Schools are in constant search for new approaches to fulfil the needs to improve student achievement. A data-driven school tries to achieve the same by gathering, evaluating and utilizing all kinds of student-related data. 

The various types of data that data-driven smart schools put to use include:

  • Demographic data

It includes information regarding the ethnicity, gender and socio-economic status of students. This helps the schools to make decisions regarding tuition fees, providing financial aid and other services to deserving students. It also helps to identify the students who are performing well academically and those who require extra help. Demographic data helps to determine enrolment growth in school over the years. This helps to analyse future enrolment and the resources and services that may be required

  • Assessment data

The data is gathered, evaluated and is used to improve the programs the schools have adopted and to ensure that the quality of instruction is good enough. Test scores of students are interpreted to determine how well the students are performing and to provide additional help to the low-performing students. Also, the test scores of current and previous years are compared to understand the effectiveness of programs adopted by the schools. After the test scores are collected and interpreted, the results are distributed among the directors, teachers, parents and the students. This makes it easy for the schools to get support from the board and the parents. Also, they can use the data to opine about the enhancements that can be made in the programs adopted by the schools

  • Conduct data 

This data is used to determine the behavioural pattern of the students. It involves analysis of student behaviour during specific times of the day and specific classes and to implement new approaches, if needed. The schools can also provide training to the staff so that they not only help to improve academic skills but also the social skills of students. Gathering of conduct data doesn’t end with implementation of new approaches to improve student behaviour.  The data has to be continuously collected and analysed to ensure that the new approach works

  • Attendance data

Students who don’t attend school regularly or those who don’t reach school on time do not tend to perform well academically and this in turn, affects the reputation of the school. Schools can provide the attendance data to the parents, who are the ones to make sure that their children attend the school regularly and on time

However, evaluation of data doesn’t mean that you can take data from any test conducted in school, dissect it and get the needed information. Such results may just give you a general idea about the students who are not good at certain skills. But, you won’t get answers to why they are weak and how you can help them improve. So, the best way is to create provisional assessments apart from the regular exams or tests, particularly to have a better understanding of students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Here are few more steps you can take to be a successful data-driven school:

  • Allot professional freedom to teachers 

If the teachers are allowed to be flexible about their approaches, it helps them to grow in the professional front while helping the students to improve. So, allow the teachers to create their own set of assessments for their class and to decide upon the teaching approaches they plan to implement. Also, provide the teachers with professional development training occasionally

  • Study the growth of other data-driven schools

Look for schools that have achieved success by implementing data-driven approach. Study the measures they took that led to their success and try to implement similar steps in your school, as well

  • Analyse the requirements

Before you go forward with the assessments, understand what’s necessary for the students and what’s not. Also, try not to include every measure in the first step itself. Take time to determine the skills that are of top priority and then, train the students accordingly. You can then assess the students to understand if they are good enough and if not, provide additional training to the low-performing students

  • Create high-quality assessments

High-quality assessments will give you high-quality data. Set certain guidelines that the teachers have to follow while creating assessments, like:

1. Meeting the required standards
2. Focusing on the end-goal of the assessment
3. What the students are provided with during the assessment

Also, train the teachers to create effective assessments that meet the above mentioned criteria

  • Set a format for creating data reports

After all the hard work, you don’t want the data reports to be of different format and confusing, do you? Therefore, decide how you want the final report to be like, beforehand.  Most schools create data reports in the form of Excel spreadsheets with all necessary details filled in. You can also adopt the same, if you want

  • Hold data-analysis meeting

You need not wait for an academic year to end to analyse the data. Instead hold meetings on the last working day of every week, post class hours for all staff to sit together and evaluate the data. This reduces the workload and also, gives a clear understanding of the measures that work and what should be done next

  • Evaluate success

See how effective the measures you took have been at the end of the academic year. This analysis keeps the teachers and students motivated to work harder as they get to see how far they have come and how much more they have to go further

A data-driven school ensures that every student receives quality education despite their race, gender and socio-economic status. In short, the data, a school gathers, helps it to understand the requirements of the students and to respond accordingly to bring about positive changes in the students’ lives for good.   

