Increasing Stakeholder Engagement

Keeping students interested in schoolwork has always been an aim of educators across the country. But in today's ever evolving world of technology, teachers must work on overdrive to engage students in their studies. Reducing teacher lectures and whole group conversations in the classroom are easier due to technology devices being so accessible in classrooms. Stakeholder engagement using technology can increase with the assistance of five key strategies:

• Active Learning - students are more invested in their education when they have ownership of how they are learning through exploration, collaborative seating, standing devices, interactive technology, game playing, discussion and creation of their own projects. Teachers must tailor learning to the active needs of their learners to increase intrinsic motivation.
• Flipped Classroom Model - students can be more independent and in charge of their learning when they listen to podcasts, readings, and/or watch videos prior to coming to class. Students come to class more energized, knowledgeable, and hungry to learn more about the subject matter they learned about. More class time can be used for interactive experiences, rigorous discourse, and teacher checks for understanding. 
• Student Response Systems - teachers can use free apps on devices such as smartphones, tablets, or other devices to allow students to respond to their learning. Students become more engaged when they use clickers to answer questions, conduct polls, and immediately graph data. Electronic whiteboards and interactive panel TVs enhance students' attention and participation in class.
• Gamification - teachers can leverage students' enthusiasm for video games to enhance their learning practices. Teachers can work in small groups when their stakeholder students are working on technology games to build their skills.
• Virtual and Augmented Reality - Examining things from different angles is very possible through virtual reality. Being able to explore things in 3-D instantaneously increases student curiosity. These hands-on experiences such as looking at different parts of a heart or visiting places in the world, or tracing times in history keeps students interested with long term engagement. Parents can also stay more engaged when they are able to check online to see how their children are progressing through school.

References

Brown, J. (2017, November 6) Education Dive: Five Tech Trends Influencing Student Engagement. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/5-tech-trends-influencing-student-engagement/510028/