As we enter this holiday season and look forward to a new year, it’s tempting to look back at 2020 and see only the challenges it presented to us – because there were so many. Yet inside those roiling clouds there have been some silver linings. And as we bring this tumultuous year to a close, it’s a great time to reflect and share our gratitude for the good things. Here are just a few…
Resilience. There’s an old saying, “pressure makes diamonds.” If that’s true, then the world of education is a sparkling example. This year, perhaps more than any other in recent history, we’ve witnessed the remarkable flexibility and ingenuity of our teachers, students and parents as they’ve navigated through changing modes of educational delivery and experience. Rising to these challenges, even though difficult, has made us all stronger and more resilient. And as situations normalize again, those tremendous learning experiences will continue to serve us, enabling our educational institutions to be even more agile and responsive to rapidly changing needs.
Innovation. We’ve seen how, with the right technology and tools in place, schools can more quickly pivot and adapt to ever-changing circumstances. This year everyone has put educational technology and information systems to the test. And many have discovered, through rapid trial and iteration, what works best with the least cost in time and resources. We’re honored to have played a positive role in this with the Skooler learning platform that supports hybrid learning – allowing teachers and students to shift from in-school to remote learning without missing a beat.
Creativity. Everyone has had to tap into their creative nature in order to adapt and thrive this year, and from this we’re seeing fresh approaches to teaching and learning. To support this, last March we acquired Loops Education’s unique set of content creation tools that allow educators to create customized learning journeys.
Connection. Staying connected is always important, but forging new and better ways to remain connected when schools went online – many for the first time — was a hallmark achievement of this year. We’re seeing innovation and creativity emerge as people take advantage of the tools and technologies that support online learning, communication and collaboration. To assist in making these connections even easier, Skooler introduced the mConnect app, which gives the nearly 200 million users of the Moodle platform, at more than 150,000 educational institutions worldwide, the ability to use Moodle and Microsoft Teams together in one workspace with a single sign-on. This has been embraced enthusiastically by schools and by students who enjoy having their familiar tools integrated for a seamless experience.
Optimism. The plant kingdom gives us plenty of metaphors for spring growth, but it also shares some important lessons about winter. Winter is the time when plants shed the leaves of the previous year and put their energy into strengthening their roots so they can burst forth in the spring even more vibrant than the year before. For education, 2020 has been a time to dig in, grow our roots and deepen our technology foundations. We look forward, with hope and optimism, that from these deeper roots, our schools will emerge in 2021 with even greater resilience, energy and capability. For our part, we look forward to staying in touch and providing more useful information about Skooler and the edtech industry. And, of course, we’ll continue to innovate to better serve our customers in education. Please stay tuned for more about our new Parent App coming in early 2021!
We wish you all a joyful holiday season and a happy, healthy and successful new year!