If you are a school authority, you can understand what a tedious task school time-table management is. The introduction of software to the education management field has changed this situation completely. A school management system involves everything that is required for the efficient working of a school. 

Managing timetables, routing and planning of school buses, allotting classes to teachers, calculating each employee’s leave, preparing pay scale, thus goes the list. 

Creating timetables are one of the biggest headaches for teachers. It can be confusing and time-consuming when done manually. Timetable management software is the best solution in such situations. 

Apart from generating efficient timetables, timetable management system software can also help you in the overall academic and administrative management of a school. The e-timetable by Edsys is one such software, which can help you in effective timetable and school management.

Here are a few ways time table management software can benefit you:

1. No more Paperwork

No more paperwork - Time Table Management Software

The toughest thing about manual school management is the endless list of paperwork. Time table management software, with its simple and user- friendly interface helps users with effective school management. With its introduction, school related operations became paperless and confusion-free.

2. No more Confusion

No more confusion - Time Table Management Software

Creating timetables manually is a headache for teachers. With timetable software, it is possible for you to automatically generate timetables effectively, sticking by the requirements. Timetable management software generates timetables considering the limitations such as availability of teachers, special rooms, classes etc. 

3. Automatic Timetable Generation

Automatic timetable generation - Time Table Management Software

If you are using timetable management software, you no longer have to spend hours figuring out the timetable for each class. You just need to enter your criteria and within no time, you will get your timetable generated without any hassle. 

4. It is Error-Free

It is error-free - Time Table Management Software

When you manually prepare a timetable, you tend to make errors. You may end up with allotting   two  teachers for a single Shop @ TrackSchoolBusclass at a time or vice versa, or you may miss the allotment of certain periods. Timetable management software helps you to avoid such errors. In case, there is an error in the data you entered, timetable management software detects them and provide alternatives, thus helping you create an accurate timetable possible.  

5. Substitution Management made Easy

Substitution management made easy - Time Table Management Software

You come to school and you get to know that a teacher is absent. You will surely panic because you have to revise the day’s timetable as soon as possible. You’ll have to check if the  leave has been marked by any other teachers and allot the classes to the teachers already present, within a short period of time. Timetable management software can help you avoid such chaos. Timetable management software looks into leave taken by teachers and allot substitutions accordingly.

 6. Generate records easily

Generate records easily - Time Table Management Software

Generating records on leave taken and other details of individual employees of a school is another hurdle you may come across while manual school management. With the help of a timetable management software, you can generate reports on a monthly basis, which include:

  • Substitutions made on a daily basis
  • Informed and uninformed leaves taken by teachersgivenday or 
  • Working hours of each employee

7. Access to every employee’s details

Access to every employee’s details - Time Table Management Software

When you create records on every employee of a school, you can end up making errors, or you may miss out some details. May be, you will have to search the whole school in case you need some details regarding an employee in the future. Timetable management software can come handy in such situations. It stores every employee details and you can easily access them in case you need to refer it in future. 

 8. Number of working days does not matter

Number of working days does not matter - Time Table Management Software

Number of working days of each school differs, so does the effort taken for effective school management. But it does not affect you at all, if you are using a timetable management software. You can easily create efficient timetables for schools with any number of working days. 

9. Preparation of pay scales made easy

Preparation of pay scales made easy - Time Table Management Software

Preparation of pay scales is another painstaking job in terms of effective school management. You have to go through leave taken by each employee to prepare pay scales. Since, timetable management software generates reports on leave taken by employees, preparation of pay scales is no more a tough task. 

10. Timetables for Whole School

Timetables For Whole School - Time Table Management Software

Preparing timetable for a class itself is a laborious task, forget whole school. Time table management software is there for your help. It not only creates timetable for the entire school, but also helps you in saving energy, time and money. If you are still depending on manual school management system, it’s time you switch to a timetable management software. Available at an affordable price, it is cost-effective and helps you save plenty of time and it also helps you in preparing the best timetables possible for your school.

11. Increased Security And Confidentiality

Increased Security And Confidentiality - Time Table Management Software

No outsider is permitted to change the timetable, which is already stored in the system. There will be restricted access for users. Modifications can be made only by the relevant authorities in the school. Hence, the timetable generated will be secure and confidential.

