Building Teacher Community through Teachers-Meet-Businesses

Teachers everywhere are experiencing arguably the most difficult school year yet, with the advance of technology-driven solutions to a global pandemic that has forced millions of school to go fully or partially virtual in no time at all. Feeling over-worked and over-exhausted, many educators are seeking out communities to sustain them whether that is through social media platforms, finding teacher groups online, or even relying on shopping networks to help other teachers to clear their classroom shopping lists in a recent initiative to show their support for each other. Now, more than ever before, teachers are building and leaning on their communities.

At BSD Education, we are committed to providing teachers with opportunities to nurture their connections to other teachers through various initiatives but most recently through a new talk series called “Teachers Meet Businesses” launched early last year in Hong Kong.

The aim was to build a community that bridged the gap between educators and businesses in terms of preparing students for the workplace. As such, our quarterly events were directly aimed at breaking this disconnect by showing first-hand how technology is disrupting industries, as well as how educators can better prepare students for their future careers.

The event provides teachers with an opportunity to share projects and best practices with their peers and explore new ways of using technology in the classroom. For businesses, these events allow professionals to see how current digital skills are being integrated into the curriculum, thereby influencing their future workforce.

During a “Teachers Meet Businesses” event, attendees are given the chance to expand their networks, exchange ideas, and share experiences. For example, at our first event, we heard from Iain Williamson, Head of Media Literacy at South Island School in Hong Kong, about his experiences implementing coding and digital skills as a cross-curricular initiative, and how it has prepared his students for their future careers by creating professional projects for the Agence France Presse (AFP). It is an especially important course for today’s students because not only are they constantly utilizing digital skills, many are looking for a more in-depth learning experience.

We also heard from Fiona Yu, a subject matter expert in Machine Learning, Distributed Data, and Blockchain Trading, where she discussed the skills students will need when entering the workforce. Specifically, she focused on building skills in data and data visualization.

At subsequent events, we heard from Matthew Wong, Group Manager for Digital Leadership at Swire Coca-Cola, and Andrew Pidden, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Investments at DWS Group as well as Ross Parker, Director of Technology, Pedagogy and Assessment at International College of Hong Kong and Stewart Ross, Design and Technology Teacher at West Island School in Hong Kong. Our educational speakers discussed how the approach to project-based learning needs to adapt to the growing priority of digital skillsets. Our corporate speakers explained how the advancements of technology have directly impacted the global markets, from circular economic investments to developing environmental technology, as brands become more socially conscious. 

One of the clear benefits to “Teachers Meet Businesses” events is being able to hear both sides of the conversation. It is integral to preparing our students for the real-world workforce because at the rate technology is developing across various industries, students will enter industries that are 100% reliant on technological literacy, whether that is in code, data, programming, or careers seemingly unrelated to technology. Educators will be in a better position to create curriculums that work for the students of today if they can see what is necessary for future careers.

Through this initiative, these areas of expertise are not only addressed but are fueled by an innovative approach to education technology. We are committed to building a solid community of teachers who are passionate about infusing technology into academic learning to make students future-ready. 

Given the unforeseen challenges, this year has presented, the “Teacher Meet Businesses” events have been put on hold but our commitment to building a strong community is ongoing. We look forward to when we can hold another event soon and encourage other schools and businesses to contact us about getting involved in our next event.

For more information please contact us at info@bsd.education.

About Beth:

Beth Darvell is a social media marketer with a passion for all things content. She loves helping brands scale their businesses by leveraging the power of social media – without resorting to vanity metrics. She is American, not English, but is absolutely an Anglophile.

She moved back to Hong Kong where she started work as a Native English Teacher while also maintaining freelance marketing opportunities. She made the full shift to marketing in 2016 and hasn’t looked back. She is BSD’s Marketing Executive overseeing the organization’s social media marketing.

