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How to Prepare for Online Learning at Home

Most schools are now shifting to home-based learning because of the quarantine measures implemented by the government. Is your family ready for this?

Here are the things you need to prepare to facilitate your child’s online learning and stay on track with the national curriculum.

5 Essentials for Successful Home-Based Learning

1. How much involvement is required of the parents/caregivers?

The level of involvement can vary greatly. Boxed curricula are usually designed for independent study, with the students having access to answer keys so they can grade their own work. Some online learning portals have automated grading and feedback of quizzes and activities.

Children in the middle grades or older can usually be left to study on their own for longer periods. Just be ready to set out the materials, guide them with their activities, and answer any questions they may have. Note that preschool and early elementary students require more supervision and hands-on involvement.

2. Does your child have a dedicated study area?

Does your child have a personal study area, with a desk or table he or she can work on? Ideally, each child should have his or her personal study desk in a well-lighted area.

However, space could be limited in some households, so siblings have to share study areas. If this is the case, you should set a schedule that gives each child a certain time of day to use the study area.

Also, does your child need to study in a multi-use area? Space can be so limited that children have to use a common family area like the dining table or the living room for lessons. If so, schedule who should use the area at certain times, including the rest of the family for those family times like dinner.

3. Do you have school supplies at home?

Make a list of the supplies your children will need, based on the school’s program for this term. Must-haves include books, writing implements, art materials, and paper. If budget is an issue, siblings can share or reuse materials.

If you live in a small space, school bags are the easiest way to store supplies. Bags are portable, so students can carry everything they need wherever they do their school work. This is especially useful if the study area is shared or multi-use.

Do you have plenty of space at home? Consider investing in shelves. Not only do they provide more storage area, shelves are also nicer to look at.

4. What equipment or technology will they need?

Home-based learning programs usually have an online component, so each child should also have a dedicated computer, laptop, or other device for online lessons. But if they are using, say, a shared computer, create a user profile for each child so that they each can save their work safely without affecting the others’ works.

Which online connection is best for them: DSL, broadband, or mobile data? You also have to factor that you might need the internet bandwidth for your own work if you are working from home. For the best internet providers, ask your neighbors for recommendations.

5. How proficient is your family with technology?

Remember that you will have to learn how to use the apps and the devices that the school requires before the learning sessions begin. If you need help in this area, look up online tutorials or contact the school for help on how to use the apps and devices.

After learning how to use the tech, you will need to teach your children how to use them, if they don’t already know. After teaching them how to use them, give them opportunities to practice so they will be able to concentrate more on the lessons than on operating the app and device correctly.

Education Continuity Plan Webinar

How can you implement the learning continuity plan with the use of technology? Find out more by attending the free Education Continuity Plan Webinar Series by NUADU, Microsoft Philippines, and Big Pond.

This 5-day online series will run from 25 May– 29 May on the Microsoft Teams platform. Learn from Edutech practitioners and innovators about how your school can continue the learning experience beyond the four walls of the classroom.

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Raport: Edukacja zdalna w praktyce – analiza wykorzystania platformy edukacyjnej NUADU w okresie luty – kwiecień 2020

Analiza zachowania użytkowników platformy edukacyjnej NUADU w ostatnim czasie, pozwala zaobserwować interesujące dla edukacji zdalnej wnioski i pokazać proces adaptacji szkolnictwa do nowej rzeczywistości.

W ciągu ostatnich tygodni zamknięcia szkół z powodu pandemii Covid-19, w obszarze edukacji zaszły ogromne zmiany. Przekształcenie klasycznego modelu nauczania, w którym występuje codzienna interakcja pomiędzy uczniem a nauczycielem, na model pracy zdalnej w tak krótkim czasie okazało się dużym wyzwaniem zarówno dla nauczycieli, jak i uczniów, rodziców czy dyrektorów szkół. Analiza zachowania użytkowników platformy edukacyjnej NUADU w ostatnim czasie, pozwala zaobserwować interesujące dla edukacji zdalnej wnioski i pokazać proces adaptacji szkolnictwa do nowej rzeczywistości. Próba statystyczna została wykonana dla 50 tys. uczniów oraz 4 tys. nauczycieli.

