Software

Interactive Ed Tech Tools Help Drive Student Engagement

Solutions from GoGuardian and Pear Deck help teachers generate student engagement and maximize instructional time with real-time views of student work.

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.

Student engagement is a high priority for educators across K–12.

In its 2021 State of Engagement Report, GoGuardian’s research insights underscore the value of learning experiences that address the whole child — creatively, cognitively and emotionally. Strong and meaningful teacher-student relationships can help make this vision a reality, especially when digital tools are used to bring students in at every step of the learning process.

Regardless of the format in which instruction is delivered, teachers report that engagement happens best when the human element is front and center. And engagement drives success, setting up students to do their very best, both inside and outside the classroom.

DISCOVER: Tools from GoGuardian support student engagement in classrooms and virtual learning environments.

An Interactive Approach Encourages Engagement and Provides Learning Opportunities

Teachers can use Pear Deck, an interactive instructional tool, to actively engage students in individual and group learning. Pear Deck’s real-time formative assessment capabilities help teachers apply best practices for instruction, driving engagement and building powerful learning moments.

Educators create lessons or activities with Pear Deck from within tools they use often, such as PowerPoint Online or Google Slides. These presentations — more than just static displays of information — are interactive, empowering every student to respond to the teacher’s questions or prompts on their individual screens.

Educators are then able to engage with every student, in every seat, reducing achievement gaps and improving outcomes for all. Pear Deck’s template library includes hundreds of ready-to-use slides for formative assessment, and all are free and editable, giving teachers endless possibilities for personalizing lessons. This allows educators to foster engagement in their individual classrooms in a personal and meaningful way, creating instructional content that works for them.

Educators Can Build and Manage Connections with Students

Classroom management is key to driving student engagement. Designed with K–12 in mind, tools like GoGuardian Teacher can help K–12 educators drive participation and assess student progress, whether in person or remotely. Classroom management tools help eliminate distractions, enabling teachers to better connect with students as they create exciting new opportunities for engagement.

Screen sharing, for example, enables teachers to share anything on their computer with their students. It also allows teachers to broadcast instructions to the group, just as they would using a traditional blackboard. This not only helps keep students engaged and knowledgeable about the material, but also makes instructions easier for students to see, wherever they are in the classroom or at home.

The GoGuardian Teacher Chat feature fosters student-teacher relationships, which are crucial for driving classroom engagement. It’s a powerful capability in any learning environment — in-person, remote or hybrid — enabling the teacher to deliver additional support to students individually and reply to questions as they arise. Students can feel more comfortable chatting privately with teachers, rather than fearing criticism from classmates when they need to ask for help.

Student engagement also depends in part on the teacher’s ability to know how students are processing the material in real time. When teachers are using one-to-one devices for instruction, GoGuardian Teacher enables teachers to see what a student is working on, making it easier to identify where the student might be struggling. By pinpointing the areas where a student needs help, educators can step in and assist in the moment, maximizing instructional time.

Positive feedback also drives student engagement. With GoGuardian Teacher’s Announcement feature, educators can broadcast messages to the entire class, marking milestones and achievements. Peer recognition in turn helps to encourage participation.

Combined Capabilities Foster Meaningful Learning Environments

Used together, GoGuardian Teacher and Pear Deck offer a powerful combination of capabilities that support student engagement. With the ability to share interactive content, manage the classroom effectively and personalize digital touchpoints, teachers are better equipped to build supportive relationships with students, heightening student participation across a range of learning opportunities.

In doing so, educators can help students engage with learning in ways that are meaningful and ultimately transformative. These powerful tools can help make schools safer and more equitable, while delivering an engaging experience for students across K–12.

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