 

 

5 Tips for a Successful New Academic Year

Mark Barnett, our VP of Education is no stranger to the world of online learning and blended learning, having developed his own online teaching practices as a teacher, Ph.D. student, and tech coach, he is here to share some tips from his own practice and best-practices learned from schools all over the world.

At BSD Education, we have been working with schools all over the globe who are facing uncertain times and big shifts in the way we teach and how students access their education for the upcoming school year. From our discussions with school leaders, and by following best practices, we’ve come up with five strategies that will help educators navigate the upcoming school year.

  1. Provide avenues for students to develop social connections
  2. Make time for teachers to connect and collaborate
  3. Use tech tools that work for you, drop the rest (temporarily)
  4. Invest in high-quality professional development
  5. Once things settle, bring back extracurricular activities

Keep reading as we share our insights on how to proceed in a world post-COVID and help you and your students move forward with this new school year.

Provide avenues for students to develop social connections

With most of the world having to cope with social isolation or a complete lockdown, it’s no surprise that we are all craving the valuable social connections that make up the fabric of our collective shared experiences. When students return to school this year, it is imperative that we focus on providing opportunities for them to connect with each other in meaningful ways. One way that you can do this is by setting up small group cohorts of students that can participate in weekly online discussions facilitated through Zoom or similar virtual meeting software that are initially facilitated by a teacher. Once the teacher has set the tone and expectations for small-group cohort discussions, let students take the wheel so that organic conversations and relationships can flourish.

Make time for teachers to connect and collaborate

Never underestimate the ability of a teacher to quickly and effectively solve a problem, so include them in the decision-making process by allowing them to speak up and be heard. Collectively, teachers who are encouraged to work together are able to solve problems in a way that supports the entire learning ecosystem. But in order for teachers to problem-solve, they need to be given the space and means to collaborate, which can be done virtually if done with intention. Instead of leaving teachers to work in isolation in their own classrooms and virtual spaces, make sure that there is adequate time provided in the weekly schedule for teachers to collaborate, support each other and share best practices.

Use tech tools that work for you, drop the rest (temporarily)

The two main tools that will help to facilitate online learning or blended learning are a Learning Management System (LMS) and a virtual meeting space like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. Using an LMS like Google Classroom helps to organize all of the course content and assignments, especially for asynchronous work. Then you can use a virtual meeting software to conduct synchronous learning. While there are dozens, even hundreds of other great tools, apps, and tech products that can be employed, consider the cognitive load of just the two main technologies alone and give time for students and teachers to adapt to a new routine. Once an established practice has been adopted, then think about what other programs, tech tools, and apps you can bring in to facilitate learning.

Invest in high-quality professional development

Teachers, leaders, and school staff need all of the support they can get during these trying times, so find a coach, professional development provider, or other professionals who can help you navigate the waters, point you in the right direction and help steer the ship towards calm waters. Start by identifying your strengths and weaknesses and then look for support to help you with the weaknesses that you identified. Work with professionals and professional development providers who seek to help you with the philosophy of “teach them to fish instead of selling crates of fish.” Here at BSD Education, we are happy to support you in the areas of digital learning and digital skill development and we won’t sell you a crate of fish either.

Once things settle, bring back extracurricular activities

It may take a few weeks or even months to build habits, set routines, and get grounded with the new school year, but don’t worry, it will eventually happen. After teachers, students, and staff are comfortable with the new approach, then consider ways to bring back enrichment programs, after school programs and other extracurricular activities. These are sometimes the activities that students most look forward to, especially those that allow for creativity and agency. When you are ready, let us know and we would be glad to help you with technology and digital skills courses, after school programs and enrichment activities.

Remember that we are all in this together so don’t be afraid to reach out as you embark on the new academic year. We look forward to hearing from you all about how your first few weeks of school went.

