Notes

Like those who Struggle with Language Barriers

Article content Joseph Filiplic changed the way he taught during the pandemic. He's not changing back.



Article content "When everybody was remote learning, people were also working from home. Stockalicious I noticed that a lot of my students were taking on extra duties at home. They were becoming babysitters for younger siblings and more," he says of his J.J. Bowlen Catholic Junior High students. "I had to make sure that I was communicating with my students, who were now being pulled in various directions, doing something that was completely new to them."



The answer? He calls it an "flipped lesson style" that uses a lot of Microsoft education tools such as OneNote, OneNote, and Teams video-conferencing platforms. "I would record all my lessons and upload them on YouTube, and then I would import them into Teams and OneNote," says Filiplic. The material and assignments for the course could be accessed from almost any device from there.



He hoped that his students would be able to weather the pandemic without any setbacks. However, to his delight they did more than cope with the illness: they thrived. The kids who had succeeded in a traditional classroom environment continued to succeed. He was now able to reach students who learned differently. For example, those who struggle with learning disabilities, language barriers and even shyness.



"I knew from that moment that I couldn’t go back to the traditional stand-and-deliver approach. From now on, it needs become more interactive. It needs to be more cooperative," he says. The digital tools were able to continue functioning even after in-person classes were resuming. Filiplic continues to record his lessons on video and allows students to respond to him via Flipgrid. His students can also call Filiplic or send messages to him via Teams whenever they need. It's more like a modern workplace with flexible hours and self-motivated workers. "My students aren't confined to the four walls no more," says Filiplic. They know that the teaching isn't over when the bell rings. It has broken down many barriers.



Filiplic says that the article content was a natural selection from the beginning. Microsoft is the gold standard in the workplace. "I thought, OK I'm teaching sociology, but am I really only teaching that one subject or am I teaching my students how to be better social citizens? What's going to occur when they grow older? He claims that everything points towards Microsoft.



As a company, Microsoft has been laser-focused on the educational market and this is especially evident with the recent release of Windows SE, a cloud-based version of its signature operating software. The new platform will be made available on budget-friendly tablets and laptops from Acer, Asus and Dell as well as Microsoft directly under the Surface brand.



Paige Johnson, Microsoft vice president of education marketing she says that Windows SE has purpose-built features that will assist students from kindergarten to eight in the ways we've heard them asking for. The new interface is designed to reduce visual distractions and places the most flexible, inclusive learning tools at the forefront. These include Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and features like Reading Progress, which is an AI tool that allows teachers to remotely evaluate student fluency and Immersive Reader which is a dynamic reading comprehension tool as well as a learning tool that makes reading easily accessible for learners of all ages.



Johnson says that Reading Progress is great for educators as it allows them to concentrate their teaching time on areas where they are most needed. "If I notice that my children mispronounce the word 'physical', I may be able to see that I'm not saying the word loud enough or that I need to provide more reading samples that contain the word.



Article content The company also offers free Microsoft 365 for students that comes with Flipgrid and an education version of Minecraft the renowned world-building video game.



For Filiplic the new releases will surely open new doors in a field that's full of opportunities for students, teachers and even parents - who can now follow along with their children's progress as never before. His YouTube videos have become popular with teachers across Canada, too, and he's been actively helping others change the narrative on the lecture model.



He states, "I'm in 17 years of teaching and I feel like a first year teacher again." "I'm grateful to have found these tools, as I know I'm reaching my students in a way that I have never before. I can't go back. I won't go back."



This story was written by Content Works, Postmedia's commercial content division on behalf of Microsoft.



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