March Newsletter 2025

Blended Learning Department

In this issue:

Did you Know? Nearpod's SEL Curriculum
Building Culture and Community
Best Practices: Building Culture and Community (tips and ideas)
Monthly checklist: Try something new!

Monthly Digital Citizenship Focus
February Challenge Winner
BL Resources
Culture Challenge: Chance to win!

Did You Know?

NEARPOD provides ways to build culture and community through its social and emotional curriculum already built into their library.
You can include items like a Think-Pair-Share Activity or Class Discussion slide to a lesson to encourage relationship building and promote social skills.
(**These resources should act as a supplement to your existing instruction. In addition, please vet all resources to make sure the content is age-appropriate**)

Building Culture and Community

In order to feel comfortable engaging in a blended learning environment, a culture of acceptance, respect, and safety is crucial to student participation. Setting clear expectations and procedures, and even modeling what these look and sound like, for both face-to-face and online instruction is essential for successful student interactions. Use of digital tools can provide a variety of ways for students to interact and engage, so that all students feel heard and valued. See the best practices, below, that can help create an inclusive classroom where all can and do participate.

Best Practices: Building Culture and Community

Building relationships and connecting with the people around us is vital in the classroom. Allowing students to connect and relate to each other helps create a safe and accepting environment, so that all students feel welcomed. Keep this in mind as you explore Social-Emotional Learning ideas to build culture and community in your classroom. You cannot take care of others until you take care of yourself.

The article "Supporting SEL Through TECH: How Blended Learning Can Foster Social-Emotional Development" states:

Dallas ISD's Lucy Ford suggests that teachers can push students toward lessons that focus on specific SEL messages. Tailor the lessons to emphasize whatever message you've been delivering, that have "SEL skills built in." For example, when they're reading for comprehension, she says, pick stories "that teach the reader about what was going on, why [the characters] acted this way and why they changed their minds later."

Here are a few things to consider as you look at when building culture and community:

Monthly Checklist

Consider:

Creating a Canvas video assignment to have students record personal and academic goals. After, teachers can conference with students one-on-one to discuss these goals and progress being made.
Incorporating a Nearpod lesson on accepting emotions, building self-esteem, or any of the many topics that are offered through this platform. (**These resources should act as a supplement to your existing instruction. In addition, please vet all resources to make sure the content is age-appropriate**)
Creating a Google Slide or Microsoft Whiteboard where students can work together, collaboratively or share something about themselves. This allows students to grow and learn from and about each other. Example: A student timeline of life events or make a copy of Drag and Drop: What is your Mood, Today?
Conducting a Canvas discussion where students share experiences (see openers and closers) and make connections to the topic being taught. Students can even record video posts.
Using Adobe Express to build peer relationships. Have students make a short video telling you about themselves or sharing an answer to a question just with you.

Monthly Digital Citizenship Lessons

March Digital Citizenship Theme: We care about everyone's privacy.

This topic introduces students to the concept of online privacy and the potential implications of sharing private information with a range of people: friends, the public, app providers, and more. Sharing information about yourself can be a natural and healthy activity, and it can lead to positive connections and personal growth. However, it can also present safety risks, and students need to be aware of potentially harmful consequences such as identity theft and financial exploitation. Read more about this topic on the Common Sense Education website.

Congratulations to Karley Hendrick, from Foust Gaming and Robotics, who is our Blended Learning Model Challenge winner for the month of February. Ms. Hendrick implemented a station rotation model in her classroom. She has won a $20 gift card to Clutch Coffee Bar on Battleground Avenue and a coupon for a treat at Dewey's. We are grateful to our community partners. We could not offer such wonderful prizes without them:

Clutch Coffee Bar - Battleground Ave.

Dewey's - Friendly Center

Resources

BL Resource Website: Visit our website for all things blended learning. Locate your blended learning specialist, find out about our virtual course offerings, tutorials, and other resources.

District-Provided Tools Database: Want to know what digital resources we have for you? Check out the district's Air Table. You can filter to find the information you need.

Best Practices Document: Learn about the four focus areas of Blended Learning and the models to make it all happen.

Digital Learning Resources Canvas Page: Need help with one of our GCS district-provided resources? Visit our digital learning resource page to find video tutorials and instructional guides on anything from Swivl to Canvas.

Culture Challenge

How do you use digital tools to promote SEL in the classroom?

Please submit a link of an activity you created to build culture and community using Nearpod, Whiteboard, Canvas Discussions, or Canvas Video to lamberj2@gcsnc.com. Once you submit your link, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a prize.
For help with these tools, please access the Distance Learning Resource course highlighted above or the links in the checklist above.

Last Day to submit your Culture Challenge entry is Wednesday, March 26th.

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