1. Inicjatywa wypływa od nauczycieli

Aby zapewnić ciągłość nauczania, nauczyciele musieli w bardzo krótkim czasie zaadoptować technologię – wprawdzie dostępną na rynku od dawna, ale dotychczas wykorzystywaną w szkolnictwie w relatywnie niewielkim zakresie.

Istotnym elementem procesu była adaptacja takich narzędzi jak:

  • Dzienniki elektroniczne – wykorzystywane w szkołach już od około dekady
  • Platformy e-learningowe i narzędzia do ewaluacji wiedzy – w ostatnich latach coraz chętniej wykorzystywane w codziennej pracy jako narzędzia usprawniające pracę nauczyciela, w tym platforma NUADU
  • Narzędzia do komunikacji zdalnej – dostępne na rynku od wielu lat, zazwyczaj nie sprawdzające się w klasycznym modelu szkoły, przeżywające obecnie swój renesans – np. platformy do video-konferencji, video-czaty czy następca popularnego Skype – aplikacja Microsoft Teams

Przykładem wzrostu zainteresowania narzędziami do zdalnej edukacji są statystyki użycia aplikacji NUADU na przestrzeni lutego 2020 – kiedy zajęcia obywały się jeszcze normalnie w szkołach, marca 2020 – po zamknięciu szkół i kwietnia 2020 – kiedy nauczanie zdalne stało się normą.

1.1 Logowania

W okresie zamknięcia szkół znacząco wzrosła liczba logowań do aplikacji zarówno nauczycieli, jak i uczniów. W marcu, dla kont nauczycieli, wzrost wyniósł 254%, a  w przypadku kont uczniowskich – 213%.

Wykres: Liczba unikalnych logowań do aplikacji NUADU

Warto zauważyć, że średni czas trwania sesji w systemie wynosi blisko 75 minut w przypadku ucznia i ponad 60 minut dla nauczyciela. Stanowi to potwierdzenie, że użytkownicy znajdują w systemie funkcjonalności, które je angażują. 

1.2 Zadawanie zadań

W okresie zamknięcia szkół znacznie wzrosła liczba zadawanych przez nauczycieli aktywności. Mianem “aktywności” określamy zadane przez nauczyciela zestawy indywidualnych prac w postaci zestawów zadań, kartkówek, próbnych egzaminów.

Wykres: Liczba zadanych przez nauczycieli aktywności w aplikacji NUADU

Na podstawie powyższych danych można zauważyć znaczący wzrost zadawanych aktywności, porównując miesiąc luty oraz marzec zauważamy wzrost na poziomie 486%. Miesiąc kwiecień utrzymuje przewidywany trend.

1.3 Odrabianie zadań

Współczynnik odrabiania zadań, czyli stosunek liczby rozwiązanych do liczby zadanych zadań kształtuje się odpowiednio dla lutego 68,5%, dla marca 73% i dla kwietnia 74%. Pokazuje to, że uczniowie chętnie rozwiązują przydzielone zadania w aplikacji, zarówno w modelu klasycznej szkoły (miesiąc luty) jak i modelu pracy zdalnej (miesiąc marzec i kwiecień).  

Wykres: Liczba zadanych i odrobionych zadań w aplikacji NUADU

Na podstawie powyższych danych można zauważyć, że nauczyciel swoimi działaniami w systemie definiuje sposób pracy uczniów co bezpośrednio przekłada się na wzrost ich użycia i zainteresowania aplikacją NUADU. Tak jak w klasycznym modelu szkoły, nauczyciel jest głównym motorem pracy ucznia.

2. Najpopularniejsze funkcjonalności

System NUADU, zaprojektowany z myślą o usprawnieniu procesu nabywania i ewaluacji wiedzy, oferuje nauczycielom szereg funkcjonalności, takich jak zadawanie i tworzenie własnych zadań, automatyczne sprawdzanie rozwiązań, narzędzia umożliwiające indywidualizację procesu nauczania w oparciu o gromadzone dane, czy rozbudowaną bazę materiałów interaktywnych oraz scenariuszy lekcji.  

Wykres: Liczba zadanych i zrealizowanych aktywności w aplikacji NUADU

W początkowym okresie zamknięcia szkół nauczyciele korzystali głównie z zadawania uczniom gotowych zestawów zadań, automatycznie sprawdzanych przez system. Wraz z wydłużaniem się nauczania zdalnego zaczęli chętniej korzystać z innych aktywności, takich jak kartkówki czy egzaminy próbne. Największym jednak wzrostem zainteresowania cieszą się do tej pory niewykorzystywane gotowe scenariusze lekcji.

