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The Future of Digital Education

A collection of podcasts and blog posts discussing the role of technology in education

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K-12 Learning Solutions That Students, Parents, and Teachers Will Love – Jessica Schuessler, D2L

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The key to student engagement is teaching in a way that students love. However, reaching each student successfully depends on being able to provide a personalized learning path, one that accommodates the needs of learners at all levels. More and more schools and districts are moving towards adopting some form of education technology, to address the needs of teachers and students alike. However, the next gen EdTech is a K-12 LMS (learning management system) that enables teachers to do their work in a highly optimized way. Here are a few ways that a K-12 LMS can help reach students in a personalized way.

A system for personalized learning

Having insight into the day-to-day goings on of each student is an important part of a teacher’s mission. Students that tend to stay silent or who have missed a class, can go undetected until a quiz or assignment gets handed in. Because a K-12 LMS enables deeper insight into a student’s learning activities, reflections, and communication with their teacher, students are less likely to fly under the radar, going undetected. Putting content online also allows teachers to differentiate for students better. Some may need the extra time to look over a diagram one more time, watch a video again, or take an article a little slower. With a K-12 LMS, students are in constant contact with their course content and required learning activities. Absent students still have access to their course material and teachers are able to give timely and meaningful feedback. This allows for a highly personalized approach for each learner at every level.

K-12 LMS can save teachers time

Monitoring student progress, distributing and marking of assignments, and showing evidence of learning can be a daunting task when there are numerous students in a class. Being able to keep track of every moment of learning, both in class and online in a blended learning model, is made easy with a cloud-based LMS. The depository of learning stored in an LMS can help translate into huge time savings at report card time when every test, every mark, and every interaction needs to be examined. As well, assignments are always stored in the system so students need never scramble to find the work that they may have missed and teachers can easily look back at all the work handed in by each student.

Involving parents in learning

Spending time on the phone, or at parent-teacher interviews isn’t as effective as having parents directly involved in their child’s learning at the day-to-day level. With a parent portal, a K-12 LMS provides parents with an “over-the-shoulder” advantage. They can communicate directly with teachers, see exactly what their child is learning, and see upcoming/past due assignments at any moment throughout the year. By coordinating their efforts with those of the teacher, any problems can be addressed promptly, giving each student a better opportunity for success.

In the end, good teaching is good teaching. A K-12 LMS simply helps to enable that 1:1 ratio that is so necessary when striving for a personalized learning experience for students. With better student, parent, and teacher engagement, students are given more opportunity to succeed, regardless of their learning style, or learning level. This is more than just education technology at work here. It’s about a shift in pedagogical thinking, where the learner is placed at the center of their own learning experience and parents and teachers are given the tools they need to support and improve learning outcomes for every student. This is the student of the future. Do you have the tech to support them?

Jessica Schuessler, EdTech Specialist, D2L

About D2L

D2L is the software leader that makes learning experiences better. The company’s cloud-based platform, Brightspace, is easy to use, flexible, and smart. With Brightspace, organizations can personalize the experience for every learner to deliver real results. The company is a world leader in learning analytics: its platform predicts learner performance so that organizations can take action in real-time to keep learners on track. Brightspace is used by learners in higher education, K-12, and the enterprise sector, including the Fortune 1000. D2L has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore. www.d2l.com

Matt
written by: Matt