Project Based Learning with Real World Experiences

Posted on June 9, 2022November 2, 2022 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.

Demystifying Artificial Intelligence

Posted on March 3, 2022November 2, 2022 by user

Whether you realize it or not, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already playing a major role in our digital lives. AI is involved in these applications, from what to watch next on YouTube, how to get to the supermarket on Google Maps, or asking Siri to schedule your next appointment. Since AI is already a part of our lives, shouldn’t we be learning about it in school?

Several education institutions have collaborated to develop the 5 Big Ideas in AI Education that provides a framework for how schools and curriculum designers can start incorporating AI into their curriculum, from theoretical to practical. Education researchers are also discovering how students, families and educators can benefit from learning about AI and have found that while AI can be extremely useful, it also has some limitations. For example, after students learn how AI image recognition works, they may find that it isn’t always 100% accurate. Our AI curriculum at BSD shows an example of how an AI image recognition tool can’t easily tell the difference between a chihuahua and a blueberry cupcake.

“Since AI is already a part of our lives, shouldn’t we be learning about it in school?”

In science fiction, AI is often depicted as hyper-intelligent and deeply complex. The reality is that we are still very far away from AI, which is comparable to human intelligence. We have systems that, over time, become very good at predicting outcomes based on supplied data.

Let’s imagine you want to train an AI image recognition system to use your webcam to tell the difference between apples and bananas. First, you would supply dozens of pre-labeled images of apples and bananas. Then you would show your webcam some example images or real-life examples to see how well it predicts the correct fruit. Depending on the quality of the supplied images, the AI will do its best to predict what is shown.

This is where we might encounter some problems. All data is susceptible to 3 forms of data bias:

Amount of information
Diversity of information
Quality of information

Like humans, we need many examples and practice to learn something new. For the AI to learn the difference between apples and bananas, it must see dozens if not hundreds of different images. Those images also need to be diverse enough to show the range of different shades of colors, shapes, and varieties of the two fruits. The supplied images must also be high-quality images free of “noise” or background information. If the supplied images meet the requirements and contain less data bias, the ability to predict will be higher.

You can even try this for yourself now. Here is a link to BSD’s AI Image Recognition Tool. This tool uses your webcam to take photos of whatever you want it to recognize. Let’s use the previous example of apples and bananas. Hold up an apple to your webcam and click on “Add to Class One,” and the webcam will snap one photo and save it for learning. Hold up a banana and click on “Add to Class Two.” You will need a minimum of 10 images for each class. Once you have the photos, click on “Training & Predict.” The AI tool will analyze and learn the supplied images, allowing it to predict what the webcam sees. Then, test out the prediction by showing other examples of apples and bananas.

Instead of apples and bananas, you can choose any two items, or even use your own face, perhaps with and without a funny hat or sunglasses. If you encounter any prediction errors, refer to the 3 types of Data Bias for clues to what might be the cause.

BSD’s AI Image Recognition Tool.

Want to Learn More?

Free BSD Webinar

Demystifying Artificial Intelligence

March 17

The Advantages Of Teaching Students How To Code

Posted on February 18, 2022November 2, 2022 by Beth

My journey with coding began as a 6-year-old in the 90s with Logo. At that time, the computers in my school were still not connected to the Internet, so our teacher wrote all the commands on the blackboard, and we followed the instructions.

One day a classmate & I got our hands on a library book and discovered we could change the screen color from dull black. It was a simple case of changing the RGB values. After a few minutes of playing around, the computer teacher happened to glance onto our screen, and oh boy, we were in for trouble. We got scolded for not following the instructions given in class. The logic was that we would not be ‘tested’ on this; hence it was pointless knowing it.

So, from the next class onwards, my friend and I would take the computer farthest away from the teacher’s desk and keep the monitor at an angle to block the teacher’s view. We did get into trouble, but we learned a lot more. I knew that RGB stood for Red, Blue, and Green and that the interior angles in a quadrilateral add up to 360 degrees. I figured that if the sides of a polygon are the same, the angles will be the same and vice versa. It was only about four years later that I learned that such a polygon is called a Regular Polygon, and someone called Euclid spoke about it years ago (becoming world-famous as the founder of geometry).

“Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. I think a lot of what people call intelligence boils down to curiosity.” -Aaron Swartz

This learning experience has left a long-lasting impression on me and continues to influence my work in education and technology. Here are a few things I have learned:

Learning to code is for everyone
We know for a fact that not everyone will become a programmer or developer, but everyone will interact and build with technology. Due to this latter part, it becomes imperative that young people today understand how technology works and is developed. For example, I’m not a programmer, but my understanding of how it works helps me guide curriculum, product, and even business decisions.

