Page 13 - THE Journal Innovation in Education, October 2021
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Automated grading that feeds into the grade book
Cues using color and arrangement that signal which student has had their hand up the longest, who hasn’t spoken yet, who hasn’t asked a question or turned in an assignment
Privacy views where individual students or the whole class can only see themselves, teachers, and assistants while still allowing the teacher to see everybody
Invisible attendance tracking to show that students have logged in as well as when, precisely, they entered and left the class
Educators have long understood how to do these things as part of managing their classrooms in person, but many were thrown for a loop when they had to translate those same skills through a computer monitor.
That’s where the right kind of technology comes into play — and even improves the in-class experience.
Only technology can maintain a real-time dashboard that displays drill-down data on participation trends for students whether or not they have asked questions, raised their hands, finished their homework, or passed tests. That kind
of information can prove helpful during family conferences,
showing parents and guardians how their kids performed and what impacts technology may have had on student progress.
And here’s a bonus improvement: the same dashboard also shows teacher behaviors, including how much time the teacher spent talking versus how often they called on students. Did
the teacher indicate a preference for working with particular students? Did the teacher consistently miss one group’s needs? Of course, no teacher intentionally uses inadequate teaching practices or shows bias, but technology can show when it’s happening.
At Class, we’re convinced that if schools plan to offer an online or virtual education option, they need to ensure it’s not a lesser experience. Students deserve to be engaged virtually, and teachers need the tools that will help them deliver a high-quality educational experience.
Dr. Elfreda Massie is the Vice President of K-12 Strategy for Class. Alongside stints in district leadership at the District of Columbia Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Baltimore County Public Schools, Dr. Massie held executive roles at Blackboard, GEMS Education, Catapult Learning, and the National Center on Education and the Economy, among other organizations.
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