3. Gotowość nauczycieli w zakresie wykorzystania narzędzi do nauki zdalnej

Nauczyciele, a w szczególności ci z dużym doświadczeniem pedagogicznym nabytym w klasycznym modelu nauczania, wykazują potrzebę nabywania wiedzy i umiejętności związanych z obsługą narzędzi do edukacji zdalnej, w tym korzystania z komputera czy tabletu.

Zwiększone zainteresowanie prowadzonymi przez NUADU szkoleniami, organizowanymi webinarami, udostępnianymi samouczkami czy wzmożone korzystanie ze wsparcia czatu dostępnego 24/7 świadczy o lawinowym wzroście zaangażowania nauczycieli.  

Wykres: Liczba zgłoszeń dokonanych przez czat

W marcu liczba zapytań dotyczących praktycznych aspektów wykorzystania systemu NUADU zgłoszonych za pośrednictwem linii wsparcia wzrosła czterokrotnie w stosunku do lutego.

4. Gotowość szkół

Szkoły, które wdrożyły NUADU kilka miesięcy czy lat temu, wykazują znacznie większe zainteresowanie i użycie systemu w okresie zamknięcia szkół w porównaniu ze szkołami, które dopiero zaczynają technologię wdrażać. Przykładem jest Miasto Gdynia i Warszawa (dzielnica Targówek), gdzie zaobserwowane użycie, zarówno przez nasz zespół, a także przez włodarzy, którzy mają dostęp do statystyk w czasie rzeczywistym było znacznie wyższe. W marcu liczba zadanych w tych szkołach zadań była o 40% większa niż w pozostałych szkołach.

Obecnie z rozwiązania NUADU korzysta w Polsce około 150 szkół. Dla przeważającej większości z nich, narzędzie stało się z dnia na dzień domyślnym rozwiązaniem umożliwiającym kontynuację procesu kształcenia.

Warto również zauważyć, że wszystkie nowe wdrożenia systemu NUADU w szkołach w miesiącu marcu i kwietniu odbyły się w pełni zdalnie, w tym prezentacja rozwiązania, podpisanie dokumentów, konfiguracja i szkolenia. Świadczy to o większej otwartości jednostek edukacyjnych na zdalny proces współpracy.

5. Zaangażowanie rodziców w proces nauczania

Rodzice pełnią obecnie jedną z głównych ról w procesie edukacyjnym uczniów. Warto zauważyć, że wzrasta wśród nich świadomość znaczenia wykształcenia dziecka dla jego późniejszego życia, co powoduje, że rodzice stają się partnerami władz państwowych i szkoły w sprawach edukacji.

W aplikacji NUADU rodzic pełni rolę „nadzorcy” nad procesem edukacyjnym dziecka. Ma możliwość:

  • podglądu statusu aktywności zleconych dziecku,
  • przeglądu terminu ukończenia aktywności,
  • przeglądu raportu wyników aktywności wraz z widokiem wszystkich prób odpowiedzi udzielonych przez dziecko.
Wykres: Liczba unikalnych logowań Rodziców do aplikacji NUADU

W okresie zamknięcia szkół zauważyliśmy znaczący wzrost zainteresowania platformą wśród rodziców. Wynika to z faktu, iż rodzice zaczęli organizować czas nauki swojego dziecka, nierzadko udostępniając swój komputer. W porównaniu do lutego 2020, zanotowaliśmy wzrost logowań rodziców o 349,3% w marcu.

6. Dobry czas na samodzielną naukę

W okresie zamknięcia szkół uczniowie, oprócz odrabiania zadanych przez nauczycieli w systemie aktywności, zaczęli w większym stopniu korzystać z funkcjonalności Praca własna, która pozwala samodzielnie nadrobić braki z danego obszaru. Wzrost zainteresowania wyniósł w marcu 400%.  