“Programming is not about typing; it’s about thinking.” – Rich Hickey.

Learning to code is about thinking and exploring.
Allen Downey, the professor of Computer Science at Olin College of Engineering, writes in this article for The Scientific American that “The ability to execute code makes programming a tool for thinking and exploring. When we express ideas as programs, we make them testable; when we debug programs, we also debug our brains.”
Learning to think (clearly, critically, and creatively) is essential for children. It is the foundation of their future selves. Only when they explore will they truly know what they enjoy and are good at, paving the way to discover their careers and, hopefully, passions!
Learning to code is about solving problems and being empathetic
Ultimately, the purpose of using code is to create tools that solve problems or enhance the human experience. To solve problems, no matter their complexity, one is required to think deeply and ask “why?” multiple times. So coding doesn’t only help develop problem-solving skills but also teaches us to be empathetic.
Coding makes you resilient.
“Bugs” have become a common term now. It refers to a problem with code or software. For example, while learning to code, all children (and even seasoned professionals) will make mistakes, resulting in bugs. To solve these problems, they will have to “debug” their code and find ways to fix it. So, debugging doesn’t just make you resilient it also helps one improve their attention to detail.
PS: Read about the world’s first computer bug here.
Coding is a medium of creativity!
I believe that creativity manifests diverse ideas bonding together in our minds. Coding helps people express their creativity by creating tools like websites, apps, online platforms, or experiences in VR/AR or showcase their mathematical creativity by storytelling with data visualizations or pushing the envelope of art. Check Google’s project called DevArt, a showcase of “people using technology as their canvas and code as their raw material.”

Now, you’ll be wondering how to dabble in code. We’ve got you covered with seven free projects on BSD Online! So do check them out here.

I’d love to hear your experience around teaching students to code, tips, and what tools you use to develop digital skills, including coding in your children.

Building Good Digital Citizens: Uncovering Bias With Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Posted on December 1, 2021November 23, 2022 by user

Artificial intelligence (AI) was typically only found in dystopian science fiction novels, but that is no longer the case. Everything from disease recognition and prevention to security at large events, AI is making its way into our everyday lives, and its presence will only grow as technology advances.

Due to its rapid growth, any educator needs to identify how students will be impacted by AI and how we can prepare them for the future. Although many facets of AI will soon, if not already, be incorporated into our daily lives, this article will focus on one important aspect: facial and image recognition.

What is AI Image Recognition?

AI image recognition uses a subset of AI called machine learning that can identify and categorize specific objects, including people, animals, and various landmarks. Utilizing a wealth of data, computers can use a camera and a machine learning algorithm based on neural networks and pre-trained data to identify these objects.

For a computer to make sense of images, they must be broken down into pixels, each pixel having a value (0 = black / 255 = white). Below is a photo showing how an image is broken down into pixels and how each pixel has a value.

What Issues Does AI Image Recognition Have?

AI isn’t perfect and is only as good as the data it has at its disposal. If a machine learning image recognition tool struggles to recognize the difference between two different images, it’s likely because it does not have the data or images necessary to make an accurate distinction between them.

For instance, as infants, we learn to see patterns in colors and shapes to recognize them later. We start to get good at predicting based on what we have already seen. For AI to predict, the software needs to have seen many images and examples.

When an AI image recognition tool does not have lots of data or does not have a variety of data, predictability issues arise, and the tool is not as effective as one with more information. This can lead to inaccurate predictions, a bias that could have significant consequences for society as this tool becomes more widespread.

How Can We Educate Students About AI Bias?

As AI image recognition tools become more utilized for various purposes, our students must recognize the common issues with these tools and help prevent the negative aspects that can present themselves. Even providing students with a basic understanding of what AI is, how it works, and what limitations it has can go a long way in helping our students make informed decisions.

As a part of Computer Science Education Week and in conjunction with Hour of Code, BSD Education is offering a free project that allows students to explore an AI image recognition tool and teaches them how AI sees images, makes predictions, and how we can make sure that those predictions are accurate and free of bias. While utilizing this tool, students will also learn valuable 21st-century coding skills, including the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Access AI Webcam Image Classifier at app.bsd.education/free.

