The iTeach Blog

Hey Coach, I’ve been reading a lot about the power of individual student conferencing. This is a strategy I want to use in my classroom, but I’m feeling a major time crunch! How can I find the time to conference with every student? Sincerely, Out of Time Teacher Dear Out of Time Teacher, Good for you! It sounds like you recognize the importance of individual student conferencing. When it comes to building relationships with students and collecting specific information about their progress, nothing beats a 1:1 conference. Not only that, but student conferencing is an integral part of the dynamic communication that takes place within a personalized learning environment. As Stephanee Stephens and Anisa Lokey-Vega explain in the white paper, A Vision for Personalized Learning , these conferences offer important opportunities for learners to voice their needs, preferences, and interests to plan and drive their education. Yet, teachers are often hesitant to implement classroom...

Hey Coach, A lot of teachers at my school are hesitant to utilize technology in their daily lessons because they get inundated with student tech problems like dead batteries, computers not connecting to the internet, or other commonly occurring issues. The lesson goes off the rails as the teacher addresses these problems. As a result, teachers feel like technology is an additional thing rather than a tool they can use to quickly and easily personalize learning. How can I help teachers at my school overcome these struggles? Sincerely, Tired of Tech Troubles Dear Tired of Tech Troubles, You are right! Using technology in the classroom can be challenging and oftentimes a daunting task for any teacher. Let's face it, in the personalized classroom, a great deal of teacher's time is spent co-planning, guiding, and facilitating learning experiences. It can feel overwhelming for teachers to also monitor and manage issues with technology as they arise! Well, one answer l...