In a post earlier, we discussed the importance of social emotional learning and how one need to have people driven approach to help students acquire these skills and what makes social and emotional skills so important is that they are human skills in that they help us to work with each other and to overcome the challenges we face.
Though technology may complement these skills (such as by connecting people across vast distances), it is hard to conceive of how it could become central to acquiring these skills. Rather than a technology-first approach, we should maintain a people-driven approach that focuses on how educators, parents, and peers can build students’ capacity in these important domains.
Read the full post on “While Going All Tech are We Leaving Behind the Social & Emotional Growth” here.
While a lot of educators are happy to integrate technology for the efficiency it brings about, they also worry if it’s at the cost of interpersonal communication and connection among the teachers and students.
53% of educators worry that a focus on using technology for learning is coming at the expense of personal connections between students and teachers. https://t.co/BR6giSsFop #socialemotionallearning #SEL #SELchat
— EdSurge (@EdSurge) December 16, 2018
Considering the use of technology in education and the results with the mix, it would be great to have tools that cater to the need of social and emotional learning of students so that they get best of both worlds. Mentioned below are the top 5 tools that would help students with their social emotional learning.
1. Peekapak
Each topic consists of an introductory storybook followed by eight activities to do in the classroom, and eight activities to send home for kids to do with their parents. These activities will help the teacher analyze the understanding and responsiveness of students towards the situations and incidents based on story. There are lessons for grades K–5 help kids explore SEL concepts from a variety of angles.
2. Pictello
Students can use this storytelling app to upload pictures, videos, and their voices to illustrate an emotional experience in their lives or to describe likes and dislikes. Through sharing, students will begin to see what it’s like for their peers. Get together with friends in sharing and expressing what they feel. Not just with peers, this can be done with parents or teachers as well. Also, this app is used by people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, selective mutism, and other diagnoses.
3. Teaching Tolerance
Videos and photo essays depict life experiences around the world. Use the Mix It Up activities to have students identify social boundaries at school, and then have them use primary-source documents to find similar boundaries in history.
4. Global Oneness Project
This site showcases global life stories. Let students view the videos on climate change or sustainability, and then have them go out and create their own videos capturing a cultural experience in school or their own community.
5. 7 Mindsets
This web-based program teaches kids the skills needed to develop SEL competencies, including self-management, empathy, gratitude, and integrity. Through whole-group instruction and small-group discussion, kids transfer the skills they learn into everyday life.
Also read Popular Games and Activities to Develop Social Skills in Children to explore other activities that you can do with your students in the classroom.
Another resource you’d find of great use is this post by eduTopia on social and emotional learning. Titled, Tools to Assess Social and Emotional Learning in Schools is a comprehensive article that closely reflects upon well designed SEL programs that not only includes not only evidence-based curricula and instruction (along with support for teachers), but also clear goals and benchmarks (i.e., standards), and tools for universal and targeted screening and progress monitoring.
What’s your take on technology’s role in social emotional learning? Share with us in the comment section below.