12. Easy Integration

Easy Integration - Time Table Management Software

The timetable of a school can be easily integrated with calendar applications. And, you will be able to receive notifications via email, SMS alerts, and reminders whenever the timetable gets modified or generated.

13. Efficient Resource Allocation

Efficient Resource Allocation - Time Table Management Software

With the help of a time table management software, you can assign teachers and classrooms, and improve the task of resource allocation in other staff in the best possible manner.

Conclusion

By analysing today's scenario, usage of time table management software is advantageous than preparing timetable manually. It helps in reducing risk as well as  headache of school authorities, especially the teachers who are responsible for creating timetable. Thus, it is better to take the aid of software for better management of schools.

Trackschoolbus

Rita was very happy when she was made in-charge of time table management system in the school she worked in. But, as soon as she started working on it, she began to realize the horrors of manual time management. She was finding it difficult to prepare timetables for every class and adjust them according to teachers’ leaves. At the end of the month, she had to calculate the number of days each employee worked for payroll calculation. Within a month, even the word “timetable” made her panic. From then, she is in search of an alternative to make her job easier.

The Solution

Since everything in the world is being digitalized, the search for a replacement to manual timetable management system ends there as well – The time table management software!

How it works?

The timetable management software enables you to generate timetables automatically or interactively. All you have to do is to enter the basic data and once the timetable is generated, you can verify the details and make necessary changes. In case a teacher is absent, you can also generate substitution timetables using the timetable management software.

The Benefits

Apart from simplifying your work, the time table management software offers you a number of benefits. They include:

1. Going Paperless

In manual timetable management system, you have to deal with stacks of paper that carry important information like leave details of teachers, timetables for various classes etc. in them. You have to sort the papers and go through each of them in case you need any information immediately. The timetable management software makes it easier for you by storing all the information and you can pull them out whenever required.

2. Generating Reports

To generate reports on leaves taken or individual employee information, you can depend on the timetable management software. The software enables you to generate all important reports on a monthly basis and the reports usually contain details of substitutions made, leaves taken by teachers and allotted substitutions, and working hours of each employee.

3. Calculating Payroll

In manual timetable management system, you have to spend hours to sit and create reports on leaves taken and number of days an employee worked to calculate the pay scale. This is usually done on monthly basis making the task tougher for you. The timetable management software makes the job easier for you by enabling you to generate reports on all necessary details for a month.

4. Substitution Timetables

Sometimes, it is when you have prepared the timetable for the day you come to know that one of the teachers is absent. There, all your hard work goes down the drain! You have to start working on a substitution timetable again. The time table management software helps you generate substitution timetables at a quick pace and you don’t have to worry any more.

Also Read : 5 Best Productivity Softwares For Teachers

5. Save Money

Your pay scale calculations can go wrong when done manually. You may not mark leave for a teacher on the day she was absent and she gets paid the money for that day. Also, you have to spend an extra amount to buy papers and other materials needed for timetable management. The timetable management software can save you of these expenses. The reports generated by the software even after a month can give the accurate number of days a teacher has worked and since all the information regarding the teachers and timetables are saved in the software, you need not worry about money being wasted.

6. Security

There are chances of sensitive information being leaked while using software. But you need not worry about the risk while using the timetable management software. All information stored in the software is safely guarded.

7. Error-Free

Since the timetable management software automatically generates reports and timetables, you can expect fewer errors in them compared to manual timetable management system. Also, you can check the timetables generated thoroughly before making necessary changes. You can trust these error-free reports and timetables while calculating pay scale or using it for any other purpose.

8. User-Friendly

Unlike its highly complex counterparts that only an expert techie can operate, the timetable management software gives a person with lesser computer knowledge the freedom to operate it. You can easily use it without any confusion.

9.  Customization and Flexibility

One of the notable benefits of the timetable management software is that you can customize the software according to requirement and suggestions of a particular institution.  You can avoid course conflicts, assign classes and adjust timings without much difficulty.

10. Smooth Integration

The timetable management software can be easily integrated with a calendar application. When you create or alter timetable, the software will give real-time notifications, SMS alerts, and reminders.

11. Multi-lingual Support

Multi-lingual support is another feature of the timetable management software. You can create the timetable quickly and clearly in multiple languages based on the geographical region. This indeed aids in co-operation between different regions.