We hope you and your students will find this project informative and helpful in understanding how AI works and can be used for good in the future. BSD Education feels strongly that this type of learning, along with other digital skills, is vital to every student’s education. Please contact us here if you would like to learn more about how you can partner with BSD in the classroom so your students are future-ready.

Want to Learn More?

Free BSD Webinar

Building Good Digital Citizens: Uncovering Bias With Machine Learning

Join BSD Education VP of Education Mark Barnett to see how AI sees images, makes predictions, and how we can make sure they are accurate and free of bias. We’ll also explore similarities between AI and how our minds work by studying the effects of bias and data categorization.

Block-based Coding vs. Text-based Coding

Posted on November 4, 2021November 2, 2022 by user

Given how widespread technology is, teaching coding is becoming more and more necessary. Knowing how to code—or at least the basics of coding—is now an important skill for students moving into higher education and when they begin looking for a job.

Teachers have identified this important skill and children are now learning how to code at an early age. However, with a wide range of options available for educators to begin teaching their students how to code, it’s important to make an informed decision that will set students up for success.

Block-based coding has emerged as a tool to offer students an introduction into the world of coding that allows them to explore code in a friendly environment. At BSD Education, we are fans of how block-based learning like Scratch has helped to reach millions of students globally.

While educators can instantly begin introducing digital skills into their classroom with this type of instruction, teachers should also understand the limitations of this tool. In this article we’ll explain why BSD feels traditional text-based coding is key for teachers and students that want to move beyond the blocks and are ready to take their digital skills to the next level with text-based programming like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

First, let’s make it clear what block-based and text-based coding are:

What is Block-based Coding?

Instead of traditional text-based coding, block-based coding involves dragging “blocks” of instructions to manipulate the code. The most popular example of this is Scratch, the first block-based language created by MIT. Other examples include Snap, Scratch Jr., and Microsoft MakeCode.

What is Text-based Coding?

Text-based coding is what professionals use and is done by typing keyboard characters following a certain syntax (rules and regulations) of a particular programming language. For a breakdown of coding languages, please see this previous BSD blog post.

Why Text-based Coding

Learning any new language is difficult, but at BSD we believe it is important to introduce text-based coding to students from third to eighth grade so they move past the blocks, become familiar with a real coding environment, and build a foundation that has no limitations. While many teachers begin with block-based coding to help ease their students into learning this new language, introducing students to text-based coding is inevitable and will be necessary when expanding students’ knowledge.

Here are three specific reasons why text-based coding is our preferred method of learning how to code:

1. Better to Learn with Text-based Coding

While block-based coding can be an avenue to introduce coding to students, it’s much more difficult for students to grasp real coding concepts and syntax when they’re essentially dragging and dropping boxes. With text-based coding, students receive a full learning experience that instills important coding concepts that they will remember and can build off of.

An MIT study revealed that while students are in the best stage of their lives to learn a new language until they are 17 or 18 years old, the optimal age for learning a new language is before the age of 10. At BSD Education, we feel learning coding is very similar to learning a new spoken language and that it’s important to take advantage of this window of opportunity by introducing students to actual coding concepts through text-based coding at an earlier age so they are more likely to comprehend and build on their skills in the future. Since a child’s brain is more pliable, a real coding experience can help them integrate this important skill and provide them with a massive advantage the younger they begin.

Since learning coding or any new language can be difficult, it’s critical you have a partner and a platform that can guide students through this experience. At BSD, we’ve developed more than 600 hours of certified curriculum that uses a scaffolded approach so students are constantly building on their knowledge. Whether it’s basic concepts or moving into advanced stages of coding learning, BSD is by your side to help students along.

Learning coding syntax is made easy with BSD Education as a partner in the classroom.

2. Text-based Coding Builds Adaptability and Resilience

A key aspect of learning something new is making mistakes, identifying what went wrong, and then fixing those mistakes. With block-based coding, making and learning from mistakes isn’t as prevalent since students are working within the confines of predetermined blocks of code and can’t reach outside of those boundaries. By moving blocks around, students are learning the general idea of how coding works, although not necessarily the skills beyond that.

Meanwhile, text-based coding presents many real-world challenges that help students actually learn how to solve problems. Since students are given the freedom to customize and extend themselves beyond drag-and-drop actions, text-based coding allows students to grow by making mistakes. Through this learning experience, students will build the knowledge they need to code as well as the adaptability and resilience they need for anything they do in school or life.

Due to these additional obstacles presented while using text-based coding, it’s important to have a tool that guides both the student and teacher through their coding journey. Using BSD’s guided projects, students receive regular prompts and can track their progress in real time so they can overcome challenges on their own and feel confident to reach for more.

