Teaching in the 21st Century: Technology Use

When I was growing up in school, SMART Boards were introduced and used through the years, but textbooks, hard copies, and hand-writing notes reigned supreme. 

Today, children in elementary schools are using tablets or laptops - I thought using the desktop in my parents’ house to make my own CDs was peak technology at that age. Technology has increased its presence in schools greatly in the past 5 years.

As we get deeper into the 21st century, it’s becoming clear that virtual learning is the new normal. While some may think that you can’t effectively teach this way, we are here to share some knowledge on how to best incorporate technology into your classroom, whether you are physically meeting or if you are teaching online.

Benefits of Learning with Tech:

• Increased student engagement with the lesson

• Opportunities for students to problem-solve

• Students can take control of their learning

• Additional learning opportunities

• Preparing students for their inevitable tech-heavy future

• Collaboration with fellow students

Tech in the Classroom:

1. Games to Help With Learning

There are all types of fun online games that were created with the intention of helping children learn. I used to love playing math games on the computer as a kid. Nowadays, there are engaging apps like Kahoot! available for use; students can compete against each other to answer content-related questions, motivating them to know their stuff! 

Aside from specific games, you can also amplify learning with creative scavenger hunts where students need to team up and search for answers to questions you pose.

Adding this element of fun into your teaching routine encourages students to work together and keeps them excited to learn.

2. Digital Content Creation

Presentations have always been a part of classes, but you can give your students the opportunity to get more creative and showcase their knowledge by creating a website, creating flyers, recording a podcast, writing blogs, and so much more. You never know, this could even plant a seed for what they want to do professionally in the future.

3. Class Calendar

This is probably already included in some of the online programs available to teachers, but if you don’t already have one, you should create a shared online calendar with your students. A shared classroom calendar keeps everyone on the same page through constant updates, and hosting a place for all of the important due dates, assemblies, field trips, etc. Bonus points if it is able to send notifications a day in advance!

When students have access to this, it helps you stay organized with content and helps your class stay on top of their work.

4. Social Media Integration

Children and teens spend huge amounts of time on social media as it is, so you can use this to your advantage by including it in your curriculum. 

One of my history teachers in high school had our class create Facebook pages for historical figures, and we had to make it represent who they were and how they would post. Super fun and creative idea, right?

Another thing you can do is create Facebook groups specific to your classes to discuss readings or certain topics. You can also have students think of unique hashtags for particular events or figures in your lessons. Get involved and show your creativity with this too!

5. Surveys & Polls

Receiving feedback from students helps you help your class. In order to have a successful classroom, you need to gauge the knowledge of your students, find out how they prefer to learn, and ultimately figure out how to get the best out of them. Using polls and surveys, you can get these answers. Do daily or weekly check-ins to know how your students are doing in general. This will help you build trust within those four walls and you will be able to better serve your students what they need.

8 Ways to Encourage Student Success in the Classroom

You probably already have tons of engaging activities in your teaching repertoire, from educational games to dynamic study guides. However, it takes more than a few activities to help your students be the best, most successful version of themselves.

So, How Can Teachers Help Students be Successful?

Here are eight ways that you can promote your students’ success:

Be Clear and Transparent

Be upfront about what you expect from your students and what will be covered over the course of the class. Keep everyone in the loop about any changes or updates in the curriculum as you move forward. With everyone on the same page, there won’t be too many surprises, and you can guarantee that nobody is left behind.

Let Your Students Set the Pace of the Class

Before you really dive into your curriculum, start off with a quiz to figure out where your students are at with the material. Does anything need to be focused on more? Could you spend less time on a certain topic? Once you gauge their knowledge a little bit, you’ll be able to teach them more effectively.

Be Accessible

Emailing, tutoring after school, and even using lunch times are all ways for students to reach you outside of class. When you make yourself more available to students, you are showing them that you truly care about their learning. If you do open your email inbox or offer tutoring to them, be sure to reply in a timely manner or stay consistent with your tutor schedule. They want to know that you are true to your word!

Show a Genuine Interest in the Students

This point goes along with the previous one, because increasing your availability shows them how much you care about their efforts. They might be stubborn sometimes and not always realize it, but their confidence will continue to rise when they notice that you will not give up on them. 

Incorporate Engaging Learning Activities

Yes, play the games! Assign fun projects where students can create a comic strip about an important event. Play your own version of ‘Jeopardy’ with class material. Get creative when you engage the students with different activities to stimulate their minds. High School English Teacher Chelsea Herron knows how important engagement is.

“There definitely needs to be an emphasis on student engagement. From my experience, I think that comes from being up to date on the latest trends or technology and making them relevant and worthwhile for the students.”

Watch and see how excited they get about something that would otherwise be labeled boring or mundane.

Give Your Students Feedback

Tell them why they got the math problem wrong. Explain it to them. Tell them what they can do to improve their writing skills, or how they can study more efficiently. Help your students by constantly pushing them to do their best with their work.

Make Everything Meaningful

All of your content should be related and mean something; Projects, quizzes, tests, and activities should align with what your students need to know to pass the class. As long as they are absorbing relevant information throughout the course, you’re doing your job.

Set High Expectations

Let your students know that you expect them to ace your class! Tell them that you want them to succeed, and that you will do everything in your power to make sure that happens. Tell them that you are in their corner. You are rooting for them!