Why JavaScript is a better programming language for children

Written by Nickey Khem, CTO, and Co-Founder of BSD Education

Back in 2015, the “kids coding in school” movement started picking up traction. Today, programming languages are being taught in thousands of schools globally. With the availability of many programming languages, educators face a dilemma on which programming language they can introduce to students. We found that schools usually opt to get their students started on platforms like Scratch or MIT’s App Inventor which are structured with drag and drop interfaces. The visual interface and the engaging sounds and animations help captivate young learners and get them started. But once they’ve overcome the ‘getting started hurdle,’ with respect to progression, the questions that naturally come to educators’ minds are “What’s next?” or “What about real coding/programming?”

Today, kids are exposed and use a plethora of high-tech products that affect the level of standards they set on what they can build with programming. Although the drag and drop interfaces are effective in introducing the concepts of programming, they usually fall short on meeting the expectations of young learners on what to learn next. 

To be able to deliver a technology curriculum that meets their expectations, we at BSD Education choose to begin student journeys by first listening to what they have to say and understand what they are looking for. This leads to feedback from 8 – 10 year-olds asking for real-world application:

I love coding on scratch, but i haven’t built anything like the apps i download on my phone

Can I use Scratch to build instagram?

How do I build an E-Commerce website to make money?

 

Nowadays, most interactions students experience occur on the web. Understanding the web starts by learning HTML and CSS, the fundamental coding languages that run on the front of every website in the world. This is compulsory for every student to learn to be able to express themselves through the web. After understanding the fundamental code, creating further complexity requires the learning of a programming language to allow for interactivity and functionalities into projects. 

At this stage, we discovered there are two popular approaches to programming that educators usually take –  Python and JavaScript. While our online platform BSD Online supports both JavaScript and Python, we opted to introduce students to JavaScript first. Here’s why:

Accessibility with any computer

Our mission as a organization is to make technology accessible to all. With JavaScript, all students need is a computer with an internet connection and a browser, no installations, no setup time.

Interactive, real-world projects which help with student retention

When teaching young learners programming, the traditional approach is to have them learn the fundamentals in a text-based environment known as the console.

Image by Codeacademy.com

But here the usual issue we discovered is the drop in engagement. Students lose interest and are not motivated to go beyond what the curriculum offers. If this continues, it would be considered as a failure in our duty as educators to inspire them to deepen their learning. JavaScript allows a natural progression after learning HTML and CSS.

We introduced it in one of our technology projects such as building an online coffee shop. In this project, they got to build an e-commerce site as well as decide on what to sell and how to price it. To further enhance the experience, students were able to share their shop to anyone, anywhere, with a click of a button. This project offers the real-world aspect to the students and what ignites their curiosity and brings the lightbulb spark that we educators always want to see among them.

Click on the images below to try these projects out yourself:

Online Coffee Shop - BSD Education
An online coffee shop built by Eugene, aged 12

 

Snake Game - BSD Education
A snake game built by Chloe, aged 9 (Use W,A,S,D to move)


Ease of accessing technology depth

While both languages provide an almost infinite amount of depth, we found students building more complex projects for their personal projects using JavaScript vs when they built with Python. Adding sound to create engagement for the end-user, creating more complex levels in their games, thinking about visual animations on their websites to help visitors find content, are some examples we started seeing students build into their projects.

With technology like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence requiring steep learning curves, JavaScript allows us to scaffold the experience so children as young as 10 years old can create amazing projects using Machine Learning.

AI Personal Stylist - BSD Education
AI Personal Stylist – Built with BSDs AI curriculum – Grade 6

To conclude, we recommend JavaScript as the programming language to start with for children due to its strength in accessibility, ease of use to create visually-appealing projects, and the convenience of being able to dive into more complex concepts.

Programming plays a key role as one of the many digital skills kids will need in the future. At BSD Education, we aim to continue developing curriculum and technology to help schools educate young learners. We believe the future is exciting and holds infinite opportunities for our young minds today and if we can nurture them to continue creating and learning, the possibilities are endless.