12. Save Time

Recording and managing timetable manually is obviously a complex job. If there is timetable management software, the records will be accurate and you will be able to save valuable time of employees. Earlier, those people dealing with salary procedures had to spend a significant amount of time for calculating salary based on the hours spent by staff. But now, things became easier and salary processing became a feasible task.

    Timetable management is indeed a tremendous task for everyone. The introduction of timetable management software is a boon to all institutions. Today, you can see a huge improvement in timetable generation and management. Hence, the software helps to reduce errors and redundancy in data, which smoothens the operations of every institution.

Also Read : 8 Best Timetable Apps On Android

There is no institution or establishment which remains untouched by technological advancements. One such development is school management system software, which helps to manage everyday activities of schools easily and efficiently.

While opting for this software, you must be very careful as choosing the right school management system software is important for long-term efficiency and other benefits. While selecting such software, you ought to consider several things such as features, functionality, pricing and the provider’s experience in this field. Don’t just get carried away with one attractive feature. Do  a complete assessment depending upon your needs and ensure that the software is worth it.

Here are few things to consider while looking for school management software.

Constant Upgrades

Technology moves at a fast pace. So, when selecting school management software, it is necessary to ensure it will get timely updates. Timely updates will ensure you will have the latest features available.

Reliability

Before choosing a school management system software, you are supposed to test it. If you are a school owner, then you must try to know how long other schools have been using this software and whether it is working according to their needs. Picking up a software that can be dependable for a minimum of 5 years would be great.

Flexibility

One of the main things to consider while selecting the school management software is flexibility. When you are going to adopt some software for your school, it is necessary to know its flexibility level. The software should adapt to changes according to the needs of school, not the other way round. A software might be the best in the market. But if not suitable for your needs, it’d be useless to you.

Long Term Support

Make sure that the company you choose as a provider of your software is a well-established one having years of experience in this field. In this way, you won’t have to face any difficulty in getting essential documents or records. Moreover, you won’t have to depend on any individual if you face any problem.

Scalability

Your chosen software must be designed in a way that it can scale depending upon the requirements. As the school grows, the data will also increase. The number of students, staff, and parents accessing this application will keep rising as time goes on. So, if the application is not scalable, it becomes useless. To find whether it is scalable or not, just check the track record mentioned earlier.

Ease of Use

To enjoy the maximum benefit from a management software, it should be user-friendly. Teachers will find it difficult to adopt and it will end up in a mess rather than making the work easier.

Impact on Learning

The main aim of a school is to provide knowledge to their students. So, the solution you pick up should enhance or assist with student learning. It should show you student performance intelligently. It would be advantageous to have features such as teacher improvement modules, performance monitoring, etc, There can be automated assessment tests of different types which help improve student learning.

Useful Features

It’s really important to check if the features of the software are useful for you. The features should be capable of solving your problems. Having fewer features that are 100% useful is better than having lots of features of which only 20% are useful.

So, before choosing quality school management system software, consider the above mentioned points as it might be helpful for you to avoid costly mistakes.

Sending off their kids in school bus can be a scary thing for parents. After all, they have no idea if the kid has reached school safely. This concern will be there till the child returns home in the evening. But if the school bus is a little late, parents’ minds start racing. Their concern is not entirely misplaced either. Approximately, 17,000 children are rushed to emergency rooms on an average per year because of school bus-related issues (Source:ABC News).

However, this is not an irresolvable issue. Employing a vehicle tracking system to track school buses is an effective solution. The concept of School Bus Tracking is quite simple. It provides real-time updates to parents and school authorities about the students’ location using RFID tags and GPS. Considering its simplicity and utility, this vehicle tracking system is a boon for school authorities as well as parents.

Let’s take a look at its advantages.

Read Also: 8 Reasons to Choose School Bus Tracking System

1. Addresses Safety Concerns

The primary concern for every parent is their child’s safety. With a vehicle tracking system school authorities, as well as parents, get real-time information on each student’s location. “Didn’t he get on the bus?” “Did he get on the wrong bus?” All such doubts become irrelevant. Notifications are sent for unscheduled stops, and the real-time location can be checked from the system’s mobile application; thus quickly finding solutions during emergency situations.