And, last but not least, here is a bonus idea: have FUN!

Show your class that you have a sense of humor by having fun while you teach. If you’re giving students the tools to succeed, and maybe some occasional tough love, you will gain their respect and watch them do great things.

How will you promote success in your classroom? Let us know - leave a comment, or message us on Instagram @leapedlive. We would love to hear your ideas!

How Live Video Quality Affects User Engagement

Buffering. Frozen screens. Broken audio. Things we all hate. 

Nothing is more annoying than cuddling up and getting comfortable on the couch with your favorite snack to binge your new show, only to be hit with a spinning wheel every 2 minutes. Buffering isn’t even the only type of live stream nuisance; there is the choppy audio, blurry video, and even those times when the audio does not match up with the video.

This is a big issue when it comes to streaming the newest season of the latest show. It can be an even bigger issue when you are live streaming to your online audience. Even going live on social media outlets can get messed up if you have bad service, you start breaking up, or your video begins to freeze. When you have a bad live stream, it negatively affects user engagement.

According to TechRadar, more than 50% of live streaming viewers leave a low-quality stream in 90 seconds or less. Phew. Kind of makes you want to make sure you have the best quality possible, doesn’t it?

In 2015, a study of millennials between the ages of 26-34 found that 75% of millennials would “give up” on a video stream within four minutes if the quality was subpar.

Admit it - you’re guilty of turning off your TV when a show started to buffer or you’ve quit watching a live stream on Instagram because it froze or was too blurry. 

Students at Stony Brook University conducted a study on the impacts of video quality on user engagements with Conviva, which is a real-time intelligence platform for optimized streaming. 

This study looked at all types of content, but the one that was most impacted by buffering was live content. What they found was that lowering the buffering ratio will ultimately increase user engagement with your content. Engaged users make for a successful live stream, and they help you maintain a loyal following.

To keep viewers’ attention and keep them engaged, you need to think about what you can do to stay ahead of any trouble by getting some good equipment. Depending on the year your smartphone was made, you might have high-quality video quality with that. However, if you want to guarantee clear video, you could invest in a modern video camera to set up and connect to your computer.

Using a better video camera is also helpful because many users are watching live content from their mobile devices, meaning they need to see your content clearly on a smaller screen. Crisp audio is also necessary for a great video stream. 

Put the best possible content out there for your viewers. Don’t let buffering, fuzzy video, or bad cell service stop you from a flawless live video. 

When you do everything you can to stream a clear, audible, perfectly-synced video, you should continue to have great engagement. 

The Benefits of Live Streaming

Why Should We Care About Live Streaming?

Technology has evolved so much over the last decade. As social media and the "online presence" grows, live streaming has become one of the most efficient ways to connect with your followers on various platforms. 

Here at Leaped, we want to give educators of all types the same efficiency when it comes to their passions in life. It's a place where they can exhibit their knowledge, connect with like-minded individuals, build communities, and earn the money they deserve through teaching.

Read on to learn more about the effects of live streaming and the reasons it is so powerful!

Photo by Tye Doring on Unsplash

#1 Prime Engagement

When you are live, you call the shots on the time you are interacting with your audience. Your content is on when you want it to be; it's not a video that anyone can pull up at any time. 

This ensures that you will get meaningful engagement from people that genuinely care about what you have to say, and it keeps your community tight. It allows you to boost interaction with your audience in real-time.

#2 There is a Human Aspect

Being able to have this great engagement during a live stream provides the opportunity for you to build essential relationships with your audience. Followers can see you be a natural person - you might stutter, laugh, or make a mistake - and this shows your authenticity to them. 

It helps your community relate to you and feel like they can identify with you on a deeper level. 

#3 You Can Expand Your Reach

Connecting online means you can connect with individuals all over the world, not just in your small town. Maybe you're a high school culinary teacher, but you want to share your kitchen ingenuity with more than a dozen teenagers. Starting your live stream journey will help you get in contact with others that share a love for cooking, no matter where they are located.

You can gain an audience you never thought was within reach by just being yourself and sharing your passion.

#4 Your Content Comes With a Sense of Urgency

You are in charge. You set the times and decide when you want to put your content out there. Once you have an established, tight-knit community, you will be able to schedule the things you want to stream. 

This piques your audience's interest and gives them something to look forward to, knowing they can only catch your content at certain times.

#5 Earn Extra Income

You can make money while sharing your passion, and you won't even have to worry about dumping a lot of money into this endeavor. You can have a setup with cameras, a mic, positioned lighting if you choose, but as long as you have a computer with a webcam or a phone with a camera, you can stream.

Streaming through platforms, like Leaped, offers income opportunities. For example, while building your communities and finding like-minded individuals, you are gaining monthly subscribers that pay to learn from you and engage with you over time.

#6 You're Talking to People that Will Listen

You shouldn't have to worry about any internet "trolls" in your audience, especially if your subscribers are paying to see your content. Since your content is scheduled and not readily available, others are committed to listening to what you have to say because they want to hear it.

Those that are tuned in to your live video stream are dedicated to and tuned in to you and your content.

What Are You Waiting For?

Live streaming to an audience is a powerful thing, and we want educators to experience this firsthand. Whether you want to share your love for a subject with the world or you just enjoy engaging content, this is the platform and place for you.

What will you teach the world today?