Badge Messenger Tech RoundUp

We’re a safety company, but we love technology in the classroom. At Badge Messenger, we believe technology and education go hand in hand. By implementing new technology in the classroom, you can easily set your students apart from the pack. In today’s competitive world, we condone any classroom technology that can get you ahead. But what new tech is out there? Sometimes it’s hard to find and at other times it might be so cutting edge it hasn’t hit any news outlets or teachers' publications. That’s why we took the time to pick out our favorites, so we could tell you about them. Keep an eye out for this new tech in education and you’ll go far.

The Learning Technology You’ve Been Waiting For

• Cloud Computing: Enables students to take notes, view lesson plans, study for tests, and learn coursework through ebooks and online lesson plans. All online learning materials lie within the cloud, so students have access at school and at home.
• Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR): Through VR, students can be transported inside the human body in biology class, to the land of atoms in chemistry, and to the days of the American Revolution. Students love the fun, engaging learning experience of being put inside the world of the lesson.
• 3D Printing and Robotics: These booming industries have advanced enough for schools to afford small, cost-effective 3D printers and parts for class projects. These technologies enable students to construct robots or create their own materials with a printer.
• Student Engagement Apps: These apps can track surveys, encourage student responses, and allow quieter students to pose questions. Teachers can better understand how their students are responding to the lesson plan through student feedback. 
• Flipped-Classroom Learning: Gives teachers the freedom to upload lesson plans, assignments, and video instruction for students to complete at home. The benefit is students can learn the outline of the material at home and complete homework in class where the teacher is present to answer questions. Rural areas can enjoy teachers from all across the nation. Expert teachers in very specialized fields can upload lessons to YouTube or other video-sharing platforms.

Keep a lookout for these tech trends in education. You don’t have to use all of it, but employing any of these methods can lead you to a classroom with more opportunities for all students to grow and learn. Chalkboards and dry-erase markers don’t have to be thrown out, but we actively encourage you to consider new methods for keeping students engaged in a world of five-second attention spans. Now that we’ve covered a few new technologies to optimize classroom learning, let's talk about your school's technology as far as its communication systems.

Communication Technology - Is Your School Up-To-Date?

Regardless of your school's security system, providing a safe environment for your staff and students is of primary importance. The ability to immediately communicate to, and receive communication from, your staff is a critical component of any security system.

Traditional methods (radios, cell phones, and hard-wired phones) are out of reach in most situations. Badge Messenger eliminates that stress. In order to stay informed on the status of a request, radios and phones require continuous use, which can be difficult if your situation demands both hands and your full attention.

Cell phones also pose the question of providing staff with school-owned cell phones, or require them to use their personal property for school communication. If your school uses an app, how can you be sure all models of cell phones support the same app? And what happens when the phone receives a software update from the provider? Will the app continue to operate properly? Have you accessed whether there are dead zones where cell phones are unable to get service or reach wifi within the school? In an emergency situation, are you confident your staff will receive the alert regardless of their location inside or outside of the school? Read more about the downfalls of school safety apps here.