Mark Wu, FETC 2018 speaker presenting “No More Hand-Me-Downs: Finding the Right Tech for Young Learners” has been working with diverse groups of students for more than 15 years as a classroom teacher, Special Education Resource Teacher, and school administrator. He has a wealth of experience teaching children with disabilities and supporting their parents and teachers. With Nexed, he and co-founder Peter Cameron have created Answerables, an immersive virtual classroom where “3-D game meets LMS.” As both a veteran educator and a proud papa of two children in elementary school, Mark’s motivation to co-found Nexed was ultimately born from a deep understanding of the need to support teachers who want to engage students in the learning experience, and the students who thrive when engaged.
During my years as an elementary school vice principal, I had the opportunity to wander in and out of all the classrooms in the school—ranging from junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.
I was always struck by the time and care quality teachers put into their individual classroom setup; from the bright colors and play-based activity centers of the Grade One classes, to the beanbag chairs and ‘contemplation corners’ for the Grade Sevens.
No one classroom looked the same, and the changes in the ‘look and feel’ as students grew older and matured was no random act.
So how do we move forward to build an LMS that engages its youngest users? There are platforms becoming available that do just that.
It was done by informed educators backed by sound pedagogy.
As educators, we have always known that children of different ages live and learn very differently.
What is meaningful, relevant and engaging to an eight-year old is far removed from what inspires a 15-year old.
And the classroom environment in which these children learn reflects this.
Gen Alpha
In 2017, elementary schools educators are now teaching what is known as ‘Generation Alpha’—the children of Millennials. These are children born starting in 2010. This was the year the iPad came out; Instagram was launched—it was know as the ‘Year of the App’.
Our Generation Alphas has lived and learned with technology since the day they were born.