Wykres: Praca własna – liczba zadanych aktywności w aplikacji NUADU

W tym okresie też, NUADU podjęło decyzję o udostępnieniu uczniom klas IV – VIII materiałów edukacyjnych w postaci zadań i materiałów interaktywnych do pracy indywidualnej. Oznacza to, że każdy uczeń może nabywać wiedzę i rozwijać swoje umiejętności samodzielnie, bez udziału nauczyciela. To kolejna metoda pracy zdalnej bardzo chętnie wykorzystywana przez uczniów, o czym mówi poniższe zestawienie obrazujące liczbę wygenerowanych zestawów „Pracy własnej”.

7. Podsumowanie

Początki edukacji zdalnej jak pokazują powyższe wnioski nie są tak trudne, jak by się mogło wydawać. Droga do wymarzonej edukacji bywa wyboista, natomiast transformacja się zaczęła i trwa.

Wraz z otwarciem się szkół na technologię niezbędną do prowadzenia zajęć zdalnie realna staje się wizja wsparcia nauczycieli w obszarach możliwych do obsłużenia przez technologię, tak aby mogli skupić się na tym co najważniejsze – nauczaniu i wsparciu uczniów.

Aktualnie platforma NUADU wyręcza nauczyciela w sprawdzaniu zadanych uczniom zadań, pokazuje indywidualne wyniki każdego ucznia, podpowiada treści pomagające uzupełnić wiedzę uczniów, pozwala oszczędzić czas nauczyciela na rutynowych czynnościach i wskazuje obszary, w których uczniowie wymagają pomocy.

Czerpanie z dobrodziejstw technologii pozwoli na zmianę roli nauczyciela w procesie edukacyjnym z klasycznej, w której jest osobą przekazującą zagadnienia do opanowania (Content provider) na osobę będącą wsparciem, pomagającą uczniom osiągnąć wyznaczone cele (Facilitator).

Zmiana ta, opisywana od lat w światowej literaturze pedagogicznej, jest wysoce pożądana, ponieważ prowadzi do długo wyczekiwanej ewolucji podejścia dotyczącego kształcenia uczniów o stale zmieniających się potrzebach. Cyfrowy świat, a co za tym idzie zdalna edukacja, umożliwiają tę transformację w najprostszy i najmniej inwazyjny sposób.

Autorzy

Michał Korpys
Chief Product Officer NUADU
Alicja Wanat
Marketing Manager at NUADU

Dla nauczycieli zainteresowanych wdrożeniem NUADU w szkole:

Dla rodziców i uczniów zainteresowanych zadaniami i zasobami wiedzy dla klas IV – VIII w aplikacji NUADU:

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Distance Learning in Practice – NUADU Educational Platform Usage Report from February to April 2020

An analysis of user behavior on the NUADU platform in the past quarter has yielded interesting observations and conclusions for remote education and the process of adapting to the new reality.

In the last weeks of school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tremendous changes have occurred in the area of education. Transforming the classic teaching model, in which there is daily interaction between student and teacher, into a model of remote work in such a short time turned out to be a big challenge for everyone: teachers, students, parents, and school administrators.

Since then, we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in the use of the NUADU educational platform, offering us a unique opportunity to analyze the behavior of our users. Our platform has allowed us to gather a wealth of data on remote education and the process of adapting to the safety measures of a new reality. The statistical sample was made for 50,000 students and 4,000 teachers.

1. The initiative comes from teachers

To ensure continuity of teaching, teachers had to include the existing technology in the teaching process in a very short time. While most of the online solutions have been available on the market for several years, the adoption rate has been relatively low before the pandemic.

An essential element of the process was the adaptation of tools such as:

  • Digital grade book – Class or learning management systems have been used in schools for about a decade.
  • E-learning platforms and knowledge evaluation tools – In recent years, they have been increasingly used in everyday work as tools to improve a teacher’s job.
  • Remote communication tools – These have been available on the market for many years, but they usually do not work well in the classic school model. Given the need for social distancing, these tools are currently experiencing a surge in popularity – e.g., video-conference platforms and video-chats. Among them is the successor of Skype, the Microsoft Teams application.

Indicators of increased interest in remote education tools are statistics on the use of the NUADU application in the past three months. This covers the period when classes were still taking place in schools (February 2020), the widespread school closures due to the pandemic (March 2020), and the point when distance learning became the norm (April 2020). 

