K-12 schools are utilizing technology to facilitate more meaningful and student-centered learning experiences and exploration.
Enabling Collaborative Learning with EdTech Tools
K-12 classrooms have undergone a significant transformation from the traditional setup of lectures and independent work. Technology has played a major role in disrupting this long-standing relationship between teachers and students. Today's students, referred to as "digital natives," are comfortable using technology in all aspects of their lives, including the classroom. This has led to the adoption of digital tools, or EdTech, in K-12 classrooms. These tools not only provide teachers with novel and engaging ways to impart knowledge, but also allow for more flexible classroom designs, such as seating arrangements in groups. Collaborative learning has become increasingly prevalent in K-12 classrooms, as digital and mobile technologies continue to advance. By utilizing EdTech resources and promoting collaborative learning, educators and district leaders are improving student performance and preparing them for the workforce of the future while enhancing their social skills for success in all areas of life.
Why is K–12 collaborative learning important?
Collaborative learning is a powerful and popular pedagogical approach that unleashes the potential of groups to improve the knowledge and skills of individual learners. It offers numerous advantages that can significantly impact students' educational outcomes, including teaching teamwork, promoting diversity and tolerance, boosting self-confidence, improving retention, and enhancing critical life skills. While collaborative learning forms only a part of a solid educational foundation, EdTech tools have made it possible to teach in new ways and given teachers more flexibility in how they interact with their students and set up their classrooms. However, some may object to this new structure and argue that millions of pupils have received a quality education in the conventional classroom, raising questions about the need to alter the paradigm and spend more time with technology.
The Support for Collaborative Learning Provided by NEC EdTech Products
K-12 districts should contemplate the following questions on the relationship between collaborative learning and EdTech tools:
- Who manufactures a series of simple-to-use tools for the educational sector?
- Who can assist instructors and students in maximizing the benefits of technology without losing sight of the more crucial goal of furthering the educational mission?
- Who has a track record of improving and innovating their product line?
NEC is the solution for numerous areas.
According to Jami Milner, national account manager for education at NEC and a former teacher herself, "we help schools in the K–12 setting reinvent their classrooms and create more effective learning spaces. We will help drive greater collaboration and promote active learning and increased student engagement utilizing our latest display technology." With this in mind, NEC:
- Offers projector and display equipment that may be used for virtually any form of learningthe use of group instruction, flipped classrooms, one-to-one programs, or one's own work
- Provides inexpensive entry-level touchscreen displays up to 86 inches in size.
- Supports wireless functionality and computers that are ready to connect.
- Most crucially, every NEC monitor and visual display is platform-independent, enabling
districts the flexibility and convenience to use their current systems with NEC equipment. "Teachers as a result of the fact that they are able to apply any of their classes in conjunction with our solutions that they already have a plan," Milner claims.
Starting with a CB board, let's see how two NEC gadgets are significantly influencing the lives and outcomes of instructors and students.
NEC EdTech Tool: The CB Board
The CB board from NEC is an innovative and user-friendly web-based display that offers an exceptional presenting experience beyond a conventional whiteboard. It fosters student involvement and boosts their academic performance while promoting teacher initiatives and expanding internet access in schools.
One of the most significant advantages of the CB board is its compatibility with any operating system, which provides teachers with greater flexibility to create a collaborative learning environment that suits the needs of students from kindergarten to grade 12. Moreover, teachers can use either the provided stylus or their finger to make drawings on the board, making the process more intuitive and interactive.
The CB board can be controlled using the buttons on the front of the display or the built-in infrared touch screen, making it easy to navigate and control. Additionally, the board comes with Internet Explorer annotation software included, making it easier for teachers to annotate and present content.
Another advantage of the CB board is its ability to accommodate more plug-in devices and has front-facing USB ports. This makes it a versatile and adaptable tool for classrooms and other educational settings. Overall, the CB board from NEC is an intuitive and powerful web-based display that offers a dynamic and interactive presenting experience for teachers and students alike.
