Classroom

How Simple Tools Can Ensure Students Are Seen, Heard and Engaged

Many K–12 schools have one-to-one computing programs that are crucial for extended remote learning, but accessories such as mice, webcams and headsets can also boost student success.

Adam Stone

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Adam Stone writes on technology trends from Annapolis, Md., with a focus on government IT, military and first-responder technologies.

With many schools implementing one-to-one device deployments, students have grown used to a high degree of digital accessibility in the classroom. The shift to remote learning puts many at a disadvantage.

“There are new sets of challenges that students are facing,” says Madeleine Mortimore, education technology innovation manager at Logitech. “Students have varied environments at home, often in shared spaces with shared devices. This comes with a lot of distractions, which drastically inhibits students’ ability to focus and be immersed in remote learning.”

In the absence of special tools needed to operate in the digital realm, students with adaptive needs may be especially challenged. A simple tool — a mouse, keyboard or headset — “can unlock a myriad of opportunities and expand the device’s capabilities, allowing teaching to extend beyond traditional instructional methods, which in turn helps to reach more students’ personalized needs,” she says.

With a range of peripherals and supportive technologies, Logitech is helping students to stay on top of their game.

DISCOVER: Increase engagement with students during remote learning with Logitech's latest solutions.

Students See Benefits of Devices with Multiple Inputs

For some students, especially younger learners whose fine motor skills are still developing, it can be difficult to navigate a device with a trackpad. These students can benefit from having multiple modes of input to a device. High-quality audio and video equipment can also ensure students are able to be immersed in their learning, regardless of environment or abilities.

A headset with a microphone can make a big difference. The headset “instantly provides immersive and focused learning spaces,” Mortimore says. “The microphone also ensures student voices can be heard, which leads to an increase in participation and overall student confidence.”

A high-quality mouse can likewise ensure students can interact effectively with their devices. “For students under the age of 14, fine motor skills are still being developed. Mice are a critical tool in ensuring the device can be used effectively for any task assigned,” Mortimore says.

MORE ON EDTECH: Boost the success of e-learning with these tools.

“Mice increase the speed of completing tasks by up to 30 percent, and productivity by 50 percent,” she says. “This is essential for assignments that involve PowerPoint presentations, editing documents and spreadsheets.”

To broaden the range of possible inputs, Logitech also offers Logitech Crayon, a digital pencil that can help boost accuracy and legibility when taking notes or engaging in handwritten work digitally.

“Instead of using a finger or a digital pencil with limited precision, Crayon ensures student work is accurately reflected, which makes it easier for teachers to grade work and students to collaborate with their peers or reread notes in the future,” Mortimore says.

The Rugged Combo 3 Keyboard Case allows students the flexibility to write seamlessly on iPad devices, helping them work on a variety of digital assignments and tasks — viewing, reading, writing, manipulating the camera and more. The keyboard also improves ergonomics, reducing the likelihood of back pain from hunching over an iPad for long periods.

Fostering Better Interactions with High Video Quality

With remote learning, interaction is at a premium. In the absence of in-person contact, students need tools to enhance the face-to-face encounter.

“Body language, eye contact and other nonverbal cues are essential to the learning process. This is how students indicate desire to participate, comprehension and engagement,” Mortimore says.

A Logitech webcam can help to close that gap. “High-quality video increases immersion and emulates lifelike interactions,” she says. “With higher quality video, auto-adjust lighting and adjustable field of view, students can always be seen and heard, boosting confidence and enabling self-expression, strengthening class dynamics and boosting classwide collaboration.”

An external webcam also gives students the flexibility to show both themselves and their work with ease, at any time, by simply mounting the webcam onto a tripod or other stabilizing product.

When deployed together, headsets and webcams can help create immersive experiences that emulate the classroom environment, thus increasing student engagement. This drives increased participation and better student outcomes.

When Logitech Crayon is joined to a mouse and keyboard, students are better able to bridge the gap between device capabilities and assigned tasks. “This ensures that student work is truly reflective of their efforts and not of their ability to use a laptop or tablet,” Mortimore says. “These tools ensure equity among device use across grade levels, leading to a boost in student results across the board.”

For school districts looking to leverage peripherals in support of remote learning, it’s important to engage teachers in the conversation, to ensure they are tailoring their lessons and assignments to make the most of these versatile tools.

“Deploying one-to-one devices is not enough,” Mortimore says. “It is essential to bridge the gap between the device capability and the curriculum to create equitable, high-quality remote learning experiences.”

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