BSD’s guided projects are like having another teacher in the room, making learning how to code easier on students and teachers.

3. The Sky’s the Limit with Text-based Coding

There are no limitations with text-based coding the way there are with block-based coding. Students looking to build their coding skills, and even possibly choosing a related career path, will need to use text-based coding. While block-based coding can work as an introduction to the world of coding, students are limited to the blocks available to them and prevents further development as a programmer past a certain point. As students gain more experience, block-based coding does not offer more dynamic and expressive capabilities that are available through text-based coding.

Even if students don’t choose a career path in technology, having these foundational skills they are learning with text-based coding can be applied to any job they pursue. Through learning real coding skills as opposed to drag and drop programs, students can develop a broad range of skills that include key computational thinking and critical thinking skills vital to learning in any core subject.

Give Students a REAL Coding Experience

Using text-based coding can seem like a difficult task, particularly for inexperienced teachers. However, the reward of seeing students learn real-world coding skills and build on a foundation of knowledge they can apply to any career in the future is well worth the initial challenges.

Teaching coding and digital skills is now easier than ever by partnering with BSD. With an intuitive platform that guides students through a variety of projects, a scaffolded approach that helps students build on their skills, and unrivaled support so ANY educator of ANY subject can begin teaching real coding skills today, BSD is your answer in the classroom.

Contact us today so we can address your unique needs and develop a partnership that will help your students reach further and have an experience that will equip them with the skills they will need for tomorrow, no matter what career path they choose.

Programming Languages Explained: Python vs. JavaScript / CSS / HTML

Posted on October 15, 2021November 2, 2022 by user

The differences, similarities, and why any form of tech education is important.

You’ve likely seen Python mentioned among other traditional programming languages, including JavaScript (JS) and CSS/HTML. In fact, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and Python all fall in the top three languages that developers use in their careers, according to the annual Stack Overflow survey (2021).

With Python’s increasing exposure, it’s important to understand how it relates to the other programming languages available, how it’s different, and provide perspective on where it fits in the classroom with your students. Let’s get started by first providing a quick overview of exactly what Python, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript are so you have a basic understanding.

Programing Languages

What is Python?

First released in 1991, Python is a general-purpose programming language that can be used in a range of applications, including data science, software development, and automation. According to Python.org, Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics.

The programming language has been notably used to create Netflix’s recommendation algorithm and software that controls self-driving cars, according to an article by Coursera. The Python interpreter and standard library are freely available in source or binary form for all major platforms from the Python Web site.

A fun fact about Python, creator Guido van Rossum came up with the name while reading published scripts from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.

What is HTML?

Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) is a coding language used to build websites. Specifically, HTML’s job is to label and organize content such as headings, paragraphs, lists and images, so that the web browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, etc.) knows how the page should look.

What is CSS?

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a coding language that pairs with HTML. It works by defining a series of rules for how the HTML should look (colors, spacing, etc). CSS is helpful for establishing the layout and personality of a website.

What is JavaScript?

JavaScript (JS) can be combined with HTML/CSS to bring websites to life. JavaScript is a versatile programming language that can be used for animation, dynamic apps, interactive games and more.

The Importance of Understanding a “Stack”

While JavaScript has been the most commonly used programming language for the past nine years, it’s important to mention that professional programmers are often fluent in several languages that make up what is called a “stack”.

A stack is a set of languages or frameworks that work together to accomplish common computing tasks. For example, HTML/CSS and JavaScript make up what is called a “front-end stack” because these languages are used to create what you see while on a website. Python, PHP, and SQL make up the “back-end stack” and are used to handle website databases and control how websites function with hosts and servers.

Differences and Similarities Between Programming Languages

When the question comes up, “which is better, Python or JavaScript?”, it really depends on what kind of computing tasks you might be interested in doing. Front-end developers (HTML/CSS and Javascript) spend more time working on the design, layout and the function of websites, while back-end developers (Python, PHP, and SQL) are concerned with security, networks and databases. No matter which language interests you the most, as a professional programmer you will need to study and learn the accompanying languages that make up your chosen stack.

When the question comes up, “which is better, Python or JavaScript?”, it really depends on what kind of computing tasks you might be interested in doing.

