How do tech tools create capacity for educators?

It seems that for decades now, classrooms have been run in the same way.

Sure, teaching methods, materials, and ideals may have changed, but at its core, instruction has not seen the technological advancements and optimization that other industries have benefited from.

For one reason or another, the education sector has adopted tools more slowly than other industries, but that all changed in 2020, when the switch to fully remote rapidly accelerated their adoption.

Thankfully, even though most students are back in the classroom today, advancements in teaching tools continue to be made.

Many of these platforms, which were instrumental during the pandemic, continue to prove to be incredibly useful in the modern classroom.

Since tools provide easier access to materials, easier lesson planning, more streamlined classroom time, increased student engagement, and advanced analytics, they are now helping teachers reclaim their time, add capacity, streamline workflows, and reduce their overall workload.

As teacher turnover reaches an all-time high, educators are facing a new burden of increased class sizes, a growing pile of work, and further stress, these teaching tools help them do more with less.

Here’s how teaching technology helps educators add capacity in their classrooms:

Teacher Tools Provide Access to Quality Curriculum, Faster

Although there is a plethora of high-quality materials available to many teachers, it’s not always easy to find and/or utilize.

Content takes many forms, whether it be print, digital, or, both and the manner in which it is found may not be ready to use. Further, it can be difficult to find, vet, and use said content.

That’s where these teaching tools step in.

Digital platforms make it easy to access and make use of high-quality curricula like Open Up Resources and CKLA. Instead of spending hours digging through binders, flipping through pages, sticking post-it notes, and highlighting lines, teachers can easily search filter, and sort through content with just a few clicks.

When purchased in conjunction with a curriculum, a digital curriculum platform like Kiddom include curriculum management tools that make it easy for educators to review curriculum; search for specific content; collaborate with other educators; personalize content and adjust sequence and pacing.

When teachers are not required to spend hours navigating curriculum to bring their students the right materials, they are given time back they can otherwise use to plan lessons or devote to personal needs, increasing their happiness and improving work-life balance.

Teacher Tools for Quicker Lesson Planning

Access to a high-quality curriculum is one thing, but ensuring that it can be utilized is another.

Lesson planning can be incredibly time-consuming, especially when educators must incorporate materials from several different sources, plan their warm-ups and cool-downs, figure out how to keep students engaged, and meet their goals.

Thankfully, teacher tools in the form of digital curriculum platforms can also help with this. Digital content can easily be dropped into lesson plans, and relevant quizzes and materials can easily be incorporated.

Instead of hours wasted editing materials, transcribing content, or otherwise prepping curriculum for use, Teachers can simply drop their desired content into their lesson plan.

Further, these technologies also contain quizzes, presentations, and grading tools so that the entire classroom experience can be driven from a single screen.

Tools for Streamlined Lesson Delivery

When it comes to in-class time, many teachers are finding themselves stressed due to the planning, coordination, and orchestration of the lesson they plan to deliver.

Switching costs in the classroom wastes more than time. As educators change screens, tools, or materials, the attention of students wanders. While a variety of different instructional inputs can be beneficial, downtime is not. There is a price to pay as students’ focus is turned on and off.

It can also be difficult for teachers to coordinate and strategize how they will use their different materials.

Again, that is where tools like digital curriculum management platforms come in.

Now, educators can run their entire class from a single screen. The previously mentioned high-quality materials can be added into a lesson, then warm-up, cool-downs, and everything in between can be run out of a single tool.

Not only does this make the classroom easier to manage and organize lessons, but these tools also provide teachers with valuable insights into student performance.

Teachers get a real-time view of their student’s performance and progress. As students complete their quizzes, teachers can see live scores allowing them to make individual remedial adjustments or changes to the entire lesson plan as needed to optimize performance.

Better Curriculum + Better Lessons = Improved Performance

When teachers are provided easy access to a high-quality curriculum, as well as a way to use it, their efficiency and capacity are greatly increased.

This translates to more time devoted to in-classroom teaching, as well as a greater quality of life, helping to improve the teacher retention problem the vast majority of the nation currently faces.