The advantages are numerous. As an illustration, educators can:
The CB board from NEC is a revolutionary web-based display that takes the presenting experience beyond the traditional whiteboard. It enhances student engagement and boosts academic performance while enabling teachers to expand their teaching initiatives and provide better internet access in schools.
The most significant advantage of the CB board is its compatibility with any operating system, which gives teachers the flexibility to create a collaborative learning environment that meets the unique needs of students from kindergarten to grade 12. The board also allows teachers to use the provided stylus or their finger to make drawings, increasing the interactivity and engagement in the classroom.
The CB board is user-friendly, with buttons on the front of the display and a built-in infrared touch screen that simplifies navigation and control. Additionally, it comes with Internet Explorer annotation software included, streamlining the process of annotating and presenting content.
Another benefit of the CB board is its versatility, with the ability to accommodate more plug-in devices and front-facing USB ports. This feature makes it an adaptable and flexible tool for classrooms and other educational settings, allowing teachers to expand their teaching solutions and provide a better media exposure in the classroom.
In summary, the CB board from NEC is a powerful and intuitive web-based display that offers an interactive and dynamic presenting experience for both teachers and students. Its compatibility, ease of use, and advanced features make it an excellent tool for promoting academic success and enhancing classroom instruction.
For students, the CB board:
- Gives individuals the freedom to participate and present their work in more detail with interesting elements outside of the whiteboard.
- Due to the fact that it includes wireless cloud-based presentation software, it enables people to hear from guest speakers in real time on the screen remotely.
- Allows teachers to use an annotation tool to provide immediate feedback on students' presentations.
NEC EdTech Tool: Projectors
Most people can recall using projectors in the classroom. It brings to mind pictures of clumsy, heavy AV equipment with constrained capabilities for persons of a specific age.
The projectors in the NEC range are a long cry from those antiquated models and have exceptional dependability and low maintenance requirements.
NEC offers three unique projector lines for K–12 classrooms:
- Projectors in the standard category have a lens that can be mounted to the ceiling or moved around on a cart.
- Projectors with an ultra-short throw can be placed much closer to the screen, where the shadow is significantly diminished. allows teachers to stand beside the screen and interact with the surface while shooting at a downward angle for a much more natural experience.
- In larger spaces like auditoriums or gymnasiums, projectors are employed. These projectors have stronger lighting that can handle enormous screens and more ambient light.
According to Ryan Pitterle, product manager for projectors at NEC, "there are more expectations now. Students enter the classroom and expect to see something. They're not going to be satisfied anymore just listening to a lecture."
By making it simple for instructors to set up visual displays in practically any sort of classroom layout, NEC projectors support collaborative learning, boosting the learning experience and transforming the classroom into a more purposeful learning environment.
The advantages carry on. For teachers:
- Aids in maintaining kids' focus and sharing material
- Encourages the use of visual learning as a more effective teaching method than traditional lectures.
For students:
- Increases their capacity to remember information and topic matter
- Helps the "visual generation" relate to, feel at ease with, and interact with visuals and displays in the classroom and later in their careers.
For district administrators:
- Has the ability to enhance pupil performance and result in better test results that reflect well on the district as a whole.
- Districts can save money on their ongoing purchase and maintenance costs because the price of projector bulbs has drastically decreased.
"The classroom is becoming more purposeful, where perhaps you have a space where students are working collaboratively in small groups and may be interacting with a 65-inch panel, then you have a time when everyone comes together and looks at the big projector screen at the front of the room and discusses as a larger group or as a whole class, then you have a time when students will go off on their own and do individual work at a desktop—and NEC carries all.
Driving the direction of education
Technology has an undeniable impact and influence. It affects nearly every aspect of our lives and changes how we interact, travel, purchase, and learn.
For the most part, K–12 pupils, technology has always been a part of their daily life.
They anticipate it, even in their classes.
By enabling teachers and district administrators to fully utilize the flexibility, independence, and focus that approaches like collaborative learning allow, EdTech solutions serve the instructional goal of K–12 schools rather than posing a threat.
Teachers, school district officials, IT directors, directors of education technology, principals, and K–12 employees are required to make wise decisions regarding these opportunities.