Why BSD Uses JS and HTML/CSS

At BSD Education, we feel strongly that any type of coding and digital skills instruction is vital to a student’s education and future in navigating our digital world. We have chosen the front-end stack as a part of our digital skills curriculum because it satisfies a range of interests, including design, layout, functionality, UI/UX, gaming, AI and VR. By learning three languages together to develop more interests, and ultimately more skills, students are provided a more complete learning experience that learning one language can’t match. This broad range of skills stretches beyond the keyboard and includes key computational thinking and critical thinking skills vital to learning in any other core subject.

In addition, when we think about the most powerful technologies that we use everyday, most of them operate in the web browser, which is what HTML/CSS and JavaScript are used for. Every website and web application that you have ever used were made using this front-end stack.

If students are interested in becoming computer scientists, they may need to learn Java, Python, JavaScript, or other languages depending on the accreditation program. For example, Java has been the language of choice for the Advanced Placement college equivalent course that is available in many High Schools in the U.S. Many commonly used frameworks for Computer Science do not even list a specific programming language, but instead provide a map for concepts that are found in most languages, like algorithms, variables, control structures and modularity. Both the British IGCSE and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) publish curricular guidelines and standards that focus on computer science concepts instead of specific languages.

What Fits for Your Classroom?

Ultimately when it comes to the Python versus JavaScript and HTML/CSS showdown, it really depends on what you want to do with your knowledge of programming and what goals you have as a developer.

Whether you have no experience or are ready to take your tech education to the next level, BSD provides the support and intuitive platform to help you teach these front-end stack digital skills. In a matter of minutes using BSD, students will begin building their first website, create a mobile app, or even a fun game they can play with friends. BSD makes it possible for any teacher of any subject to incorporate coding and digital skills into their curriculum so students are future ready.

What Are The Benefits of Technology in the Classroom?

Posted on August 31, 2021November 2, 2022 by Beth

You might be asking, what are the benefits of technology in the classroom? It’s fair to say that when I was in school, the use of technology in the classroom wasn’t widespread. There were no personal laptops for each student, no digital planners, no classes on coding or programming. I remember when the teacher would pull out the overhead projector for lectures. My school certainly wasn’t set up for the level of technology use that teachers were faced with recently.

It’s exciting to think back on how much has changed in the educational landscape since then! Since my high school graduation, social media use has skyrocketed, video conferencing has streamlined and improved greatly. Most students have personal laptops but also smartphones, iPads, watches, and Alexas provide any information they could possibly want to know.

Technology changes on a dime. As education continues to systemically evolve, we’re going to see the many benefits of educational technology come to fruition over the next few decades.

Read on!

Students are more engaged

“Bueller?” This scene from “Ferris Bueller” has to be the epitome of a bored, disinterested classroom. Whether out of a lack of interest in the topic or distraction, two things are happening here. They aren’t paying attention and they aren’t learning.

It’s been 35 years since that film came out and the classroom looks entirely different. Now teachers compete with a myriad of distractions that continues to evolve. So you may be wondering, how can teachers engage their students more effectively in the digital age? Well, I’m glad you asked! There are many ways to harness the positive power of technology and capture your student’s attention at the same time.

Meet them where they are – on devices, social media, websites, games – and bring this technology into your lessons, homework, projects. For example, their five-paragraph essay can become a blog. Now, not only are they more invested in what they’re learning but they’re building essential digital skills.

Part of increasing student engagement in any class is giving them an applicable reason for being there. Something they can relate to. Utilizing the interconnectivity of technology in the classroom helps you reap the benefits. Plus, your students are more likely to retain the information.

Incorporates different learning styles

There’s a big debate in education between the use of more personalized learning vs. a one-size-fits-all approach and it’s valid. When you have 30+ students in your class, it’s more difficult to create unique lesson plans that engage each student. Especially when you’re already overworked and underpaid as it is. We get it.

One of the many benefits of technology is that it provides an easier way to reach each student’s unique learning styles, playing to their various strengths and respond more intently to you.

If your student is more aural, it means they retain information better by hearing it. Some ideas for using technology to your advantage here:
– Record your lessons! You can turn these into a private podcast that they can re-listen to as they study at home, use audiobooks. This helps you as well for any student that misses a class, they can be directed to your “podcast” and quickly get caught up.
– Students can use an app like Me Book that allows them to listen to stories and record themselves reading.
– Language teachers can make use of AI robots and chatbots to speak to students in different languages so they can practice as if talking to a real person.
Visual learners respond more to things they can see and are prone to retain more information if they can read/watch it rather than listen.
– Try incorporating more graphic visuals aids to make the connection, or using more interactive videos in your lessons.
– You can use technology like coding to allow student to visually code a website, or apps like Canva and Photoshop to create graphics that underline their classroom comprehension and level of engagement.\

Improves Collaboration

There are multiple benefits of technology is that it fosters a higher level of collaboration, not just within your classroom but on a global scale. It’s now easier than ever for students to work together with project management tools, video conference breakout rooms, social media, and even as simple as AirDropping files to someone in under a few minutes. This collaboration also works to the teachers’ benefit! If you’re grading papers, students can now see all of your notes and all communication can be kept in one space. Thus giving you more access to teaching students even outside of the school walls and time.

