrieving an item across the room without having to leave a seat”.

2.) Nurtures Imagination and Creativity
When entering the brainstorming process you’ll get a room full of energy and 100 possible answers, this is the time to introduce feasibility. For example, If you need to retrieve an item from across the room, “what will you need?” You will likely need something with wheels on it to move and arms to pick it up. “Do you have these resources available?”.

3.) Introduces engineering
Lego Mindstorms encourages kids to build with more variety like gears and levers. It promotes engineering where students can take the various plastic pieces to construct robots, buggies, or devices, while ensuring they can physically “move” or “operate” together to successfully and repeatedly perform a task e.g. making sure none of the pieces fall when the robot moves from a spot to another. Some people opine that the best way to stimulate the maximum creativity in robotics is to first take away the option of using the wheels!

4.) Emphasizes teamwork
Building a robot is not easy for kids to finish alone. We encourage them to go in groups to accomplish robots together, even to seek help where they can observe adults nearby or in their class. We help them identify their strengths, as well as start to think about ideas like delegation and having a team leader. One kid can be in charge of putting the pieces together, while another can be in charge of coding the robot.

5.) Teaches programming concepts
When building a robot, it is important kids are aware that computers don’t and can’t think for themselves. All technology is based on code, no matter how complex it is. Lego Mindstorms runs on a visual programming environment, which is intuitive for kids because they simply need to imagine what their robot will do, and drag-and-drop plain language blocks into correct sequences using logic. There are on screen technologies to do this like Scratch, however they lack the physical interaction and immersive multi-sensory experience that kids get in creating and using a robot.

6.) Camps are a great opportunity to Improve presentation and public speaking skills
At the end of any technology camp, we find it’s a critical capstone event for kids to be able to present their product. Presenting a solution is just as important as making a solution! It is the culminating part of reflection on their experience, reinforcement of their learning and demonstrating important soft skills and pride in their work.

Here we have used Robotics as our example. However, the benefits of play based learning will be quite consistent in any camp that is science or technology based. You can be certain that your children will have a lot of fun and be highly engaged to light the spark to learn even more in the future.

If you’re interested in bringing our Technology Camps or After School Programs into your schools, let us know here or request a demo.

Catching up with EdTech: Our Favorite Article Sources

Posted on October 30, 2018September 20, 2022 by user

We have prepared a little treat for you this Halloween! The Education Team at BSD understands how precious your time is as a teacher – parent-teacher interviews are coming up, the assessment period is approaching, reporting is just around the corner – before you know it, you are already being asked to prepare for the next academic year! To help you stay ahead, we have scoured the internet for the most insightful and interesting edtech content (blogs, articles, and podcasts) to help you stay afloat in the rapid changes and tides (driven by tech) in education.

*The 6 sources below are listed in alphabetical order their place on the list is no indication of preference

1.Cult of Pedagogy (https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/category/technology/)

Jennifer Gonzalez is an experienced female educator who shares a wealth of insight into the world of education through podcasts, blogs, and videos. Cult of Pedagogy is a great general resource for getting inspiration on learning theories and classroom management. The section “Technology” is our favorite part (for obvious reasons). Gonzalez is pragmatic in her recommendations and through her “interviews [of] educators, students, administrators, and parents about the psychological and social dynamics of school” we always feel re-energised and inspired to get back into the classroom to try something new.

Recommendation: “When Your School Is Short on Tech” https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/low-tech-school/

2.EdSurge (https://www.edsurge.com/)

EdSurge is one of the more well-known edtech sources out there. There is a lot of content here though, so our favorite way to catch up with EdSurge is through their weekly mailing list, where the week’s key articles are summarized. EdSurge has a community of educators, techies and entrepreneurs to share news, information, trends and research about what emerging technologies and how it can (or cannot) support teaching in learning in K-12 and higher education.

Recommendation: “YouTube Launches $20 Million Fund as Part of ‘Learning’ Initiative” (https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-10-23-youtube-launches-20-million-fund-as-part-of-learning-initiative)

3.EdTech Digest (https://edtechdigest.com/)

A great site again for cool tools, interviews, and trends to get inspired and stay up-to-date with various opinion pieces. With edtech thought leaders in the tech sector and academics, EdTech Digest offers insights, updates, interviews into the rapidly evolving world of educational technology. EdTech Digest also conducts EdTech Awards annually, so this is also a place to find recommended resources.

Recommendation: “Busting the Myths of the “Digital Native”” https://edtechdigest.com/2018/10/22/busting-the-myths-of-the-digital-native/

4.EdTech: Focus on K-12 Magazine (https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/)

EdTech: Focus on K-12 is an online magazine that is part of CDW, which is a leading multi-brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare organizations in North America and the United Kingdom. The articles are a curated set of contributions by educators and tech leaders in education. In this context, EdTech: Focus on K-12 provides an interesting repository of implementation solutions and discussions faced by educators and tech integrators, such as suggestions in classroom setup, technology professional development for teachers etc.