About Nickey:
Work experience spans development, publishing, and digital marketing with experience in agencies, corporate, and hospitality markets. Over the last 12 years, Nickey has become an expert in developing and maintaining technology solutions, working with large scale digital transformation projects, digital marketing and the effective use of social media to drive business success and harness the power data.

He specializes in developing teams in organizations to create sustainable and effective solutions themselves with a combination of consulting, training, and execution.

He is the co-founder and CTO of BSD Education, Refugeek, and also is an educational advisor to the HKU faculty of education.

Will AI substitute teachers?

Written by guest Kevin Pereira, Blu Artificial Intelligence

As a part time lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and my consulting work at Blu Artificial Intelligence, I’m often asked how AI will impact education in the future. We tend to see popular media pushing the narrative that AI will take over teaching. I take the opposing view. AI will not replace teachers. If anything, AI will become a new tool in a teacher’s toolbox. AI will free teachers from administrative burdens, give them insights on student development, and let them focus on what they do best – helping students grow.

The truth is that today we are still quite far away from having robots and AI surpassing human beings. However, AI does tend to perform very well at repetitive, structured and well-defined tasks. Hence the belief that AI will take away our jobs tomorrow in my view is quite far-fetched. If anything, we should think about task automation rather job automation. Most jobs are made up of certain tasks, each of which may or may not be easily automatable. We can each look at our own job, consider the tasks & skillsets that are hard to automate, and then focus on those areas for professional development.

Let us take teaching as an example. With the recent restrictions from COVID-19 a lot of the classes I teach have moved fully online. I started teaching in 2018 so I did the class in-person the year before. When I compare online and in-person, I find that student interaction is much easier to facilitate in-person. There’s very little “please unmute your mic”, or “can you repeat, you’re cutting out” and my personal favourite, “can you HEAR me?” with the entire class responding “yes, we can”. It is also easier to get feedback, both verbal and non-verbal, from students. Are they laughing with you or at you? Given my jokes, perhaps I should leave this question unanswered for myself.

This confirmed to me that human interaction is an important part of education. When I ask students for feedback on the class, almost all preferred an in-person class. This also jives with my views on tasks that are hard to automate. Generally, anything requiring human interaction is a challenge for AI because people react differently to the same stimulus. The fact that A+B does not always equal C is a problem for AI. AI has started to address this with larger data sets and training, but it is not easy.

The big question then is what does this mean for teachers? I believe AI will augment our ability to be productive. This means that teachers will work with AI tools to create better student experiences. For example, AI can take over structured and repetitive administrative tasks. Grading is a prime example, and it brings back some memories for me. When I was little, my mom, who has been a teacher most of her career, used to get me to help her mark her students’ multiple-choice tests. After bribing me with my favourite candy, I would happily read off “A,C,D,E,B…” into the wee hours of the night.

Today, we have Scantron sheets for multiple choice grading. Soon, with an area of AI called Natural Language Processing (NLP), AI tools will be able to ‘read’ free form text responses and do the grading. I can testify that student handwriting standards have dropped, but if we give the AI enough data (handwriting samples) this can be addressed. Students could also type their responses, which negates the handwriting problem. On top of this, machine learning tools can construct ‘student profiles’ from grades to track their progression and identify development areas.

I know that many teachers, whether they admit or not, are reluctant to work with AI, and that is totally understandable. The AI isn’t perfect and will make mistakes. To expect otherwise is setting ourselves, and AI, up for failure. However, the potential to free up teachers to do what they do best is something that I feel needs to be explored.

If you’re scared about being substituted by AI, please take solace from students today who say they can’t wait to get back to the classroom. They need you. With that in mind, all I ask is that you stay open to AI augmentation and its potential to help you and your students.

If you found this interesting and would like to discuss further, feel free to reach out to me at kevin@blu.ltd.

About Kevin:
Kevin Pereira is currently a Managing Director covering Financial Services for Blu Artificial Intelligence, a consulting firm that specializes in Artificial Intelligence.