Embracing the global reach of the internet offers up exciting new possibilities for your students as well. Similar to pen-pals, maybe you have a sister school in a different country, and not only can the students communicate with each other as friends but they can also work remotely as teammates in completing a project. This would take a lot of planning of course, but the possibilities are endless!

Prepares Children for the Future

The single most important benefit of technology in the classroom is that it prepares students to be future-ready. We know that all students will need digital skills for their futures, but there are also many challenges when it comes to teaching digital skills.

At BSD Education, our goal is to prepare students for their undefined futures where artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and data privacy are all emerging topics with tremendous impacts on society. To accomplish this, we embed four approaches into our curriculum that have been identified as future proof and fundamental:

a) Computational Thinking
b) Design Thinking
c) Coding/Programming
d) Digital Citizenship

These are just a few of the many benefits to utilizing more technology in the classroom but I’d love to hear from you on how you use technology to boost student engagement or substantiate a lesson plan? Send me a message at bd@bsd.education or leave a comment below! We’d love to hear from you!

What is Design Thinking and Why Is It Important

Posted on August 10, 2021November 16, 2022 by Beth

Design Thinking is a professional process that engineers and designers use to ideate, prototype, and test new inventions, ideas, and products, emerging in K-12 education as a strategy for use in the classroom as well as a tool used for total school improvement.

SparkTruck inspired me to later create my own mobile Design Thinking vehicle called the Geekbus. Since then, I have gone on to teach Design Thinking to students and educators all over the world.

So, what is Design Thinking? I highly recommend this quick video introduction to get acquainted.

There are 5 main steps to Design Thinking:

1. Empathy

2. Define

3. Ideate

4. Prototype

5. Test.

The first step is the most impactful because it requires designers/students to consider the needs of the customer/user. This allows for the development of crucially needed social-emotional skills.

In contrast, the Engineering Design Process does not include this step and goes straight to the ideation and the problem-solving stage without careful consideration of the needs of the people involved.

There are many ways to gain empathy for the customers/users that you’re designing for, but the best way is to speak directly to them through interviews to ask about their needs, pain-points and to get advice about what they really want and not just what we think they want.

If interviewing customers/users isn’t a viable option, you can brainstorm through empathetic thinking to imagine scenarios where people would use your idea and how they might respond to it.

Design Thinking can be used to create and make products, processes, events, organizations, and even food! The process is adaptable to many situations and once you have some practice with it, it can become a culture-changing practice that can be transformative at whole-school levels.

While Design Thinking can be a useful and practical tool for many situations, it also has limits. One criticism of Design Thinking is that it becomes a crutch and doesn’t help to cultivate what the d.school is calling Design Abilities.

Their 8 Core Design Abilities are:

Navigate Ambiguity
Learn from Others
Synthesize Information
Rapidly Experiment
Move Between Concrete and Abstract
Build and Craft Intentionally
Communicate Deliberately
Design your Design Work

If you want to read more about these 8 Core Design Abilities, I recommend that you read the d.school’s description of each ability and the need for an approach that moves beyond Design Thinking.
Design Thinking has left a lasting impact on me and my work, which continues to this day in my work as an ed-tech leader and curriculum designer at BSD Education.

At BSD, we use the Design Think process to develop a new curriculum and to build new features on our custom coding platform. If you want to learn more about our approach at BSD, check out our certified curriculum design process.

Why Digital Skills Should be in Your Learning Loss Recovery Plan

Posted on March 26, 2021November 2, 2022 by Beth

The pandemic has affected all aspects of life, and the disruption felt by students is no exception. A phrase that has been top of mind lately is learning loss. An analysis by McKinsey puts the issue into measurable terms:

“Students in [the] sample learned only 67 percent of the math and 87 percent of the reading that grade-level peers would typically have learned by the fall. On average, that means students lost the equivalent of three months of learning in mathematics and one-and-a-half months of learning in reading.”