Recommendation: “Facebook Launches Communication App with K–12 Students in Mind” (https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2017/12/facebook-launches-communication-app-k-12-students-mind)

5.Hello World (https://helloworld.raspberrypi.org/)

Hello World is a digital (and printed) publication by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The magazine is published three times per year and it’s available entirely free as a Creative Commons PDF download. The magazine is a curated collection of interviews, case studies, and opinion pieces, as well as practical tech lesson plans submitted by other educators. The most recent issue discusses the challenges of ethics in computing and creation in the classroom.

Recommendation: Issue 6: https://helloworld.raspberrypi.org/issues/6

6.The Tech Edvocate (https://www.thetechedvocate.org/)

The Tech Edvocate (Matthew Lynch) covers a wide range of topics from gamification, online learning to childhood development with tech to name a few. This is a well-rounded source of articles and discussion pieces to find out more about the trends in edtech and what’s up and coming the the world on tech that will help boost student agency and engagement.

Recommendation: “10 AMAZING HACKATHON IDEAS” https://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-amazing-hackathon-ideas/

For a list of top accounts to follow on Twitter to stay up-to-date, click here to read our suggestions from issue 5

Who You Should Follow On Twitter for EdTech Updates, Tips and Tricks

Posted on October 2, 2018September 21, 2022 by user

Expand your EdTech Community

As the world of tech is rapidly evolving, it can be difficult to keep up with all the changes, and come up with teaching ideas that use the most up to date and relevant technology. At BSD, we prioritise bringing teachers together as part of a community to learn from each other and share ideas.

One great idea bank is of course, Twitter. Craig Kemp, Head of Digital Learning and Innovation at Stamford American International School in Singapore, and a frequent education blogger, has crowdsourced and curated a list of 400 highly recommended educators to follow – he has an entire section on EdTech with 53 suggestions! Here’s a taster of the people included:

KEITH GEORGE @bigtechcoach

Keith George is the Educational Technology Specialist for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative, Alabama State Department of Education and previously taught for 12 years. He believes that ‘The time is now for educators to become passionate about educational technology’ and writes a weekly newsletter, a blog and tweets relevant resources and news.

JENNIFER KING @JenniferNKing

Jennifer King is a Grade 8 Math and English teacher who is passionate about technology (specifically coding) and ‘cannot imagine teaching without the use of technology’. Her website gives an overview of what she is doing with her class and has a great tech toolkit.

ROB McELROY @EdTechMac

Rob McElroy is the Assistant Director at Young Hoon Elementary School in Korea. He is passionate about edtech, and using it to make his students lives better and easier. He puts together edtech sessions that can be found on his website.These introduce teachers to technologies from minidrones to coding, as well as Google Expeditions and VR.

The rest of Craig’s list can be found here. Get following and be inspired!

Real World Subject Learning Can Increase Engagement in STEM for All

Posted on October 2, 2018October 4, 2023 by user

To increase engagement in STEM and improve its gender parity in education, make subject learning real world.

In this article we share a key recommendation from a study commissioned by The Women’s Foundation, HK (TWF).

The study titled “Gender Difference in Choosing STEM Subjects at Secondary School and University in Hong Kong” aimed to understand the causes contributing to the under-representation of women in STEM subjects in HKDSE (Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education) and the factors contributing to their dropout from STEM fields at multiple stages of education.

Within its findings, the study recommends, “To promote STEM, we believe educators, schools and teachers should consider making math or science-related subjects more relevant to students’ real life.”

It further explains that “most students, both females and males, began to lose interest and confidence in math after promoting to senior secondary school. They complained the subject matters of math have become increasingly abstract…”.

Making subject learning real world takes away the need for rote memorisation, this is something students have expressed their frustrations over. One studen威而鋼
t, whose name was anonymised said, “Please teach us something that we could apply to our daily lives.” Students also expressed concerns over the teaching styles not being based on understanding but rote memorisation – “The teacher gives us the formulas to memorise but I want to know how and why the formula is formed.”

You can download and read the report here.

We would love to hear your stories about how technology has made your classroom more inclusive.

We are proud to have worked with TWF on delivering the Girls’ Go Teach program for 3 years. Through this we were able to impact over 1200 girls at more than 20 schools in Hong Kong.

Girls’ Go Tech is a 1 year long program aimed to increase the confidence of girls in STEM by training them on coding, computing and problem solving skills to maximise their future career options.