Greetings!
I got to be with all of my grandkids this weekend to welcome Fall!
We are well into the school year now, and seeing so much good in the classrooms we are ‘visiting’. Students are engaged in their LIVE Zoom sessions, our VLF’s provide meaningful feedback in our asynchronous courses, and we see so much collaboration happening - using chat tools and shared files.
It is fun to see authentic assessments and relevant learning as we navigate through the unique and varied subject areas in our program.
Listen in to our awesome guests this week - Dr. Sam Moromando, Julie Devine, and Erin Siverd - as we discuss the evolution of the tools that we use for virtual and online learning.
I hope your week is off to a great start,
Pat
This Episode
Here are key topics in our discussion:
Evolution of Technology in Education: Sam, Julie, and Erin share their first experiences with technology in the classroom, from webquests and CD-based lectures to iPads and video conferencing tools like Skype and Zoom. These tools were initially used to bridge gaps between distant classrooms and have evolved into essential platforms for facilitating learning.
Impact of Tools on Student Engagement: Early technologies such as webquests allowed students to engage more deeply with the material by making learning more interactive. Tools like iPads and Skype enabled students to connect with peers in different classrooms, which fostered a sense of community and expanded learning beyond traditional classroom boundaries. The evolution of Skype to Zoom has allowed programs like the World of Learning - to meet students where they are to learn things they otherwise might not have access to.
Reflections on Early Technology Challenges: While early attempts at using technology in the classroom often faced challenges—such as poor connectivity—the overall experience was transformative for both students and teachers. The ability to connect with others, even within the same district, continues to be a major innovation.
Looking Forward: The ongoing development of educational technologies is ubiquitous. From the early initial experiences with classroom technology to more sophisticated tools like Zoom and asynchronous learning platforms, we see reason to be excited about the future of virtual learning. The potential to meet a wide range of student needs and to maximize community engagement is only just being to be tapped.
As always - we welcome your comments and feedback. As technology is present not only in virtual programs - but in every classroom, it is so important that we understand and maximize the best practices for using digital/online/virtual tools.
(JoltEDU is great place to start finding those resources)
Quick Bites
Family Newsletter
Link to Parent Toolbox (Including Zoom for Caregiver Connections)
Calendar of Events
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I use https://chatgpt.com/ to summarize the podcast transcript before I start writing. I also use Grammarly to check the grammar and clarity of my writing.
Tools and Technologies for Online Instruction