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The ClassIn team recently had the pleasure of taking a trip to Columbus, OH to meet with educators, school & district leaders, and tech innovators in education from throughout Ohio at the annual Ohio Education Technology Conference. The ClassIn team is always grateful for the chance to connect in person; it was three great days filled with insightful conversations about the latest classroom trends, the challenges educators are facing, and potential collaboration opportunities. And, as always, we learned so much!
Obviously, the global shutdown in 2020 caught everyone unaware; nobody was prepared to move to a fully virtual world. The transition meant quick pivots to new learning tools, embracing distance education, and adopting a whole new outlook on how to accomplish teaching and learning. While nobody wants to see another pandemic, educators are now thinking about contingency plans.
Several educators mentioned concerns about running through their allocation of snow days too early in the school year due to the unexpected winter storms. Others discussed having alternate plans for students who were out on extended medical leave. Still others talked about the importance of maintaining learning through construction or other building issues. Because of the technology adopted in 2020, we know now it’s possible to maintain continuity of learning through a disruption to traditional in-person learning. Many districts are now actively devising strategies to address these challenges
Having a platform, like ClassIn, in place allows students to access learning materials the same way from any place, at any time and can be an effective – and reliable – way to keep students on track in case of weather or other times when in person learning is not possible or impractical.
Many schools have invested in interactive flat panels for their classrooms. However, the actual application of these panels in enhancing instructional quality or boosting student engagement seems unclear. In short, many of these interactive flat panels are being used as very fancy projectors, even though there’s a clear desire to leverage them more effectively.
One easy way to get more out of your existing interactive flat panel is to download the ClassIn X app on any panel that runs on Windows and use ClassIn’s scrolling blackboard and suite of instructional and engagement tools. See how to use ClassIn on your existing board here.
This year’s teacher shortage is no surprise and does not seem like it’s going to go away any time soon. Particularly in more specialized subject areas (languages, advanced classes) there simply are not enough educators for each building. In districts where there are mandates that each student must have access to every course offered in the district, this is creating the need for new and creative solutions.
Enter technology! ClassIn’s instructional platform is designed to work with hardware solutions (interactive flat panels, cameras, microphones) to create hybrid classrooms. This approach removes geographical boundaries and physical constraints, allowing a single teacher to teach students in multiple buildings simultaneously. Not only does the hybrid setup mitigate the impact of teacher shortages but also fosters a more inclusive learning environment for students across campuses. For a more detailed introduction to implementing a hybrid learning setup in your schools and districts, check out ClassIn’s Complete Guide to Hybrid Learning!
Given how rapidly the educational landscape is changing, it’s always interesting to see how innovative practices are emerging in today’s classrooms. We heard from so many educators about interesting initiatives going on in their schools. From major VoTech grants and career readiness programs to the application of AI for student check-ins in the counseling office, and the support provided by Ohio’s educational service centers to teachers and students across the state, there’s so much innovation happening! We left these conversations energized and grateful to all who took a moment to share their stories with us.
We’re so excited to continue the conversations we started and see how ClassIn can enhance classrooms across Ohio. Whether it’s through enhancing the use of installed IFPs to improve learning outcomes, providing solutions that amplify a teacher’s impact, or offering alternatives for too many snow days, we’re here for you!
Ready to talk? Click here to request a demo.