1.1 Login

During the school closure period, the number of logins to the application by both teachers and students increased significantly. In March, there was a 254% increase in teacher account logins and a 213% increase for student accounts.

Number of unique logins in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Number of unique logins in NUADU app

It is worth noting that the average duration of a session on the NUADU platform is close to 75 minutes for a student and over 60 minutes for a teacher. This confirms that our users find functionalities in the system that engage them and address their needs.

1.2 Assigning activities

During the school closing period, the number of activities assigned by teachers increased significantly. The term “activities” includes assignments, quizzes, and exams in the system.

Number of assigned activities by teacher  in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Number of assigned activities by Teacher in NUADU app

Based on the above data, we noticed a significant growth in assigned activities. We observed an increase of 486% from February to March 2020, a level that was sustained in the month of April.

1.3 Solving assignments

We also looked at the solving assignments ratio: the ratio of the number of solved activities to the number of assigned activities. This ratio was 68.5% for February, 73% for March, and 74% for April. These numbers show that students are happy to solve assigned tasks in the application, both in the classic school model (February) and the remote work model (March and April).

Number of assigned and solved activities  in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Number of assigned and solved activities in NUADU app

Based on the above data, it can be seen that the teacher defines how students work in the system, which directly translates into an increase in their use and interest in the NUADU application. As in the classic school model, the teacher is the main driver of the student’s work.

2. The most popular functionalities

The NUADU system, designed to improve the process of acquiring and evaluating knowledge, offers teachers several features, such as assigning and creating their tasks and automatic checking of answers. Other features include enabling individualization of the teaching process based on the collected data as well as an extensive database of interactive materials and lesson scenarios.

Distribution of activities assigned to students  in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Distribution of activities assigned to students in NUADU app

In the initial school closing period, teachers mainly used ready-made assignments, which were automatically checked by the system. With the extension of distance learning, they began to use other activities, such as quizzes and exams. However, e-lessons rarely used before this school closure got the highest interest.

3. The willingness of teachers to use remote learning tools

Teachers, especially those with extensive pedagogical experience acquired in the classic teaching model, demonstrate the need to acquire knowledge and skills related to the use of remote education tools, including the use of a computer or tablet.

This resulted in a boost in interest in the training resources conducted by NUADU, including the webinars and shared tutorials. We’ve also seen an increased use of our 24/7 chat support, which is further evidence of more teacher involvement. 

Number of incidents made through chat  in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Number of incidents made through chat in NUADU app

In March, the number of inquiries submitted via the NUADU support line increased four times compared to February.

Report on distance learning by NUADU educational platform

4. Readiness of schools

Schools that implemented NUADU a few months or years ago show much more interest and use of the system compared to schools that are just beginning to implement the technology. In March, the number of assignments given in these schools was 40% higher than in other schools.

Overnight, the tool became the default solution and enabled the continuation of the learning process. It worth noting that all new implementations of the NUADU system in schools in March and April took place entirely remotely, including the presentation of the solution, signing of documents, configuration, and training. This proves that educational units are more open to the remote implementation process than ever.

5. Parental involvement in the teaching process

Parents currently play a leading role in the educational process of students.

Number of unique logins of parents  in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Number of unique logins of Parents in NUADU app

During the school closing period, we noticed a significant increase in interest in the platform among parents. This is because parents began to organize their child’s learning time, often sharing access to the same device. We recorded an increase of 349.3% in parents’ logins in March compared to February.

6. Opportunity for self-study

During the school closing period, in addition to homework set by the teachers in the activity system, the students began to use the Own Work functionality to a greater extent, which allows them to make up for deficiencies in a given area. The increase in interest reached 400% in March. 

Self-study - number of assigned activities  in NUADU educational platform
Chart: Self-study – number of assigned activities
Raport on distance learning by NUADU educational platform

7. Summary

The beginnings of remote education, as the above conclusions show, is not as difficult as expected. The road to better education can be challenging, but the transformation has begun and will continue given the current global conditions.

With the opening of schools to the technology necessary to conduct classes remotely, the vision of supporting teachers in areas that can be served by technology becomes real. This allows them to focus on what is most important – teaching and helping students.

Currently, the NUADU platform helps teachers:

  • check the tasks assigned to students,
  • assess and show the individual student progress,
  • suggest content that supplements student knowledge,
  • save time on routine activities, and
  • identify areas in which students need help.

