Category: Classroom Resources

As technology continues to advance, coding is becoming an increasingly important skill. It is no longer just for computer scientists and tech companies, but for almost any profession. Understanding coding can provide valuable insight into how to solve problems and set up processes to streamline workflows. But it can be hard to understand the connection between coding and the real world. Here, we’ll explore how to bridge the gap and connect coding to the real world.

The first step to connecting coding to the real world is to understand the basics. This means learning the syntax and structure of the coding language you are using. Once you have the basics down, you can start to delve deeper into the language. This will allow you to better understand how the language works and how it can be used to solve real-world problems.

The second step is to find real-world applications for the coding language you are learning. For instance, if you are learning Python, you can look for ways it can be used to automate tasks or create web applications. Understanding the various ways coding can be used will help you to better understand how coding can be used to solve real-world problems.

The third step is to practice. Coding is not something that can be learned overnight必利勁 . It takes time and practice to become proficient. The best way to practice is to find real-world problems that need solving and try coding solutions. This will not only help you to become better at coding, but it will also help you to better understand how coding can be used to solve real-world problems.

Finally, keep up with the latest trends in coding. Technology is constantly changing and evolving. As new trends emerge, it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest coding languages, frameworks, and technologies. This will help you to better understand how coding can be used to solve real-world problems.

By following these steps, you will be well on your way to connecting coding to the real world. Coding is a valuable skill that can provide you with insight into how to solve complex problems. With a bit of practice and staying up-to-date on the latest trends, you will be able to use coding to solve real-world problems like never before.

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, students all over the world have started to develop a keen sense of adaptability when it comes to technology’s impact on their learning but what about now? How are these same students continuing to deepen their educational flexibility and set themselves up for success in their future careers? How will they adapt to new innovations such as ChatGPT? What specific activities or projects can educators incorporate into their curriculum to help students develop adaptability skills?

By addressing these questions, educators can help students develop the adaptability skills they need to navigate a constantly evolving world and succeed in their future careers. Here are a few ways to start answering those questions in your classrooms today:

Personalized Learning

EdTech is great for personalized learning, giving students the freedom to learn at their own pace and style. By adapting to individual needs, preferences, and abilities, this approach fosters self-directed and adaptable learners. So students can build the skills they need to excel in today’s fast-changing world.

Teachers can create a customized learning experience for each student, allowing them to learn in a way that suits their unique learning style. For example, visual learners can watch videos, while auditory learners can listen to lectures or podcasts.

This personalized approach helps students become more self-directed and motivated to learn, as they have greater ownership over their learning experience. By adapting to each student’s individual needs, preferences, and abilities, personalized learning can also help students become more adaptable and resilient learners, able to navigate challenges and solve problems in innovative ways.

Virtual Learning Environments

Virtual learning environments have become increasingly popular and have proven to be a powerful tool for developing student adaptability. In a virtual learning environment, students can experience learning in different settings, contexts, and formats that they may not have access to in a traditional classroom setting. This exposure to diverse learning experiences helps students become more flexible, adaptable, and comfortable with change.

Virtual learning allows for self-paced learning, which can help students develop skills such as time management, self-regulation, and responsibility. They have the opportunity to work at their own pace and adapt their learning experience to suit their individual needs, which can ultimately lead to greater engagement and motivation.

Collaboration Tools

Collaboration tools have become essential in modern education, as they provide a platform for students to work with their peers, share their ideas, and learn from one another. Collaborative learning environments help students develop a range of skills that are crucial for adaptability, including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. By working collaboratively, students learn to appreciate diverse perspectives, value the contributions of others, and develop a greater sense of empathy towards their peers.

These tools also promote creativity, as students can brainstorm and develop innovative solutions to complex problems. The process of collaboration involves trial and error, experimentation, and feedback, all of which are critical components of adaptability. Through collaboration, students learn to be flexible, adaptable, and comfortable with change.

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning is an effective approach to develop student adaptability, as it provides an opportunity for students to work on real-world projects that require them to adapt to new situations, challenges, and feedback. Through project-based learning, students can develop a range of skills that are crucial for adaptability, including problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and creativity. Project-based learning challenges students to think beyond their textbooks and apply their learning in practical contexts.