2. Makes Managing Simple

The RFID school bus tracking system is convenient for school authorities. The software takes care of routing and scheduling automatically. School authorities only need to review it and make changes for exceptional cases. It saves the time and energy needed for re-routing and re-scheduling whenever something goes wrong.

3. Improves Efficiency & Savings

Employing manual routing and scheduling can cause errors which might incur significant monetary losses. For instance, you might need to run an extra bus just because of a miscalculation. Such discrepancies can be avoided if you have an RFID vehicle management system in place. Employing such a system allows you to be aware of the distance covered and fuel burned by each vehicle. Therefore, it will be easier to streamline payrolls for drivers and vehicle service providers.

Also, the school authorities get to know how efficiently the buses are being run, if there is unnecessary idling and if the speed limits are being observed. These help in significant savings for the school over a period of time.

4. Acts as a Solid Record

By having a GPS vehicle tracking system, a school will be able to monitor and store the activity of each vehicle. Combined with the RFID tags, it can be really useful in tracking children if they go missing. The database can also act as evidence when and if accidents happen.

5. Provides peace of mind

Obviously, installing a GPS school bus tracking system provides peace of mind to parents as well as school authorities. With real-time notifications via a tracking system, you will be able to know the reason behind the delayed school transportation. Sometimes it can be traffic jam, unfavorable weather condition, break down, etc. whatever may be the reason, parents and school authorities will know about it instantly.

6. Maintains school bus attendance accurately

It is a difficult job to maintain attendance of each student separately. Also, taking attendance manually is prone to errors. With the help of a tracking system, you will be able to record school bus attendance quickly and easily. The attendance details obtained from the tracking system can be accurate and reliable one.

You May Also Like: 27 Best GPS Tracking Apps For Android and iOS

7. Enhances driver safety

You cannot always accompany school bus drivers and ensure that they are following essential road safety rules. By using a GPS tracking system, you get access to details such as speed, acceleration, braking, and turning of the bus. With these data, you will be able to know whether the driver is driving safely and whether he/she is following road safety rules or not.

8. Awaits avoided

By using a GPS school bus tracking system, parents are able to get real-time notification on arrival and departure timing of a school bus. Hence, long time waits and physical stress can be avoided by children as well as parents.

9. Creates a greener environment

A school bus tracking system will provide you the best route for school transportation and the idling time of each school bus. This will reduce the fuel consumption, which indeed results in creating a greener environment for everyone.

So, technology has finally found a way to ease parents’ tension. It’s time for schools to embrace it and make parents feel a lot safer. The popularity of Vehicle Tracking System in Dubai in particular, is on the rise.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the School Bus Tracking System would be effective, and would you have any concerns? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

Trackschoolbus Apps

Schools and universities around the world are going green to reduce their carbon footprint and impart values of sustainable living to future citizens of the world. Green schools are schools that are eco-friendly, sensitive to the environment and have a sustainable ecosystem. Here are some great ideas for a green school:

Go Paperless

Did you know that the paper and pulp industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy? It is estimated that 18 million acres of forest is lost each year to deforestation in total. Though going paperless is possible in today’s tech savvy world, most of the schools still use paper for exams as well as administration work.  

Reducing paper usage will significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Many schools have already recommended their students to take notes on laptops and tablets. You may also want to check for government aides available for laptops and tablets for educational institutions in your region.

Read Also: Smart Eco Friendly Classroom Tips for Teachers

Water Harvesting

Water harvesting is one of the most engaging projects that can be done on campus. You can involve students in planning as well as execution of the plan. This will give them the know-how of water harvesting, in case they want to implement it in the future. 

Waste Recycling

This is again a hands-on project for students, where they can segregate waste and start a compost pit. They can also recycle paper and glass that were used for art and craft. You may also want to find a waste hauler who picks up waste if you cannot recycle at the premise.

Monthly Green Campaigns

Environmental campaigns can be done on a monthly basis to create enthusiasm around for going green. Ideas can be invited from students for each month and the theme can be followed for that month. 

For e.g.: The monthly theme could be reducing carbon emissions. Encourage all students to commute on foot or bicycle within and outside the campus. The student with the least use of automobiles can be awarded at the end of the month.

