Lecture video best practices; Can preschoolers learn over Zoom?

Plus: Hope for the future of education after the pandemic

No. 467 | 1/21/21 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by A recent viral tweet resurfaced a debate that's been simmering for years: Why are teacher salaries so painfully low? As President Biden pushes to hike the federal minimum wage to $15/hour, close to what new teachers earn in some states, some, including actress Patricia Arquette, had a succinct reply: "Teachers are underpaid."     The average nationwide salary for teachers is higher—at about $61,000 for the 2018-19 year. A few years ago EdSurge looked at a national data set and found that as costs of living, higher education, healthcare and retirement have risen over the past 20 years, teacher salaries in some places have actually decreased. Biden's proposed solution is to triple Title I funding and divert money to teacher pay.  The issue may be exacerbating the teacher shortage, as teacher prep programs have already seen enrollment dips. "Why would you want to be a teacher when you know teacher pay is actually declining over time?" researcher and economist Sylvia Allegretto told EdSurge in 2018. "That's a really bad situation to be in, being asked to pay more as your pay is actually declining." 🤔 REMOTE POSSIBILITIES   ZOOMING INTO PRESCHOOL?Some of the youngest learners are also the hardest to teach remotely. But experts say learning can take place via platforms like Zoom, provided preschools follow some key considerations around parental involvement and screen time. We look at the fascinating brain science behind learning transfer and video chat for young students.   BETTER THINGS TO COME: "It's important to let students work through their challenges and be given the opportunity to hold themselves accountable," writes education professor Kelly Keane. That's one of her biggest takeaways on how education is permanently changing for the better due to the pandemic. Factors like parental engagement and lecture pedagogy, she writes, may never be the same either.     PLAYING TO THE CAMERA: How important is it for the teacher to be visible on screen in lecture videos? Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara are testing that question with a series of experiments. The answer, it turns out, is complicated.   Sponsored by AWS SEE IT LIKE ME: "The goal was to use this VR simulation with German high school students so that they could better understand the experiences of their new Syrian classmates," explains Izzy Ngo, co-founder of VERE360. We spoke with her about how the platform has since expanded to help students with science, history and SEL and why VR is effective at boosting engagement when it comes to emotional subjects. 📆 GOINGS ON ALMOST UNREAL: Tune in for this discussion on how leveraging interactive learning environments in the classroom can foster rich educational experiences and expand students' imagination and storytelling capacity. Panelists will discuss how immersive learning can serve students now and in the future. Register today. The following is a message from our sponsor The Education Essentials Company™ Cambium Learning® Group is an intentionally curated family of companies providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 markets. We focus on the elements that are essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a difference right now. 🎧 ON THE PODCAST   HERE WE GO AGAIN: Fall was the first full semester under the shadow of COVID-19 and nobody really knew what to expect or how well various teaching adaptations would work. Now the spring is beginning and the virus still rages. Did schools learn anything? We talked with the professors and students who participated in our Pandemic Campus Diaries podcast series in the fall for their takeaways. 📚 FROM THE ARCHIVES   TEACHING GOODER WRITING: Writing is more important than ever, but many students struggle with it. Longtime writing instructor and author John Warner has some ideas about why that is—and how to fix it. EdSurge talked with Warner about the crisis in writing instruction and why everything from technology like Fitbits to the five-paragraph essay are part of the problem. 🐝 BUZZ ABOUT TOWN   San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten is Joe Biden's nominee for Deputy Secretary of Education. A look at her career and accomplishments. (EdSource)    Biden wishes to open most schools in the next 100 days. Is it possible? (K-12 Dive) Researchers find that both low-income and Black students are more likely to be heavy users of technology outside of school by the end of elementary school. (Hechinger Report) Looking for a job in edtech? You've come to the right place. EdSurge has the leading edtech jobs board in the industry with openings from schools, nonprofits and companies. Post a job | See all jobs Design Track Advisor | Sora Schools | Remote Sora Tracks are led by industry advisors. In Tracks, students work on guided industry-focused projects, receive career mentorship, & explore fields of interest.   Spanish Teacher | Design Tech High School | Redwood City, CA d.tech teachers embrace a design-thinking mindset; they must have empathy for students, colleagues and parents and a willingness to rapidly prototype solutions to help all students.   Chief Information Officer | Mary Institute and Country Day School | St. Louis, MO MICDS seeks a chief information officer, starting July 1, 2021, to oversee all areas of technology: strategy, infrastructure, data and web applications, support services, and instructional technology.   Professional Development Specialist | Curriculum Associates | Multiple Curriculum Associates seeks a Professional Development Specialist to join our team. The ideal candidate will need a background in teaching/coaching Math, as well as experience leading professional development to school and district leaders.   Curriculum Designer | Online Coding and Computer Science Instructor | Remote We are looking for passionate, enthusiastic teachers who want to share their love of computer science with students in grades k through 9. Our cutting-edge curriculum is ready to use–no need to design, test, and iterate on your own curriculum.   Facilitator | Synthesis School | Remote We're looking for exceptional facilitators to join our team. Classroom experience is great, but not required. We are looking for smart, adaptive generalists who are passionate about what we're doing. We're hiring for part-time at $100/hour.   Events Post an event • See all events and meetups   Teaching Purposeful Minds Apr 17-18 | Online | More than $250  This virtual conference will explore the importance of purpose, connections (including love and belonging), and curiosity and exploration, and how they can help support learning, coping, and personal growth. THANKS FOR READING   ➔ Got any feedback? We love hearing from readers. Shoot us a note, critiques, a joke—whatever you've got! ➔ Interested in reaching our readers? Sponsor this newsletter. ➔ Event planners: Feature your in-person or virtual event on our calendar & newsletters. EdSurge covers and connects the people, ideas and technologies that shape the future of learning. We are an independent news and research initiative of the International Society for Technology in Education. 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