After growing up in Hong Kong, he started his career in Private Banking with Citi in New York working within both the Investments and Relationship Management areas. He then moved back to Hong Kong and joined Bank of New York Mellon’s Asset Management business, where he helped to start a new group that specialized in products tailored to High Net Worth Individuals.

Post business school, Kevin worked at a technology startup in Myanmar that was building out internet infrastructure which included fiber optic, cell towers and data centers. In this role, he spent half his time with the Venture Capital firm in Hong Kong and the rest on the ground with the portfolio company in Myanmar. Kevin is also a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where he teaches a full- credit MBA course titled, “Artificial Intelligence for Business Leaders”. He also lectures at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) where he teaches “Big Data in Finance”.

Kevin graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with concentrations in Finance, Management and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has an MBA from INSEAD.

Three key elements to facilitate successful Maker Learning (or any educational intervention)

In past issues, we have written about makerspaces and maker learning, and about why we feel that it can be an important part of the curriculum. After helping many schools around the world to develop and facilitate makerspaces, our Vice President of Education and makerspace expert, Mark Barnett shares his 3 key elements for successful maker learning.

After starting my own makerspace in 2013, a mobile makerspace in 2015 and helping dozens of schools all over the world design, use and teach in makerspaces, I have learned quite a bit about what works, what doesn’t and why. With a growing interest in maker learning, schools have made great strides in adding makerspaces to their schools and curriculum. Some of these schools have done a remarkable job and others have been left wondering what the hype is all about.

The way that I see it, is that maker learning is just one of many education interventions that a school can elect to facilitate. Other education interventions include social-emotional learning, project-based learning, or even curricular products for math and literature. To implement any of these strategies or interventions successfully, there are usually 3 main factors that contribute to the success or failure of implementation. Each of these factors requires thorough commitment, and even if only one area lacks in commitment, the whole intervention is likely to fail. 


Here are the 3 key elements of commitment required for maker learning (or any educational intervention):

  1. Commitment to the tool or technology
  2. Commitment to the pedagogy that supports the use of the tool or technology
  3. Institutional commitment to the success of the tools, technology and pedagogy


Commitment to the tool or technology

For the case of maker learning, this means that the school must commit to tools, technologies and materials that support maker learning. Commitment in this element looks like:

  • Acquiring the tools and technologies needed in a makerspace
  • Providing the proper use and training of the tools and technologies
  • Ongoing support and maintenance of the tools and technologies
  • Continued training and development of staff using the tools and technologies


Commitment to the pedagogy

Most educational interventions have an accompanying pedagogy that is best suited to support the intervention and maker learning certainly has its own pedagogy that includes tinkering, play, design thinking and constructionism. Commitment to the pedagogy looks like:

  • Providing training, support and professional development to teachers
  • Creating work-groups or cohorts of teachers who can spread the pedagogy and help pass along knowledge and training to other staff
  • Sending staff to conferences to attend and present shared knowledge on best practices and strategies
  • Provide access to educational research in the field of the pedagogy to stay current with the evolving understandings and to learn from others


Institutional Commitment

This final element is the most important one and from my experience, the one element that makes or breaks the success of a maker learning program (or any intervention)

  • Creating a core team of champions who are charged with the success of implementation and are accountable for success
  • A strong team of leadership who truly believes that the intervention has merit and is dedicated to the hard work required to see the success
  • Financial commitment to all of the above mentioned points 

 

It really is a simple formula to follow and it is easy to implement once you have thought through each key element. Typically when I work with new schools, we discuss all 3 key elements before deciding to do any work together to make sure that the school is prepared to commit to all 3 areas before any work is done.

Use these 3 keys to help guide you on the successful implementation of any educational intervention, and if you would like more information or have specific questions about maker learning and makerspaces, please feel free to reach out to me on twitter or email.