Another example could be minimizing electricity consumption. A monthly target for electricity unit consumption can be set and unit utilized can be shared every week to check progress. This is a good way to create excitement around going green amongst students.

Green Architecture

Green buildings minimize energy consumption and are environmentally responsible. You can check with your architect on what can be done to make your school campus more resource- efficient.  Structural glass roof installations are popular way to reduce electricity consumption. Does your campus have elevators? How can you stop or minimize their use? Insulation materials also provide a great way to save on indoor air conditioning of the premise. Use of renewable solar energy is a viable option depending on your region. 

You May Also Like: 6 Interesting Hands-on Nature Activities for Children

Plantation Drives

Tree and plant plantation drives within and around the campus can be done to improve the environment. Garden plantation competitions that run throughout the academic year are also a great idea. Each class can be given the responsibility to nurture the trees planted. 

Outdoor Classes

Outdoor classes are refreshing way to reconnect with nature if the climate in your region permits. This not only breaks the monotony of the classes but also consumes less energy.

Maximum student participation will ensure that students are sensitized to the pressing environmental issues that we are facing and are able to see the many options available to take action on it and act responsibly.

 

 “We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” – David Warlick

LED TVs, smarter mobiles, tablets etc. are all now few among our everyday things, right? The latest in trend is the use of wearable technologies. Not only business, retail, entertainment or health, even schools and other educational institutions can take advantage of these wearables. Wearable Technology in education plays a key role in taking this community to the next level. According to a market report by Research Moz, global classroom wearables technology market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 36.57% during the period 2016-2020. Key vendors operating in this market include Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung.

Read Also: 

Ways To Use Wearable Technology In Education

While improved student engagement is a key factor that drives the market, lack of data privacy and security is expected to be the market challenge during the forecast period. These wearable technologies can-

  • Improve student engagement in education
  • Increase the level and quality of teacher-students communication 

Check out few wearable technologies and how they are helpful in the classroom.

Google Glass

This advanced technology is ideal to help students as well as teachers to make the learning process smoother and engaging.

Students can use the glass to –

  • take notes
  • bookmark important passages
  • view extra-classroom content provided by the lecturing professor
  • get a virtual reality experience of events on the athletic field, or in outer space

Foreign students can benefit from real-time language translation and prospective students can tour the campus via a live Hangout. With Google Glass, students with visual, auditory and physical disabilities can even get better accessibility to their learning materials.

Teachers can create schedules and share them with their students. The facial application feature of the Glass helps educators to identify any number of students they teach. They can also learn programs that meet the students’ requirements. The Glass features an Augmented Reality Feedback System that helps to identify students who are getting weak in their studies. By recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, teachers can teach them accordingly. To enhance teaching, mini-documentaries can also be created. Real-time referencing and ability to send messages including progress reports to parents also make this platform an advanced for the teaching community.

iPods

It has been proven that iPod technologies provide great opportunities for students with flexible learning. This effective learning tool allows students to think more creatively about their subject matter and encourage the development of collaborative learning. Hence, it gives a sense of self-empowerment and autonomy to the individual.

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Technology in Classrooms of the Future

 Smart Watches

Smart Watches and wearables have been an amazing inventions for the modern business person. With innovative education apps, smartwatches can help students to –

  • Learn foreign language
  • Play interesting games
  • Enhance their memory capacity

The app even allows tracking fitness at an early age. Students can keep track of their total steps, calorie burn and even their heart rate during a game.

GoPro

This high definition small personal camera serves as a great platform for students to research and explore. Easy to mount anywhere or worn, students can use this camera to take pictures during their class for presentations and projects. This device is an excellent choice for the classroom. However, it is recommended that your GoPro be up-to-date with the latest features and best performance. This camera even assists to capture a teacher’s point of view of events, such as a lesson or student behavior.

A 2016 report by Research and Markets predicts that the adoption of wearable technology in schools will grow by 46% per year over the next five years. Choose wearable technology in education to enhance learning outcomes in students in order to access education flexibly, calmly and seamlessly.

Education isn’t all about mugging up what is given in the text books. It is also about learning to respect all living beings and to coexist with the nature. As a class teacher, you can initiate your students to celebrate the wonderful planet we live in, through an eco friendly classroom.

