District Administration® and FETC®’s Top Ed Tech Products of the Year contest spotlights the most innovative new solutions on the market that are helping school leaders meet the ever-evolving education technology needs of their districts and schools.
A panel of experts chose 15 winners from more than 160 submissions, all of which will be featured during the Virtual Future of Education Technology Conference® Jan. 26-29.
Click here for more information and to register for the free 2021 Virtual FETC.
Here’s a look at one of the Top Ed Tech Products of 2020:
Family Playlists
What it is: Family Playlists® are fun learning assignments that can be delivered via cellphone in 100+ languages. Students teach what they are learning to a family partner at home—a strategy that strengthens students’ understanding and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. Family Playlists integrate seamlessly into teachers’ existing curricula and are available for grades K-8 in Math Science, and ELA. Teachers find and assign pre-built, standards-aligned Family Playlists to students. Students’ family members receive a text alert in their preferred language. After mastering a concept in school, students teach what they learned in class to a family partner using a collaborative, offline activity—this step leverages the “protÁ©gÁ© effect,” which shows that students understand a concept better after explaining it to someone else. A study on Family Playlists found a statistically significant effect on standardized math test scores, with a .25 effect size, equivalent to 4 months of additional learning.
Why we like it: We can see how this method will reinforce lessons for students and integrate parents’ roles in a more meaningful way. This FREE tool in which students teach what they are learning to a family partner at home has shown impressive results. We like how this platform brings the teacher, student, and parent strengthens what the non-profit calls the “triangle of learning relationships.”
See the full list of winners here.