Leveraging the benefits of technology will allow a much-needed change in the teacher’s role in the educational process from classic, a person who transfers the issues for mastery (content provider), to a more supportive role that helps students achieve their goals (facilitator)

This paradigm shift, which has been described in the world pedagogical literature for years, is highly desirable because it leads to the long-awaited evolution of the approach to educating students with continually changing needs. The digital world, specifically remote education, allows this transformation in the most straightforward and effective way.

Authors

Michał Korpys
Chief Product Officer at NUADU
Alicja Wanat
Marketing Manager at NUADU

For business enquires please contact

Andry Halim
Chief Commercial Officer at NUADU
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5 Strategies to Boost Participation in Online Classes

When you conduct online classes, you need to deal with the lack of face-to-face interaction, distractions, technical issues, and the uncertainty of a pandemic. Here are the tips for encouraging student participation during an online class.

Home-based learning is experiencing a surge in popularity as most countries go on lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Whether your school plans to do this long term or simply as a stop-gap measure, you now need to figure out how to teach effectively and completely in a remote setup.

Teaching online involves more than having the right resources and a good internet connection. You have to take the lead and help your students adjust to the new normal. After all, it is quite a contrast to the classroom environment that you and your students are used to.

When you conduct online classes, you need to consider the challenges and possibilities of a virtual class. You and your students have access to an amazing set of resources and participation modes on the combined NUADU platform and MS Teams. At the same time, you need to deal with the lack of face-to-face interaction, distractions, technical issues, and the uncertainty of a pandemic.

Good thing we have these tips for encouraging student participation during an online class.

1. Clarify Your Purpose

Students tend to participate more if they know that there is a point to what they are doing. They need to know that they will learn something useful and relevant. So, whenever you ask them to do an activity or lead them into a discussion, clarify your objectives and how they lead to the main learning outcomes of the course.

2. Set Clear Guidelines

Setting clear guidelines and expectations about commitment, time, work, and effort helps give students a structure to their learning. This would give a more concrete direction to the course and a more tangible gauge to student progress.

Phrase these guidelines as suggestions, not hard and fast rules. Invite your students’ input about what seems realistic given their individual contexts. When you agree on the guidelines, students are more likely to follow them as they feel that their needs and contributions are valued. These are extraordinary times, so provide a bit of flexibility and extend grace if these guidelines are not followed perfectly.

3. Ask Engaging Questions

What kind of questions are boost participation in an online class? The same type that makes classroom discussions come alive:

  • Open-ended – Answerable by more than yes/no, these questions move students to elaborate and explain.
  • Elicits higher thinking and reflection – Good questions also move students to analyse, assess, dig deeper, and explore possibilities.
  • Requires the students to use the course content to build their answers – Good questions build upon the course’s content, giving students a progressing view of the subject matter as each topic is connected to what was discussed before.

4. Provide Diverse Activities

Classes shouldn’t always be just question-and-answer sessions. Create suitable activities like problem-solving, case studies, and others. But make sure these activities achieve the learning objectives, not just busywork.

5. Give Valuable Feedback

As your students progress through the course, give each of them feedback that would help them assess and see where they are — what they are doing good, and what they need to improve. Use NUADU’s assessment tools to help you make proper assessments and recommend exercises and activities for each student.

Interested in a home-based learning tool that you can set up in a day? Ask about NUADU’s Online Class, a distance learning solution in partnership with Microsoft.

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5 Tips for Parents for Effective Home-Based Learning

With so many schools closing because of the coronavirus, your children may now be staying at home with you and you have to make sure their education continues. Here are five tips to help your children continue their education at home.

1. Don’t Overthink It

No one is expecting you to recreate your child’s classroom experience. So, make your own. Use the resources that your child’s school is offering — online classes, physical books, and other materials. On top of that, use what materials you have at home.

2. Set up a Learning Space

Your child will need a place where she could focus on her lessons or activities. This could be the child’s room or a part of the living room. And if the school offers online lessons, the computer should be accessible to her and you as the facilitating adult. Her other school material within reach, as well, or stored in an easily-movable case so the child can take them wherever she feels comfortable studying.