5 EdTech Tools You Should Try in 2020

Written by Mo Qureshi, BSD Education

There is no doubt that the learning and development of digital skills will be a big focus in Education this next decade. As we hope to prepare our students for the technology first future and help them move past being just consumers of technology and media to having the tools and skills to become innovators or creators. 

One of the best ways to slowly start bringing Technology into your classrooms is using fun EdTech tools that will help you and/or your students boost learning or teaching experiences. Check out the top 5 we thought you should try this year!

1. Thunkable
Mobile Apps have been a rage for over a decade now and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Thunkable is a free and easy to use online tool for students to learn how to build mobile apps using a simple drag and drop code builder. As you create you can test the app in real time on an iOS or Android device and tweak it as you go. Less experienced students can choose to “remix” an existing app instead of starting from scratch.

Image via MIT News

2. Roblox
Creating games is a great way to learn a wide range of real world digital skills, like storytelling, art and design, programming, maths, etc. Roblox is an online platform for creating and playing multiplayer online games. As a teacher you can take your students on a journey of how their favourite online games are created. They can learn to create games using Roblox Studio, test it with their peers and can even publish it online for users to play on a computer, mobile device or even Xbox. They can also choose to publish the game for free on the Roblox platform or charge them “Robux ”, the digital currency of Roblox. To support teachers, Roblox publishes resources like how to start guides and lessons.

3. Thinglink
Boost your classroom engagement by creating visual and interactive resources for your students. Thinglink makes it very easy for you to augment to images, videos and online tours with extra information using simple to use hyperlinks. Create an educational treasure hunt for students or mix it up and let them create visual learning journeys for their peers.

4. MindMeister
Mind maps are a tried and tested method for people to effectively take notes or brainstorm ideas. MindMeister takes this a step further by making mind mapping a collaborative exercise. Students can collaborate with peers real time in the classroom while a teacher explains concepts or can work virtually from home when creating a group project.

Image via MindMeister

5. Smiling Mind
Students (and all of us) can face a series of social and emotional challenges. To help them cope with these it is important they are aware of their mental well being and learn effective ways to be mindful. Smiling Mind is a free, not for profit app that encourages mindfulness and better mental being in schools. It is specifically built for students and teachers and breaks down activities for age groups 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-18 as well as adults. It comes with Professional Development training for teachers, classroom resources and student workshops. 

6. Bonus – BSD Online
Of course, we would love it if you tried our own online learning platform BSD Online. Through scaffolded guided exercises, BSD Online makes the teaching and learning of digital skills and coding easy, fun and engaging. Wondering where to start? We suggest our Hour of Code Project – Life Under Water.

Image via BSD Education

We’d love to learn what other apps or technology tools you’d like to try this year!! Feel free to share by tweeting us at @Educationbsd or tagging us on Instagram at @BSDEducation, we look forward to hearing from you!

Our Favorite Ways to Boost Student Engagement with Tech

Written by Eva Yeung, BSD Education

At BSD Education, we are always exploring new ideas to help boost students’ engagement in the classroom. It is important to boost engagement levels because engaged students are more curious and motivated in any given subject matter. With a growing sense of curiosity and motivation, this can greatly elevate and improve their overall learning achievements and experiences. 

Can we boost student engagement with technology initiatives at schools and districts – for example, with increased computer lab time, 1:1 device programs, etc.? Just by introducing tech tools like smart screens, online quizzes and games will only boost engagement for a little while. What we want is to establish sustainable engagement that has a meaningful impact. 

Technology in the classroom doesn’t have to be a  distraction and burden for teachers. Let’s explore ways to take advantage of our students’ interest in technology as a vehicle for better student engagement. Here are 3 of our favorite ways in boosting student engagement:

  • “What’s in it for me (as a student)?”

