September 2020 – The Ocean of Technology

In a blog post from Marjolein Hoekstra, organizer of #MSFTEduChat, the best ways for making sure your content is reaching people effectively is discussed. This is the beauty of educators working with one another to make the most out of their content. Someone might have the information gathered, but does not know how to put together a cohesive group of links.

This is the beauty of collaboration in the field of education. People want to see others succeed and to share what has worked for them. It is such a heart-warming thing to see, especially during this stressful time with the Covid-19 pandemic. Can you imagine what education would look like if we treated these lesson plans and resources like they were proprietary information? The saying “Sharing is Caring” applies perfectly. In this case, it is helping to maximize the way students absorb the content.

For someone, simply posting information without clearly demonstrating what another person will gain from reading the content is extremely important. Doing this with purpose will allow for a greater level of collaboration between the content creator and the reader. The person putting together knows why they are posting the information. The person receiving the information can infer but is not in the mind of the creator.

The collaboration tool focused on in this blog post is Wakelet, but the same guidelines apply to other platforms like Twitter or WordPress. This specific platform can be used to post videos that support a lesson being taught in school. Just like a lesson that is to be completed in a traditional classroom, students work best when they know what to expect from the lesson. If the creator posts a clear title and a brief explanation of the purpose of the Wakelet, the students will have a better understanding of what is to be expected.

The same approach should be taken when creating Wakelet collections that are designed to share resources with other educators, colleagues, and parents. Organizing the posts in a meaningful way will allow the content to be the most effective. Ms. Hoekstra provides two different checklists for helping to guide others for the best approach.

Some of the key points addressed include:

Make sure you have a clear title and description (using written words or a Flipgrid video).
Include your name and contact information.
Make note of the date you created your Wakelet.
Group items visually with captions.
Insert a text annotation, so that the information can be used with programs like Immersive Reader.
Accept feedback, so you can improve the content/ collection to reach its maximum potential.

Following these guidelines is something I will make sure to remember when I am creating content whether through Wakelet or another resource. At the end of the day, seeing children learn is a shared goal among all educators. It’s a bit like schools of fish following each other to get through the murky waters. We can do the same for one another as teachers.

Covid-19, Remote Learning, and ADHD

Post author By dougla46
Post date September 21, 2020
Sticky post

In the world of Covid-19, much of what children have known in regard to education has gone up in smoke. They have been logging in using different platforms including Google Classroom and Zoom to name a few. This is in addition to many other tools schools have been using that allow for lessons that are rich with information. This comes with multiple log ins and organizing of what needs to be completed. This has made things even more difficult for some students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. Though this has been the case for some, at the same time, remote learning has presented a bit of an advantage for other students in the same group.

In a recent article by Jon Hamilton, he discusses what benefits and disadvantages have come out of the sudden need for remote learning and the impact that has had on some students with ADHD. He also talks about the difficulty in switching the mindset of using electronics for fun, to now using them to learn. Most kids are not used to using these for anything other than games and watching videos. This has been a bit of a dynamic switch for many children.

As someone who has two elementary aged children currently working in a hybrid model for school, I was intrigued to read about how students with ADHD have been handling this. I know how much of a challenge it has been for my children who don’t have this affecting them, so I could only imagine what types of challenges these other students are facing.

Let’s start with some of the negative aspects that students with ADHD have had to deal with and then we can end on a positive note talking about what the silver lining has been for these students.

For the large majority of students, something that captivates their attention when opening a classroom page can be very exciting and captivating. For children with ADHD, these bright and interactive sites can be extremely overwhelming. In the case discussed in the article, the son “would look at it and just get overwhelmed and shut the laptop and walk away”. This is most likely the case with many students across the country right now. Between all of the different log ins to keep track off, the actual approach to the lessons can be very distracting for students who have trouble focusing. It seems like a case of over-stimulation.

The other distractions come in the form of these new learning environments. Parents working from home, siblings completing their own set of assignments, as well as pets roaming by have all had some kind of negative effect on students. More so for children who have ADHD.

Not all of this new normal has been seen as a negative. This new way of learning has actually been helpful for some students who are diagnosed with ADHD.

Without having to be in the physical classroom, the regular distractions that would normally happen because of the number of other students around will not be prevalent. They won’t have the urge to look at everything their classmates are doing, rather than paying attention to the teacher and lesson.

Since we are doing this mostly at home for many, parents and teachers both need to work together to find ways that work for all students. This should include setting up learning environments that can be most conducive to each child’s needs. It will be beneficial to have collaboration between school and home to adjust things as needed. It might also be helpful for teachers to incorporate some of the Microsoft Education Tools available to them, in order to alter the way the lessons appear on the screen for different students. Sometimes a little bit can go a long way in helping all students succeed.

While teachers and parents are all navigating the waters of this new normal, we need to make sure to swim through it all with a little grace.