classroom Archives

4 pieces of advice for aspiring tutors

Key points:

You don’t have to be an expert to be a tutor–you just need a willingness to learn as an adult

Working with a reputable tutoring organization is essential

See related article: 6 keys to effective tutoring

What do directing planes to land successfully on the runway and directing students to read successfully in the classroom have in common? A lot, as I found out during my transition to tutor following three decades of managing the flow of aircraft around the country.

When I joined the Air Force in 1988, I became an Air Traffic Controller. I didn’t know it then, but this job would lead me down a path that included an eight-year military career and 22 years at the Department of Defense. During my 30 years of service, I managed both the training, and standardization and evaluation departments before becoming the tower chief controller.…Read More

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District virtual schools need to innovate beyond flexibility and security

Key points:

It’s time to transform district virtual schools from pandemic stop-gaps into pioneering models of 21st-century learning

The sustainability of district virtual schools hinges on whether they can evolve beyond the current versions we see in most districts

See related article: 5 tips to keep online students motivated

Imagine a classroom where learning transcends physical boundaries, and where every student’s need is met with individualized attention. This isn’t a distant dream, but an emergent reality born in the wake of the global pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, approximately 375,000 students attended online schools—less than 1% of the total number of US K–12 students. But as the crisis unfolded in 2020, virtual schools became a preferred educational choice for a significant number of families. Our survey in August 2021 found that 43% of districts had introduced a full-time virtual school option during the pandemic. These were new schools that students and families could opt into, separate from the emergency remote instruction commonly provided during the pandemic though existing brick-and-mortar schools.…Read More

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Beyond the classroom today

The long-tail impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues in K-12 education, providing rich lessons learned from the experience for both educators and parents and continuing to stimulate new energy around how to improve educational experiences for all students. The jump start for this newfound interest was certainly the seismic jolt to the traditional school paradigm resulting from the shift to virtual learning in most schools and communities due to the pandemic.

As a result of these seismic changes in K-12 education, the classroom looks very different today. But the work of transforming education is still in its infancy, despite the physical changes to the classroom such as more devices for students to use and a greater emphasis on teacher use of digital content in the classroom.…Read More

Half of teachers expect AI to make their jobs more challenging

Key points:

A new survey highlights potential complications down the road as AI takes hold in classrooms

Many districts don’t currently offer professional development for AI

See related article: Edtech leaders offer guidance on safe AI classroom integration

A majority of teachers and administrators in a recent survey believe artificial intelligence (AI) will have a significant impact on teaching and learning–but that impact may not be all positive, as roughly half of surveyed teachers believe AI will make their jobs more challenging.

As artificial intelligence (AI) quickly becomes a focal point in U.S. schools, the new survey of educators and administrators conducted by Clever, a digital learning platform, underscores the need for greater preparation for educators and administrators on the use of the emerging technology in classrooms.…Read More

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Certiport Recognizes Washington Teacher as Educator of the Year

Salt Lake City — Certiport, a Pearson VUE business and the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, today announced that Karen Coulombe, career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Lake Stevens High School in Washington state, has been named Certiport’s Educator of the Year. The award was announced at Certiport’s 2023 CERTIFIED Educator Conference, where educators gather to explore the full promise and potential of business and technology certification in the classroom.

Karen teaches both computer applications and computer science to first-year high school students in Lake Stevens. She is also a robotics advisor for the largest VRC Robotics team in Washington. Before becoming a teacher, Karen worked for more than a decade as a licensed avionics technician and airframe and powerplant mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, DynCorp Aerospace, and the Boeing Company. She was also selected for special assignments involving Air Force One and the B2 stealth bomber.

Throughout her career, Karen has been a passionate believer in continuing education and giving back to her community. She has participated in the U.S. Naval Academy’s SET SAIL, Certiport’s National CERTIFIED Conference, STEM Guitars, Space Camp for Educators, the Washington Alliance for Better Schools STEM Externship, and multiple nanotechnology conferences. Karen also serves on the teacher advisory board for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and as a member of two technical advisory committees.…Read More

Texting is negatively impacting students’ writing

Key points:

Texting has its place, but it also leads to underdeveloped communication skills

Teachers could harness students’ fondness for texting into classroom-appropriate activities or in writing prompts

See related article: AI writing tools can be disruptive–here are 5 ways to counteract their influence

“because she wants to have fun”

This was an eighth-grade student’s response to a question I posed in a reading response assignment tied to the play, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The question asked was: “Why does Anne hide Peter’s shoes?” Technically, the student is correct–Anne hides Peter’s shoes because she is bored and tired of being cooped up in the small apartment she is forced to hide in. The student understands the underlying motives driving the character’s behavior here. But there are some problems with this response.…Read More

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At ISTELive 23, balancing humanity with AI

Key points:

While AI has its place in the classroom, humans–and their humanity–are a driving force

There are 5 skills teachers should ensure students have as they move into a world full of AI

See related article: Edtech leaders offer guidance on safe AI classroom integration

What does it mean to be human in a digital world? At ISTELive 23, that question was central to the annual edtech conference’s focus on what’s happening in education—and what’s next.

“Four years ago, I made a prediction: I predicted that in five years, education would be completely transformed by two factors: a dramatic increase in connectivity, and a dramatic increase in the capabilities of AI,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta. “At that time, less than half the schools in the country were one-to-one, and nobody really knew what AI was. It’s interesting to think about where we are just four years later, and how this combination of increased connectivity and AI capabilities is totally changing our world. AI can do some pretty amazing things.”…Read More

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Bringing robots to early education classrooms in rural Nevada

Key points:

Students don’t need one-to-one device access to learn robotics concepts

A playful and project-based approach to robots works best with younger students

See related article: Robotics plays a key role in early STEM education

As part of our educational outreach to the community, PBS Reno createdCuriosity Classroom for preschool through 4th-graders. The program, which is free to schools and districts, uses on-air, online, and print resources to help parents, caregivers, and childhood educators prepare children for success.

As we were researching trends in STEAM education to update our program, we noticed that robots were at the forefront, but most of the opportunities only existed for middle and high school students. Here’s how we’re bringing robots to younger students in rural communities.…Read More

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Edtech leaders offer guidance on safe AI classroom integration

Key points:

A number of leading education and technology leaders are formulating recommendations around teaching with AI

These efforts can help prepare students to work with and within the world of AI and its rapid evolution

See related article: The importance of teaching generative AI

Code.org, ETS, ISTE, Khan Academy, and World Economic Forum have formed TeachAI, bringing together education, nonprofit, and technology partners to assist governments and education authorities with integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into primary and secondary curricula worldwide while protecting student safety, respecting privacy rights, and addressing issues of bias and misinformation.

AI’s rapid pace of development in recent months offers exciting applications for the classroom, but the unprecedented technology also demands deliberation as the implications are vast. TeachAI will bring critical voices across education, policy, and technology to develop a practical framework for teaching with AI and teaching about AI. …Read More

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Are your students prepared for the digital classroom?

Enhanced digital learning processes and experiences require reliable, high performance, and secure Wi-Fi so your teachers can access the full range of available teaching tools- including STEAM and 1:1 learning – to reach students wherever they are.