Wondering how to do that?

Here are few tips:

Must Read: 

Smart Eco Friendly Classroom Tips for Teachers

  • Open those windows

If the classes are during day time, you have ample light coming from outside. The first step towards an eco-friendly classroom is to let the fresh air and natural light pour in through the windows.  This will help to rejuvenate you and your students. Also, you can save electricity by not using the lights in your class room.

  • Switch off lights and electronics

In case lights are used in the classroom, assign the last student to exit to switch them off before leaving. During day time, put the class computers in sleep mode than using screen savers, when not in use. This can help to reduce 60-70% of energy use. Also, switch off and unplug any electronics used in the classroom at the end of the day to reduce energy use by 40%. You can assign students to ensure that all lights, fans and electronics have been turned off at the end of the day.

  • Encourage reusing and recycling

Once students are done using chart and construction papers for a project, collect and keep the leftover pieces that are worth reusing. The pieces that cannot be used again can be recycled. Also, encourage students to use reusable lunch boxes and water bottles.

  • Minimize paper wastage

Paper is an inevitable part of every classroom. But, it is a common scene in almost every classroom, where the students grab a sheet of paper and use just a part of it, before grabbing another. Encourage your students to use both sides of a sheet of paper. Enlighten them about how paper comes from trees, the role trees play in our lives and why it is important to protect trees. Also, collect used papers from students and recycle them to use in the classroom.

  • Use eco-friendly school supplies

Denmark based company called Sprout World produces pencils of different varieties that can be planted after they wear down to stub. The capsules in the pencils contain seeds that grow into plants. If you look online, you will find similar school supplies that are made of eco-friendly materials that you may have never thought of. Encourage your students to choose these over regular pens and pencils, and other school requirements that add to the nonbiodegradable waste.

  • Go digital

Many schools have already introduced the concept of smart classrooms. Encourage your students to use technology for learning purposes. Instead of printing the study material for each student, make it available online so that the students can download them. Also, allow students to submit assignments and projects digitally.

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Know How Digital Classrooms Can Make Education More Interesting

  • Place plants in the class room

What’s an eco-friendly classroom without plants? Plants help to purify air. Also, bringing plants to the class room help students learn to take care of living beings. Let the students take turns to water the plants.

  • Use separate waste bins

Place separate waste bins in your class room to collect food, paper and non-biodegradable wastes. The food waste collected can be used to prepare compost for plants in the school. The paper waste can be recycled and used again, thus minimizing wastage.

  • Get out of the classroom

Although, this isn’t actually an ‘eco-friendly classroom’ tip, this will benefit you for sure. Students will find it refreshing to get out of the classrooms once in a while. Find a nice place in the school campus, where you can assemble your students and teach. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the regular lessons. You can talk to them about the different eco-friendly measures you can adopt and how they can make a huge impact in the nature.

  • Assign environmental projects

Let the students choose a topic each that they can work on, research and hold a session. This gives the students a better understanding of how being eco-friendly benefits and its importance. This will encourage the students to act and also, make the people around them aware of the importance of protecting the environment.

  • Use leftover water for the plants

You obviously have to water the plants you have placed in your classroom regularly. For this, you can use the water left from an experiment or a workshop for the plants instead of going for fresh water from the pipe.

  • Conduct a room check at the end of the day

Ensure that the lights and fans in the classrooms are switched off at the end of the day. Also, ensure that there are no insulation leaks in the windows or water leakage in the faucets, in case you have one in your classroom. In case you find any kind of leakage, notify the school maintenance department as soon as possible.

Education is changing and the classroom itself has changed a lot, for the good of course. Although we can gauge the future classroom ideas looking at the smart software being used, what actual shape the school of the future will take is still amorphous to us. Due to increasing use of technology and knowledge, the classroom is undergoing changes in the learning process. In such scenario, what does the future of learning hold? What will the future classrooms be like?

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Let’s try to find it out.

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1. To start with, seating arrangement of the classroom

Chairs and desks aligned properly and facing the blackboard will be a thing of the past. There will be room for more flexibility so that students can discuss in the group as per the tasks assigned. This will also add up to the comfort of the student.