In a project-based learning environment, students work on projects that are designed to simulate real-world challenges. As they work through these challenges, they encounter unexpected problems, which require them to adapt their approach and come up with creative solutions. This process of trial and error helps students become more resilient and adaptable learners. They learn to embrace challenges, seek feedback, and use their failures as learning opportunities.

Adaptive Assessments

Adaptive assessments are a relatively new and innovative way to develop student adaptability. These assessments use advanced algorithms and data analytics to adjust to the student’s performance, providing them with personalized feedback and opportunities to improve. This approach to assessment provides students with a learning experience that is tailored to their individual needs and abilities, helping them become more adaptable, self-directed, and reflective learners.

Adaptive assessments are designed to challenge students at their own level, providing them with tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult. This approach promotes self-directed learning, as students are encouraged to set their own learning goals and work towards achieving them. By providing feedback and opportunities for improvement, adaptive assessments help students become more reflective and aware of their own learning process. Students learn to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and develop strategies to achieve them.

EdTech is an essential tool in developing student adaptability. Personalized learning, virtual learning environments, collaboration tools, project-based learning, and adaptive assessments are just a few ways EdTech can be used to develop adaptability among students.

By using EdTech to develop adaptability, educators can help students prepare for the challenges of an ever-changing world.

Let’s work together to cultivate a culture of adaptability in our classrooms and empower our students to thrive in the face of change.

The world of coding is constantly evolving, and it is difficult to predict what it will look like in the next 50 years. However, there are a few developments that are likely to take place.

First, coding is likely to become more automated. Automation will likely take on more of the mundane tasks that are currently done manually, freeing up coders to focus on more complex and interesting projects. In addition, coding is likely to become more intuitive, allowing coders to work more quickly and efficiently.

Second, coding will likely become more collaborative. As coding becomes more complex and the need for collaboration increases, coding platforms will likely become more sophisticated and include features such as real-time collaboration, version control, and automated refactoring.

Third, coding is likely to become more diverse. With the rise of open source software, coding will become more accessible to people from all backgrounds and disciplines. This will lead to more diverse coding teams and projects being created.

Finally, coding is likely to become more distributed. With the growing popularity of cloud computing, coders will be able to work from anywhere in the world, allowing for more collaboration and greater innovation.

Overall, coding is likely to become more automated, collaborative, diverse, and distributed over the next 50 years. This will open up new opportunities for coders and create an exciting and ever-changing landscape.

The future of work is constantly evolving, and as a teacher, it is your responsibility to ensure your students are prepared for the changing landscape. With the prevalence of automation and technology, it is essential that students are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workplace. Here are 10 ways to prepare your students for the future of work:

1. Teach problem-solving skills. Developing the ability to think critically and solve complex problems is essential for success in the workplace. Encourage your students to think outside the box and use creative solutions to tackle difficult problems.

2. Implement career exploration activities. Introduce students to different career paths and help them explore their interests and passions. Talk to them about the benefits and drawbacks of each field and provide advice on how to pursue a career.

3. Encourage collaboration. In the future, working in teams and collaborating with others will be essential. Teach your students how to work well with others and develop their interpersonal skills.

4. Leverage technology. Technology is revolutionizing the workplace and it’s important that students learn to use technology effectively. Encourage your students to become familiar with different software and digital tools.

5. Practice communication. Effective communication is a key skill for the workplace. Teach your students how to communicate ideas and opinions clearly and concisely.

6. Foster a growth mindset. Empower your students to believe in themselves and develop a growth mindset. Encourage them to challenge themselves and look for opportunities to learn and grow.

7. Develop self-awareness. Help your students understand their strengths and weaknesses. Teach them how to recognize their emotions and how to manage them effectively.

8. Introduce them to the world of work. Take your students on field trips or invite guest speakers to your classroom to give them an insight into the world of work.

9. Prepare them for interviews. Help your students prepare for job interviews by role-playing different scenarios and teaching them how to answer common questions.

10. Promote financial literacy. Teach your students the basics of financial literacy and how to manage their finances.

By following these tips, you can help ensure your students are well-equipped to face the future of work.

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

Some think they know the answer.

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

Some thought it wasn’t a problem.

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

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

Let’s start with what we know.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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