3. Have a Realistic Schedule

While you’re not expected to recreate your child’s classroom in your home, it would do her good to maintain the schedule structure that she is used to when she was going to school. It would give her a sense of routine, of her doing school except that it’s at home. But if you observe that your child learns better at a different time of the day, adjust the schedule accordingly. The goal, after all, is for your child to continue learning, not to maintain school schedules.

4. Be a Facilitator

You don’t have to be your child’s teacher. If your child’s school has shifted to a home-based learning system with online classes, you will act more like a facilitator or teacher’s aide. Just follow the program but be ready to answer any questions that your child may ask.

If you were homeschooling your child even before the coronavirus pandemic, you are the still primary teacher. But now, you have to find ways to fill the gaps left by tours, music lessons, sports clubs, and other out-of-the-house learning activities that are now cancelled. For this, the internet is your friend. Look for virtual tours, documentaries, demo videos, and other learning media that you can use.

5. You Don’t Need to Study the Whole Day

Limit dedicated schooling time. Allow for some free time for your children to stretch their minds and bodies in more leisurely activities, or just relax. Let them play with their toys or draw what they want to draw, or do whatever they find enjoyable. If they miss their friends, set up an online meeting for them. You can also do the same for yourself and your friends.

Just because school premises are closed doesn’t mean learning has to stop. Make the most of what you have and what the schools offer to keep your children learning.

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12 Proven Ways for Effective Distance Learning

As COVID-19 continues to spread and cities go into quarantine, more schools have been forced to close. These closures may go on for weeks, even months.

How can teachers and school administrators step up to the challenge?

Thanks to the internet and collaborative software, teachers can still conduct lessons online.

Teachers can set up virtual classrooms with teamwork hubs like Microsoft Teams, which is available for free to educational institutions. Using this tool, teachers can show PowerPoint presentations, use a digital whiteboard in real-time, and share links to the best online supporting sources.

Here are some tips that will help you get the best results from distance learning tools:

  1. Record lectures instead of streaming
  2. Show your face for a personal touch
  3. Limit each lesson 15 minutes or less
  4. Test if slides are mobile-friendly
  5. Use existing open-access resources
  6. Give specific and detailed instructions
  7. Provide interactive activities
  8. Make sure all content and navigation are accessible using the keyboard alone
  9. Set reasonable expectations
  10. Use auto-checking to measure participation
  11. Use group communications carefully
  12. Let students take control of certain activities

Don’t forget to express sympathy and encouragement to both students and their parents, who often oversee the online lessons at home. These are trying times, but we can still maintain connection even while practicing social distancing.

Interested to start home education with online tools? NUADU, in partnership with Microsoft, can help you set up a virtual classroom.

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Set up a collaborative online classroom using the right tools

NUADU combined with Microsoft Teams is a complete solution in which teachers can run their classroom via videoconferences and track the progress of every individual student according to the curriculum. 

A record number of children and youth are not attending school because of closures mandated by governments in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Classes will be run online using wise tools or will not be run at all.

Our ultimate goal is to give teachers and education authorities as much as is needed to continue their day to day activities, ensuring that their students are progressing in this challenging and sudden environment that surrounds us all.

NUADU combined with Microsoft Teams solution has a complete solution in which teachers can run their classroom via live video conferencing tools and, at the same time, track the progress of every individual student according to the curriculum.

The solution is strictly designed for school usage so the teachers can maintain their roles and continue to work in a home-based condition.

Setting up is smooth like a plug and play tools, so do not have to worry about bureaucracy, meetings, and workshops.

NUADU and Microsoft Teams solution enable teachers to:

  • Screen share PowerPoints’, website resources other additional resources to all participants joining the online classroom;
  • Launch assignment in the classroom just like in a physical one;
  • Conduct live lectures and face to face feedback sessions;  
  • Record and share for future repetitions;  
  • Use ready-made content for their convenience;
  • Chat with students and in the group;  
  • Track progress linked to curriculum and syllabus;  

Do not hesitate to make the right choice for your school.

Contact us and our representative will guide you to the Collaborative Online Classroom.

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Distance Learning as a Crisis Response for Schools

Recent events are changing how we think about teaching. With safety in mind, more educational institutions are organizing homeschooling and part-time distance learning to keep up with the curriculum.