The American Rescue Plan earmarks 20% of a district’s new funds for learning loss recovery to address the issue. So while educators debate learning lost vs. students learning differently, many schools are looking at ways to make up for time lost.

How do Digital Skills Become Part of the Solution?

Digital skills are well suited to be part of the solution. Digital skills like web, game, and app development are fun and engaging ways to reinforce math, English, science, and social concepts through real-world application. Another benefit of digital skills education is that it enhances cognitive skills such as computational and critical thinking, which can lift students’ abilities across subject matter — a vital benefit after an unconventional school year. (Further reading on the link between computational thinking and core subjects.)

As a digital skill teaching and learning solution, complete with projects designed for core subject integration, BSD Education can help reinforce core subject learning and develop transferable skills, assisting in learning loss recovery.

Digital Skills Reinforce Core Subjects

Mathematics and language arts have been pointed to as core subjects hit hardest this past school year. Yet, in many ways, digital skills empower someone to process information and communicate in our era. Said differently, digital skills are the intersection of math and language arts, where reasoning and problem-solving happen.

To illustrate the point, we can look at a couple of BSD’s projects. A popular project this last year has been “The People Who Inspire Me,” which asks students to reflect on those who have impacted their lives. Students sew traditional writing and reflection processes with new digital components to build a website using industry-standard HTML and CSS. In one of BSD’s AI projects, “Digital Assistant,” students use JavaScript, and the link between math and programming becomes apparent. Students work with variables, conditionals, patterns, and percentages and use arithmetic operators, arrays, and random functions to program outcomes.

From science to social studies, there are many cross-curricular learning objectives digital skills can support. I even have a teacher who modified our “Trivia Game Maker” to be a Spanish Quiz.

Creating Digital Products Captures Attention & Imagination

Classes always aim to be engaging, but this becomes even more important for learning loss recovery plans. That includes utilizing out-of-school time (afterschool, summer enrichment, extended school year), as the American Rescue Plan suggests. Learning digital skills is fun, and that makes them perfect for the task at hand. Allowing students to create is inherently engaging. Whether students are developing an AI chatbot, website, or platformer game, digital skills projects capture attention, spark imagination, and harness passion.

Agency is a core value of BSD’s evidence-based pedagogy. That means that each student finishes with a unique piece of work, not a cookie-cutter experience. Projects are designed with extension activities in mind and allow students to customize further or reenvision their work. Students stay engaged as they decide the direction to take their project and what to incorporate. My most successful lessons come from students’ refreshing ideas, going back to their work, and implementing something new. Through creating, students will entrench themselves in their learning loss and assist in their recovery.

Learning Digital Skills Develops Broad Cognitive Abilities

Teaching 21st-century skills means honing in on strategies that will have lasting impacts. These strategies include identifying computational thinking, design thinking, coding/programming, and digital citizenship as future-proof and fundamental. Computational thinking is the process of breaking down a problem to solve it. It includes decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms. Steps for design thinking include empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing to create based on the needs and experience. In short, developing these abilities enhances someone’s ability to think and can help accelerate learning in the future. With the right approach, these skills are present in a digital skills education program.

Website, app, and product development and design projects that utilize coding are ideal exercises for building future-proof skills. Our pedagogy accentuates these abilities and the transferable aspects of digital skills learning. It also includes the space to reflect on digital citizenship. Our curriculum is designed for all students, not just those who will become computer programmers. These disciplines have broad applicability across subject matter and are essential to many job functions in the working world. Meaning, these skills follow students throughout their education and careers.

Implementing a Digital Skills Program

Incorporating digital skills in your recovery plan enriches and reinforces core subject learning. It focuses students in engaging and imaginative ways and develops and enhances cognitive skills like computational thinking. However, although learning loss is a top issue as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, other trends make digital skills highly relevant. Most notable is the shifting future of work. As another article from McKinsey suggests:

“In the digital era, educators need to expand their understanding of what it means to be literate in the 21st century: not replacing traditional learning but complementing it. As a result, computer programming and digital literacy are becoming core skills.”

Of course, implementing a digital skills program can be challenging but it doesn’t have to be. BSD Education partners with educators to make implementing a digital skills program easy. We make it turnkey by providing all the necessary pieces: platform, curriculum, professional development, and highly responsive support. With the correct methods in place, educators can hasten learning loss recovery. Using digital skills, they can also encourage students to develop future-proof skills with a curious, adaptable, resilient, and empathetic mindset.