Our students want to know how and why the content they are presented with is relevant to them. This concept is not new and has long been associated with social psychology (Frymier and Shulman). As educators, we are on the lookout to connect with students to ensure that their learning is relevant to them. Consider introducing a simple tech project where students can gain practical skills in digital design and coding through online learning projects, such as creating a reading blog, or creating a dynamic adventure game to showcase their understanding instead of a traditional book report. Students will feel accomplished with a new skill that they have practiced and are able to apply in other areas of study.

  • Change it up

When students get familiar and in a routine in your classroom, you might feel that you have your classroom management secured and that your classroom is running like clockwork, but it is also important to try something different from time to time to keep your students interested. You can pique your students’ interests if you introduce a new concept through an interactive tech project (that they can also code and build) instead of a more traditional approach, such as showing them a documentary.

  • Give them choice

Allow students to make a choice in the projects that they do and how they want to learn. When students are given the opportunity to have an active role in their learning, they will feel more compelled to listen, engage themselves and take ownership in their learning. Technology projects may not be suitable or interesting to all students,  but we shouldn’t take away the opportunity for other students to thrive through tech projects. Promote student agency in your classroom by giving tech projects as an option of creative learning and output.

As educators, we should also ensure the content and learning objectives are presented clearly so that the chosen tech activities are meaningful and have immediate value to your students. When it is done right, technology can enhance student interest and understanding, as well as open opportunities for student agency and creativity.  

What strategies do you use to spark your students’ engagement and interest in their learning? Let us know by tagging us at @educationbsd on Twitter or find us on Linkedin.

How Schools Are Bringing Real World Experiences to the Classroom

Written by Mike Dixon, BSD Education

If you were to visit any high school selected at random during the 2019-20 school year, you’d almost certainly stumble upon a conversation about career-ready technology skills for students. After speaking with hundreds of teachers, administrators and employers, we’re convinced that combining technology projects with real world outcomes and career ready skills is one of the most important emerging trends in education.

As educators, we understand that real world application is a key factor for engaging students with any course material. We can also observe that students who are able to demonstrate critical thinking and technical skills through real world outcomes are more likely to succeed when applying to higher education or to an upper entry-level role within the workforce. 

So how can schools deliver real world experiences to students in a classroom setting? Let’s take a look at some of the ways BSD’s partner schools are achieving this today.

Students as In-House Tech Support

This academic year, several of our school partners have shared that a portion of their IT needs are currently being serviced by student-led teams. Take Barringer STEAM Academy for example where a cohort of high school seniors (the self-proclaimed “Geek Squad”) spend designated class periods updating printer drivers, troubleshooting Smart Boards and administering tablets. These students are gaining real world experience while freeing up the school’s IT staff to focus on critical services.

Another school we spoke with went as far as to create a student-monitored online ticketing system for school staff to request assistance and reduce the load on their IT department. The BSD team is working closely with two additional schools now to help their students design online ticketing systems using the BSD Online platform. These projects empower students to use the technology skills that they learn in class to solve real problems for others.

Business Partnerships

Another approach to this trend that has been gaining momentum is developing partnerships between schools and local businesses. These relationships can vary from school to school but we’ve seen success in a couple of specific forms:

One method is for the company to provide resources to the students with the ultimate goal of identifying and acquiring new talent for internship and full time positions. We recommend speaking with nearby medium to large technology companies to see if they offer a community service program for their staff.  Mentoring can be a great way for employees to give back to their community while providing invaluable insight for high school students who may be unaware of local career opportunities.

Another example of authentic collaboration between students and local businesses comes from a BSD partner school that is connecting students with local small businesses to offer basic digital services. For example, teams of students are helping to build and maintain basic websites for small businesses that would otherwise not have the resources to reach customers online. Not only are they solving a real problem for small businesses but students are also building a portfolio of work that will benefit them beyond high school.

Students in Leadership Roles

When a partnership with real local businesses feels out of reach, there are ways to provide leadership opportunities within the school environment. Two of BSD’s partner schools, String Theory Schools and the Pathway School, operate student-run cafes where students participate in every part of the business, from customer service, to handling payment, to sourcing the raw material, and managing the online presence.