Teachers are under pressure to figure out which online learning tools work best and how to use them. Often, they cobble together a mix of online tools to create a virtual classroom — with mixed results. It doesn’t help that technology implementation can be quite daunting, as teachers need to learn new jargon like AI, SaaS, machine learning, etc.

Why not make the process easier with a platform that’s tailored for distance learning?

We designed a distance learning platform that you can implement in 1 day

NUADU is a ready-to-use tool for distance learning that allows you to respond quickly to crises and avoid disrupting the school year — even during an epidemic.

We offer a data-driven system for personalized education that will help your students reach their academic goals anytime, anywhere. All they have to do is download the complimentary mobile app, which informs them of new activities assigned and lets them study at their own pace using their smartphones.

NUADU distance learning platform dashboard

Benefits:

  • Assign activities and access interactive resources
  • Save time on grading and assessment; our platform does that automatically in real time
  • Provide individualized and instant feedback to students’ work
  • Track and monitor performance on an individual, group, and class level
  • Real-time technical support

Remote process:

  • Demo
  • Initial meetings
  • Agreement signing
  • User training and tutoring
  • Technical support

Interested?

Fill in our contact form so we can reach you to discuss how NUADU can assist you in distance learning.

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Distance Learning: Education in the Age of the Coronavirus and Extreme Weather

It’s barely March, yet we’ve already witnessed massive bushfires in Australia, a volcanic eruption in the Philippines, and a fast-spreading novel coronavirus worldwide.

If you include reasons like typhoons and childhood illnesses, all these add up to a lot of missed school days each year. That’s bad news for kids, as those missed days have a negative impact on their academic achievement.

The good news? There’s a way for education to continue outside school, with your health and safety in mind.

NUADU is a data-driven educational platform that provides instructional content and assessment tools. With NUADU, smartphones and computers become tools for distance learning that is aligned with the national curriculum.

Check out this video to find out how our platform makes distance learning possible.

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NUADU Boosts Cooperation and Teamwork among pupils

As stated in the Special Report on the Cooperation of Business and Education in Poland, employers [1] consider teamwork skills to be absolutely vital in the workplace. Therefore, developing teamwork among pupils helps in their careers.

Managers are mindful that these so-called soft skills can determine the success or failure of any project:

  • collaboration to achieve group goals
  • receptiveness to suggestions
  • giving and accepting feedback
  • motivating others
  • problem-solving with a team

However, these qualities are not innate; they are acquired over years of experience.

An Educational Paradigm Shift

The previous model of education in Poland focused on individual work at school and at home, which provides few opportunities to master soft skills. Consequently, young people only begin to develop crucial skills and attitudes in their first job.

Fortunately, there has been a paradigm shift toward a more collaborative approach in schools. Currently, pupils have more opportunities for projects where each child’s input contributes to the final grade.

They soon learn that success requires the involvement of everyone. Instead of looking for someone to blame, the group focuses their time on seeking solutions. In the process, they practice and learn valuable skills that prove valuable in professional settings.

Technology-Supported Collaboration and teamwork among pupils

NUADU is a platform that supports the educational process through an objective evaluation of the learning outcomes achieved. Our team develops solutions that not only contribute to the acquisition of knowledge but also help shape the desired professional attitudes.

NUADU allows teachers to identify the abilities of individual pupils, which equips them to make the right decisions when choosing pupils to work on a group project together.

Michał Korpys, Head of Product at NUADU
NUADU educational platform encourages students for cooperation and teamwork
NUADU educational platform encourages Cooperation and Teamwork among pupils

NUADU is a convenient solution designed to help teachers support individual students and analyse their progress, despite the limited time available. This system tracks and compares learning styles, results, and motivational characteristics (determined by psychophysiological factors).

The NUADU platform is highly accurate and founded on the latest breakthroughs in pedagogy, neurobiology, and psychology. Plus, the advanced technology used to process educational data allows the best designation of specific tutor–pupil pairs. Thus, NUADU is uniquely positioned to promote the changes taking place in Polish schools.

[1] https://docplayer.pl/2932517-Biznes-dla-edukacji-raport-specjalny-dotyczacy-wspolpracy-biznesu-i-edukacji-w-polsce.html (Raport specjalny PARP Biznes dla Edukacji, 2014) Jawor-Joniewicz, A. (2014). Business for education. Special Report on the Cooperation of Business and Education in Poland