Snapchat is turning into more than just an amusing app that lets people send pictures and videos, only to disappear after a few seconds. Many educators are finding ways to make learning fun for their students by incorporating Snapchat into their lessons. In “Snapchat: Creating an Engaging Learning Experience,” Shannon Holden, Assistant Principal, Republic Middle School, MO, reviewed why educators should consider bringing the app into their classrooms and specific ideas on how to integrate the app into their lessons.
edWeb.net and Learning.com have started a new, free professional learning community geared toward helping educators prepare students with the skills they need to excel in today’s increasingly digital world. By 2020, it is estimated that nearly 80% of jobs will require some level of technology proficiency. Students must be given the opportunity to learn and develop digital literacy skills, and Learning.com makes it easy for educators to teach students these critical skills with online tools and lessons.
In a marketplace saturated with options, the search for curriculum and other instructional resources can be a difficult process for educators. All K-12 stakeholders from curriculum directors to classroom teachers should know the methods districts employ to discover and evaluate the resources that make it to students. In “7 Ways to Conquer a Curriculum Search,” Mindy Sinyak, VP of Customer Success, Noodle Markets, reviewed essential tips schools and districts can use to succeed in their search for curriculum and instructional resources.
Access to online resources including digital content, interactive education apps and websites, videos, experts and peers is no longer a “nice to have” but rather a necessity. Unfortunately, teachers and students are often unable to be sure there will be dependable, robust access outside of school depending on family and community circumstances. In “Closing the Homework Gap: Equity of Access for All Students Outside of School,” SETDA hosted a panel of experts that presented solutions for providing out-of-school access and digital resources to students based off their own experiences.
Traditional public schools must ensure continued success in order to compete for students against charter schools, online learning, and other forms of education. Dissatisfied students, parents, and even staff leave schools needing to work harder than ever to regain the confidence of everyone. In “The Public School in an Age of Choice: How to Compete for the Win,” Kevin Baird, Chairman of the Board at the nonprofit Center for College & Career Readiness, presented the issues traditional public schools currently face in retaining students and staff, and solutions leading to higher retention and student success.
Creative experiences that challenge students to observe, articulate, reimagine, and take risks help build their confidence and leadership capacity. Art can be used to develop new approaches to student leadership, while being fun for students. In “Art-Infused Student Leadership Projects,” panelists discussed how to develop leadership qualities in students through art activities.
Multi-disciplinary sessions appeal to students’ creativity, are relevant to their everyday lives, and help them acquire important skills. These therapies are often used independently to treat individuals on the autism spectrum. In “Art, Music & Recreational Therapy: Incorporating Creative Approaches for Students with Autism,” experts presented on how these types of therapies are used to support individuals with autism by focusing on specific needs of younger and older students and targeting a variety of goals.
As education innovation advances, so does the frustration of all parties involved in K-12 purchasing due to out-of-date processes, poor communication, and difficulties identifying new opportunities. In “The K-12 Purchasing Renaissance,” presented by Nicole Neal, CEO, Noodle Markets, and hosted by Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO, edWeb.net, Nicole talked about K-12 purchasing, why it matters, and how the purchasing process can be improved.
edWeb.net and myON today announced a combined effort to provide educators with robust professional learning opportunities to transform literacy for all pre-K–12 students. myON will sponsor the professional learning community “Building a Community of Readers” on edWeb.net as a forum for professional learning and collaboration focused on all aspects of literacy. Educators will be able to collaborate online across the country and around the world to leverage information and learn best practices from their peers to build innovative approaches to literacy for the classroom.
More than 10 million American students struggle to read, but only 2.3 million are identified and even fewer receive special help; schools must provide support for struggling students by creating a culture of reading. In “45 Ways to Support Struggling Readers: A School-Wide Approach,” hosted by edWeb.net and sponsored by Learning Ally, Terrie Noland, Learning Ally National Director, Educator Engagement; and Kristy Mathieu, Kiker Elementary, Austin, TX, presented tips for how schools can support struggling readers.