In this article about implementing the use of technology in the classroom in new ways, Shea Smith, a middle school media teacher uses technology to check in with his students emotional well-beings. At the beginning of class he asks the students to fill out a google form that asks the question; “how are you feeling today?”. Students have the option of a smiley face, frowny face and a straight face, as well as the option to elaborate on their mood if they desire to do so.

Pros of Online Mental Health Check-Ins

While I might have thought that having face to face, and peer to peer oriented check-ins may have more proactive results, Shea Smith was surprised to see how much students were willing to share over a google form. He found that things students did not want to disclose to the entire class, were more comfortably communicated through these forms and provided the teachers with a better understanding of their students and what they were going through before class started.

When more teachers started to implement this use of technology in their classrooms, they saw just how much hardships that their students were having to deal with. Coming to a conclusion that academic learning and social-emotional learning go hand in hand, and using the technology we have at hand to provide teachers and students with the chance to form a connection beyond academics can help a students academic career in the long run.