Edtech being a renaissance, driven by need. Ten years ago it was not uncommon for staff to see a technology director in elementary school, let alone a technology integration specialist. Times are changing. The global epidemic has created an urgent need for better edtech solutions in our schools as awareness has grown to ensure the health and well-being of students and staff.
Technology teams at the school are working with the edtech company to bring cutting-edge technology to the classroom, providing real-time solutions to long-term problems. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2013-2015, 3.9 percent of boys and 4.3 percent of girls missed more than 10 school days in 12 months due to illness or injury. Traditional tutoring only brings 4-5 hours of home instruction to these students, where telepresence can provide 30-40 hours of classroom instruction to these same kids. Adtech’s progress is helping children stay connected to school even in these uncertain times.
Classroom modernization
At the onset of the epidemic, most children did not participate in the virtual classroom experience. Signing in a virtual classroom was unheard of. Many did not have proper internet access or even a tablet or other device with which to go online. Now, many children specialize in virtual technology. Schools are providing devices to access classroom elements from home, and many have instant remote plans that can take them from personal to virtual.
Times have changed, and school districts are changing with them. The epidemic quickly reminded us all that face-to-face interactions are an important part of the connection. Losing that aspect of the interaction affected many during the epidemic, but it is a much longer problem than in the last two years. Immunocompromised children are coping better with the less positive side of virtual education before the epidemic comes.
When children miss school, not only do they face academic failures, but friendships are also disrupted, and many suffer from increased anxiety or even other stressors or secondary illnesses. Telepresence robots are offering real-time solutions to such problems and are having a profoundly positive impact on these children, thanks to technical companies who are working with schools to make distance learning a success.
