Pain Point #2: Where do you find community members who are experts with your learning objectives? It takes so much time for teachers to make these connections.
Teachers work long hours, often behind the scenes, to design authentic projects that are relevant to their students and show how state standards really connect to students’ futures. It sure would be nice if someone from the real world, who did related work, were available to help design and launch the project, or give feedback to the students on the day they present.
Nepris connects various industries to the classroom. Teachers can post their topics, content or industry, and a career professional can offer to assist. If the community member is from halfway across the country–or on the other side of the planet–a connection is made through virtual technology. The teacher gets to review the professional’s profile and make any selection that feels like the right match for his or her classroom.
And for a workforce constantly strapped for funding, it’s free! There are even prerecorded videos that educators can use, sorted by grade level and topic. Teachers can access this world of expert resources by creating an account. It’s as easy as it sounds.
Pain Point #3: You asked students to create a project with an authentic purpose or solution, and what they’ve created is so great, they want to go into business…now what?
It’s the best kind of problem to have. Your fifth-graders have created a marketable product, and they’ve had success selling it to parents and people connected to the school. They are on fire! How can you, the teacher, assist in this effort?
Well, Real World Scholars (RWS) is a privately funded foundation that provides funding for student entrepreneurship, and it’s set up in a way that aligns with typical school funding structures. For example, they have a feature called Class Wallet which provides funds to teachers in a way that is transparent yet doesn’t require reimbursements or purchase orders.
RWS has a digital platform ready and waiting for students to build and start using an e-commerce site, as well as hosted banking for online sales. They’ve thought of it all, so that students can launch their business and learn in the process. It’s all done through an EdCorp (education corporation) at http://www.edcorps.org/ for PK-12 grade classrooms. A nice summary of several student run businesses supported by Real World Scholars can be found here.
So, take advantage of three free resources to make your job as a teacher a bit more manageable, while simultaneously infusing vibrant collaboration and relevance into the classroom learning. Transform learning beyond the classroom with the NovoAmbassador Grant, Nepris, and Real World Scholars’ education corporations.
To view the full blog online, please visit https://www.vivitekusa.com/posts/Free-Technology-to-Ignite-Student-Collaboration-and-Learning/.
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