At Downey High School in California, teachers have found a different way of providing leadership experience to their high school seniors. This year, they’ve launched a new enrichment program where a team of seniors are empowered to teach coding skills to younger students through a Video Game Development course. This format put students in the teacher’s role and was a  great way to build confidence and communication skills that will prepare them for life.

Directly Transferable Technology Skills

Finally, there is one guaranteed way to prepare students for career opportunities: teach technology skills that are directly transferable to the workplace. At BSD, our curriculum is based on the same text-based coding languages used by professionals from website developers and software engineers to data scientists and app designers. The projects that our students build are rooted in real world context and their outcomes are directly transferable to solving real world problems.

If you are a teacher or school administrator and would like to insure that your students have the technology skills they need to be college and career ready, feel free to reach out to BSD Education. We can help you prepare your students for the ever-changing challenges of tomorrow and help them build digital portfolios that will follow them into their future ambitions.

Technology Education Trends That Took Over 2019

Written by Mo Qureshi, BSD Education

At the end of every year,  our Education team dedicates time to research new developments and trends in education and technology, to ensure we create cutting edge, sustainable and up-to-date roadmaps for our future curriculum.

In 2019, the world of technology saw a wave of many new releases and updates, some of which can directly impact and transform Education. 

Here’s a list of trends we found that you should also stay updated on:

1. Digital Citizenship:
Although digitalisation has increased student and teacher access to information, there is no guarantee that information online and associated search results are accurate and factually correct. Due to the ubiquity and variety of social media platforms, it has become much easier to disseminate false and inaccurate information. To counter this, we’ve seen schools and education program providers create activities and lessons to teach about digital citizenship, with specifics around fact checking, countering misinformation, having civil dialogues online and general good online behavior. 

ISTE Student standards define Digital Citizenship as students having the ability to “recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical”.

For example, a school in France has begun teaching lessons on which information to trust on social media platforms like Twitter. The International Baccalaureate (IB) has also announced a new course called Digital Societies which will teach about fake news, social media algorithms, and privacy.

2. Genius Hour:
Genius Hour – “is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom.  It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school”.

The last few years have seen a growth in teachers giving their students more control over their learning. Teachers are playing the role of a facilitator of learning or a learning coach, and students select, define and lead their learning. One strategy is to introduce Genius Hour in the school timetable.

3. Teaching Empathy:
In an ever changing world with growing global connections, being empathetic will help students become more understanding, compassionate leaders and solve problems with  sustainable, human centric approaches. Lauren Owen states these 3 benefits of empathy in education: 

  • Empathy builds positive classroom culture. 
  • Empathy strengthens community. 
  • Empathy prepares your students to be leaders in their community.

Want to introduce empathy in your classrooms? Read guide by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

4. Managing Screen Time:
After investing in devices for each student or shared devices in a classroom, teachers, parents and schools have been trying to balance how their children use these devices. It is essential to find a happy medium between a child’s offline and online time, as they also  need to play outdoors, interact with real people, navigate the world around them as well as use digital devices to learn important digital skills like communication, learning, collaboration and planning. This happy medium can be found by asking if the use of the device is appropriate, meaningful and empowering. Here’s a handy set of strategies by Common Sense Media to help you manage your students’ screen time effectively.

5. Maker Education:
We’ve seen Makerspaces or plans of creating one emerge at almost all the schools we work with. Some schools are creating special spaces for Maker Education, while others are modifying their Libraries, Art Rooms or Science Labs to include a Makerspace.

Maker Education allows students to develop a wide range of knowledge and skills and the opportunity to innovate, create real-world applications for classroom concepts and to learn from failure.

Planning on starting your own Makerspace? Here are 5 things we learned from running our own.

What exciting trends in education and technology did you come across this year? I’d love to hear from you! Share it with me at mq@bsd.education or tweet to me at @msaifq. 

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