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We Surveyed 200 Educators about 2022 — This is What We Learned
Technology. Communication. Lessons. Challenges. Engagement.
If you were to break out the most common words from our year-end survey of hundreds of teachers about the year 2021, those would be some of the largest representatives that you would see.
As the year winded to a close, Screencastify reached out to K-12 educators from different districts, departments, and grade levels all around the United States to understand what is top of mind heading into 2022.
Below are the questions we asked each educator along with some of our most compelling takeaways. There are a wide variety of challenges — and solutions — that educators are expecting as calendars are flipped over to the new year.
‘What are key takeaways from the past year that you will apply in 2022?’
The most common response when asked about the key trends lessons that will be applied in 2022 was student engagement in the classroom — and it’s no surprise considering the unique challenges every teacher faces in maximizing engagement.
Better student engagement has been proven to have a strong impact on student achievement. However, engagement goes far beyond having student attention. It’s behavioral with a focus on time on task and participation; there is Emotional engagement with feelings of belonging, enjoyment, and attachment; and cognitive which is students’ investment in learning, perseverance, self-regulation.
Five of the most important issues among surveyed:
- Student engagement
- Having the technology to make information more accessible
- Accommodating students not in attendance
- Students’ social and communication skills
- Personalization and choice in learning
“Districts should differentiate their professional development when it comes to deploying new tech tools and that will increase the usage as well,” said one innovation specialist in Burkburnett, Texas.
“Teachers are already expected to be experts in so many areas, adding too much to their plate contributes to burnout and frustration and important things getting pushed to the side. Instruction should be the major focus of teachers and tech tools should either simplify that process or raise levels of engagement among students.”
While engagement is a significant challenge, there are resources that can help any teacher better engage students as well as their families. Download our new ebook below for some of our best recommendations to improve engagement. Another significant challenge from our survey surrounds having the best tech tools in place to maximize learning outcomes in 2022.
An administrator with Mustang Public Schools in Oklahoma had this to say in regards to leveraging tech tools such as video to overcome the challenges of 2021.
💯 By the numbers: 80% of respondents acknowledge video and tech’s larger role in their 2022 workflow.
“Video classrooms allowed communication to vary and change amongst teachers and students. Teachers were able to use screen recording as a tool for guided learning as they spoke, and also do retakes if the video was pre-recorded.
Students were able to draw on the visual aids for learning as well as stop pre-recorded videos as needed for better comprehension.”
‘How important is simplicity of use in tech tools that districts deploy?’
In a recent webinar titled “How to Consolidate Teachers' Tools and Combat Tech Fatigue,” the Screencastify Squad discussed technology’s growing presence in the classroom.
However, one of the major concerns cited by educators is the increasing number of tools and ever-changing classroom environments and the importance of simplified tech stacks and versatile tools.
Nearly every single respondent agreed that it’s crucial that their software and technology is easy to master for any user — student or teacher.
“After taking hundreds of webinars during the spring and summer of 2020 and more last year, simplicity is really key. I don't have time to try to figure something out. If It is simple and clear it is much easier to master,” said an English teacher in Lansing, Mich.
💯 By the numbers: 94.5% said simplicity of tech tools is important.
Screencastify always has simplicity in mind across the entire ecosystem for creators of any age or skill set. As pointed out in our webinar, tech solutions should complete a workflow and not just be a part of the solution.
They should also do so in as few clicks as possible from the creation portion to the sharing function all the way through the assessment piece for teachers and students. See the entire webinar below to learn more about why so many educators love simple tech tools and consolidation.
A teacher at Mission Viejo High School talked specifically about the balance of features and ease-of-use for educators and students.
“It is so important for the students and teachers to be able to use something with ease; otherwise it will not be used, no matter how great a product it is,” she said.
“As educators, we don't have the time to learn something super complicated. And the kids will lose interest quickly if the technology is too advanced for them.”
‘How can educators ensure all students receive a quality education in 2022?’
The educators surveyed had an incredibly wide range of ideas and thoughts on how to deliver a great education for students in the coming year and beyond.
Here are just a few of the responses we gathered:
- 🖥 Meet students where they are: “Students enjoy technology and use it regularly outside of school. If we can take what they love and tailor it to help them learn in the classroom, they will excel. Having a balance of hands-on activities as well as digital content that they can manipulate, see, and understand will help keep them engaged and allow them to learn at their own pace.” - Teacher, Greene County Public Schools
- 🙋Personalize education: “Getting to know the students better. Every student has a path, but as an educator, we need to find, nurture, and understand every student path.” - Teacher, Avondale Elementary School District
- 📱Connecting with students and families: “… by students and educators working together to meet common core learning goals. Teachers need to know their students and provide multifaceted, culturally relevant learning opportunities for students. Teachers need to have an open line of communication with families of their students and connect learning in the classroom to home and community experiences. Teachers need to have the support of administration and the learning community they teach in to best serve their students. Teachers need to provide a classroom experience in which students have support, voice and choice.” - Teacher, Alan Shawn Feinstein at Broad Street Elementary School
- 🤔 Student choice in learning: “There are more virtual avenues for learning. The traditional way of schooling is slowly making progress towards futuristic learning. This allows parents and students the opportunity to take K-12 learning into their own hands and choose the best learning method for them.” - Instructional adviser, Shelby County Schools
- 🎥 Equity in learning: “It is essential for students to receive support both inside and outside the classroom. Screencastify has allowed me to reach more students than ever before. Even when they leave the classroom, students never feel alone as a result of the many video tutorials created for them. Students who learn at different speeds never feel like they will be left behind because they know my videos will be there to support their learning. My students all believe that they can succeed.” - Teacher, HDSB Virtual School-Secondary
‘How has the last year-plus changed K-12 in the near term and long term?’
There have been many challenges discussed from the past year, but they’re peppered with optimism in terms of what those challenges have meant for the future of education and the adoption of new tools and strategies.
We began this article with the word “technology” — and with good reason. As one teacher wrote: “The confines of the traditional classroom have collapsed. Blended learning is mainstream. Digital literacy is everywhere.”
An overwhelming number of the educators surveyed mentioned that technology will be a permanent key to altering learning outcomes.
“Teachers have so many online tools and tech tools that they know how to use that they didn't before. They know how to provide asynchronous learning experiences.,” said an English teacher from Crystal Middle School, FSUSD.
“They have tasted the success of providing one-on-one help to students in real time. Now, we are trying to go back to "normal" but we are quickly learning that the way we taught pre-pandemic feels bland and something is missing. … Teachers are going to find ways to do asynchronous, differentiated, and one-on-one in person. Teachers are going to do it differently and they are going to find creative ways to meet students’ needs”
And regardless of the classroom environment, it will be key in meeting students’ individual needs according to the HDSB Virtual School-Secondary teacher.
“There has finally been an increased focus on teaching the individual student rather than the whole class. Technological tools have made it such that assessments, lessons, feedback, and activities are more personalized than ever before. Students are now receiving customized educational experiences to allow them to reach their full potential.”
The perfect video tool for any learning environment 🎬
No matter which subject or grade you’re teaching, video can play a crucial role in your students’ success. Screencastify is built for educators and is used by teachers in more than 70% of U.S. school districts.
If you’re looking for the best and easiest way to create online videos for your classroom, check out what Screencastify has to offer!