Addressing the Digital Divide: Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on March 1, 2021November 2, 2022 by user

There is a student I used to teach, who will remain unnamed to protect his privacy. He was a student a part of my STEM Honors class, and he always showed promising potential in coding assignments. Throughout my time getting to know him, I learned, like most of his classmates, he was highly motivated and believed in his academic prowess. Since the emergence of Virtual Learning, I’ve watched the challenges of adjusting to this time period change his motivation and diminish his belief in his ability to achieve academically.

This year is his junior year in high school. When I was in high school, my junior year was the toughest, yet most rewarding year in high school; it was the year that determined my post-secondary success. Like most students who are attending an under-served school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year is his first time having a personal laptop and he is living with the expectation to thrive in a completely new learning environment.

This experience for him and his peers has been devastating, traumatizing, stressful, overwhelming, depressing, and draining. However, he is resilient. But should he have to experience this much courage, independence, and pressure at his age? My grandma once told me, “you should never have to display that much independence”.

What we all need is support.

This past year has emphasized the importance of understanding what it takes to holistically support the academic success and personal development of our youth. Virtual Learning has forcibly engaged every stakeholder at every stage of a child’s development to acknowledge two important determinants of our future:

1) What our children are learning

2) How they are using technology to learn.

When addressing the Digital Divide, I think it is crucial that we prioritize adequately informing and including every stakeholder in all planning and implementation processes for integrating technology and Digital Literacy into learning environments. Parents raising children, Students learning information, Educators teaching courses, Administrators leading schools, and Tech Professionals creating learning products ALL are the creators of our tomorrow.

We are our support; and in this support, we all need the grace to adjust – as we do so rapidly.

There are a few key focus areas I’ve noticed in my local school system, of Philadelphia, that are a part of the disparities of the Digital Divide:

Transforming School Systems and Policies

Due to the emergence of Virtual Learning, many schools had to rapidly adjust and revamp their systems and practices. This transition has revealed how much more critical attention needs to be given to what students are learning about technology, and how they’re learning to use technology.

This can be achieved by making a greater investment in setting and implementing grade-level standards for Digital Literacy, as well as, training talent to uphold these expectations.

Information Sharing and Literacy

During this Virtual Learning experience, many parents, staff, and students have felt either overwhelmed with information or under-informed on certain aspects that have affected the learning process. For example, there have been scenarios where internet providers have had outages, but the change in service was not effectively communicated to families; which has resulted in students missing information and feeling helpless.

There have also been moments where school administrations have made huge changes to their school’s Virtual Learning practices without adequate notice or input from families and staff; which has resulted in immense fatigue and disorientation. Some school districts may have not had these experiences, but this is what’s disproportionately happening in under-served communities.

This can be changed by re-evaluating the effectiveness of communication channels, and equitably including key stakeholders as consultants throughout the process of information dissemination.

Tech and Wi-Fi Accessibility

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools did not account for whether their students had access to technology or Wi-Fi. Why is that? Yes, students were primarily learning in schools, but learning also happens at home; and for the past 25 years, access to information has primarily been provided through the Internet.

This past year has revealed a better understanding of what students have access to, and how their homelife really affects their education. There are students in homes where their Wi-Fi isn’t strong enough to host multiple devices streaming at the same time; and the Chromebooks that many students rely on aren’t always able to handle processing multiple apps operating at the same time – such as Zoom, Nearpod, or Google Suite products.

These limiting factors are critical aspects of our youth’s future success that have been neglected for too long, and it is important to address these issues equitably.

There are many issues for our youth at risk if we as leaders in education and technology do not respond to these disparities quickly and equitably. One important thing that is at risk is our youth’s ability to properly cultivate and enfranchise themselves from having experiences during their youth. While being forced to stay home, and without adequate resources for many, this time period is diminishing the very essence of having youth; which is time.

Time to have exposure to different areas to spark their interests; time to take risks or make mistakes; time to refine one’s aptitude to bounce back, try again, and learn how to take calculated risks. Time to create viable niche solutions to make a life for themselves.

However, this moment in time also brings about a unique opportunity for all the youth to cultivate 21st-century skills that are essential to the future. If more youth are empowered to explore, take risks, and be creative with technology; they can exponentially grow from this experience.

But with the Digital Divide widening daily, will all youth be a part of the world’s digital future? That is the question I think is important for us to ask ourselves as leaders, and act upon in our daily efforts to be the change we want to see in the world.

Research References: