The 21st century learners, kindergarten on up, are highly relational and expect quick access to new knowledge. More than that, they are capable of engaging in learning using technology. With the world literally at their fingertips, today’s elementary students need teachers and administrators who are truly prepared to incorporate the role of technology in the classroom.
Principals and Technology
In national studies it shows too many students are losing the drive to want to learn for the following reasons and multimedia and reality does help remedy these issues.
- Students lack interest or motivation and do not see the reason to learn more
- Students do not perceive the classroom as a place that is supportive to their needs
- The use of cartoons and fantasy images are more fun than reality
- Students lack self-confidence in their own abilities to improve to learn on their own
- Students are easily distracted with other thoughts from curricula offered
There can now be no question that interactive multimedia technology does provide learning benefits to a student for scientific reasons, in the way a student is attracted to and retains new information. Further, now the ability to personalize and broaden the learning portfolio for a student increases interest and motivation to learn. This is based again on science that tells us that no two brains think alike and that reality not fantasy is what is needed in the retaining knowledge process.To take full advantage of technology it must make the life of the teacher and school administration more efficient and more rewarding for their commitment to this difficult job. The question remains is what can technology benefit the school administration “How do we fit it all in?” Accelerating Young Minds provides the following benefits to students, teachers and school administration.
Targeting personalized instruction for students who are struggling with particular topics. Providing timely opportunities to assist student when needed most. This easily identifies individual students strengths and includes instruction interventions that can allow students to continue to progress without being left behind.
- The reality found in each learning activity increases focus and the speed of retained knowledge
- Students can use AYM from home as homework or own personal use and parents ae able to see their child’s performance results
- AYM allows teachers and parents to narrow the range of data needed to solve a particular problem by seeing specific answers to tasks the students has completed
- We provide feedback to a student that is timely, specific, well formatted, and constructive. AYM allows students to automatically “try again” to remedy issues on their own and establishes confidence in self -learning
- Data demonstrates the amount of time and number of times it takes a student to master each learning activity, which demonstrates teacher and parent time savings
- Allows students, not necessarily teachers or parents, to correct their own performance
- Providing teachers to establish their own goals for student performance on specific subject areas and seeing progress
- Provides a compellation of students having difficulty with the specific learning Issues to allow real time help
- Can be used to gage the instructional effectiveness of classroom lessons and provides students and groups that need to be reassigned
- Fosters a real time student performance data-driven culture within the school
- Develops and maintains a district wide student performance data system
In this Accelerating Young Minds configuration, the teacher acts as a learning catalyst, orchestrating and facilitating activities that spark defining moments for each student. The individual student then becomes the focal point of the classroom. Human Touch provides the powerful real world learning activities that cover more depth and retention. The learning activities allow each student to believe in their own abilities and contribute to the classroom performance as well beyond core requirements.