In some cases, there will be a workshop for each student. Likewise, traditional blackboards will be replaced by projectors which will be interactive.

2. Student will be given the freedom to decide on the learning style

Talking about the current scenario, students are given assignments and tasks based on the chapter taught and each one has to complete the same within the stipulated time. This somehow hampers student creativity and is more of a routine than a learning process.

Future of the classroom holds multiple learning styles for students. Students will be given the freedom to learn things in the way they want. This includes learning through video lectures, noting down points or any such alternative. This practice will help students learn faster.

3. Online learning options will gain impetus

In a fast paced life, following traditional learning methods will take students nowhere. Likewise, there will be no age barrier for learning courses of your interest. This also means you can subscribe to some of the best learning tutorials online and learn all that you wish to.

Student progress will be gauged by his or her actual knowledge. They can explore various learning options online to gain the best out of them. Online recognized certificates will add to the fun and thrill of learning.

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4. Technology will change the face of education system

Decades later, you won’t find books in student’s bag. Instead, you will surely find a laptop or a tablet. With technology advancement, noting down important stuff, watch an online tutorial and giving assessment tests will be just a click away. This will give way to a creative learning practice and help students take down digital notes within seconds.

There are chances, physical classrooms might actually come to an end. Students will be virtually attending classes sitting at their homes. Thus, in this way, student interaction won’t be confined to the class students. Instead, they will be able to reach out to students situated in different areas and countries.

5. Each class will have a website or an online group of its own

All the important messages and announcement will be broadcast in the groups which can be accessed online. This will reduce dependency. Moreover, if you happen to miss out any lecture in the classroom, you might be able to catch it later using the digital version of classes.

Social media will gain importance as it will bring all the students on the same platform where all the information will be shared and discussions will be conducted. Digital bulletin boards will not let you miss out all the important information.

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Does this mean that the current learning methods are obsolete? Absolutely not. In the current phase of education, we can see how education has evolved during these past decades. This only means that future holds a more flexible and practical education system which will make the future students sharper and active.

With the advent of 21st century, students have become smarter and learn at a face pace. During such times, it is always a delightful experience for the institution to upgrade from the old traditional model to a platform which is easy to manage as well as smart. Schools, these days, try to adopt a modern learning system with school management system software. This paves way for better administration and help teachers to interact with students and their parents on a regular basis.

Let’s get into some of the vital requirements of a school management system software.

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1. Track student performance and progress

One of the most important aspects of a software is to track student’s performance on a regular basis. As a result, the school management system software must be smart enough to let the teacher analyse performance of the student.

This will help them to track the loop holes and help students grow in the right direction. Moreover, teacher should be able to compare the performance of a student in particular and know about the overall performance of the class in general.

2. Keep a check on student attendance

School management software should come with a set of features which manages student attendance. This will help teachers make sure that the students are on time and do not engage in proxy marking. If the teacher finds absenteeism by the student, they can take required action and inform parents about the same.

3. Availability of the exam schedule at regular intervals

School Management system software should come up with a section where exams can be scheduled on a monthly basis or small assessment tests on a weekly basis. This will reduce a lot of pressure on the teachers.

The schedule should be made available to the students and their parents. In this way, they will be well-informed about the same which will help them prepare well for the upcoming test.

4. Help in two way interaction with students as well as their parents

Earlier parent-teacher meeting were held once or twice in a year to keep the parents updated about their child’s performance. But with growing complexity in the education system, parents are alert and trying to be in contact with the teacher all the time to know all about their child’s performance.

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Thus, management software should give way for effective interaction between the teaching staff and parents about students’ performance and behaviour.

5. New room facility feature to boost school’s recognition

Students who perform extraordinary in the academics or who are smart enough to make a mark in sports deserve recognition and accolades. This calls for a section in the school management system software which lists such names.

Other than this, its dynamics keeps students updated about cultural and sports news, various upcoming events and other such social events taking place in the school. This will foster the active participation of students and prepare well for the same.

Hence, there is no dearth of requirements when it comes to school management system software but few of the vital ones are listed above. When it comes to managing school, nothing does better than a management system software. Starting from taking care of the attendance to keeping up-to-date information of each student, it takes care of everything like a pro.