| | AUGUST - 202319Few in education may know the name, friEdTech, but they should. This extraordinary company is the force behind one of the largest 1:1 technology implementations in the country. The Mississippi Connects project kicked off three years ago with a unique take, "Why not interview district leadership and teachers first?" friEd embraced the notion and began a canvassing of staff across the state to drive the creation of customized PD action plans for the multi-year project. It's a different approach, but by individualizing the solutions and considering the voices of educators on the ground, friEdTech created a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education that directly reflects real teachers’ concerns and enhances their use of classroom technology. Founder & CEO, Amy Mayer, reflects on the company’s ongoing work, “We could not be more proud of the work we’ve done with these teachers and administrators. I think the number one thing that sets us apart is that we care how the people who learn with us feel about their learning. By initially forming relationships with the educators in Mississippi, we have been able to provide professional development experiences that engage teachers first in their own learning, which ultimately increases student outcomes.” While the project in Mississippi is their largest and most recent, friEdTech has established itself since its founding over a decade ago as a unique voice helping educators navigate the modern classroom and is already loved by tech savvy teachers across the country for providing high-quality professional development that leverages effective, pedagogy-based solutions. In the past 4 years, friEdTech has developed a cutting-edge asynchronous learning platform, friEdOnline, which has amassed an enrollment of over 26,000 users from across the world. friEd’s approach to online professional development is the result of their own experiences with often boring, rarely impactful online learning modules they each encountered as practicing educators themselves. friEdTech’s commitment to excellence is reflected in their 4.7 out of 5 end user satisfaction rating. “We are honored to have received such positive feedback from our clients, and we continue to work hard to exceed their expectations,” says Mayer. Part of what makes friEdTech unique is their on-going attentiveness to issues facing educators today; for example, schools are reporting an increase in disruptive classroom behaviors coupled with a loss of learning. In response, friEdTech has launched an online course, “Rock the Classroom.” Their course author, a licensed therapist and career educator, developed the content to help teachers understand the fundamentals of human behavior, enabling and providing them with ways to decrease undesirable behaviors through research-based strategies. Schools everywhere are reporting a shortage of classroom substitute teachers, so professional development is a lower priority. friEdTech recently launched a membership subscription service giving schools access to friEdOnline’s curated catalog. Districts can facilitate these sessions locally or have friEdTech facilitate them virtually. The memberships benefit districts that need the adult learning expertise of friEdTech's team but who do not have the resources to create similar resources.friEdTech has differentiated itself from other players in the industry by placing emphasis on the user experience. They work hard to ensure teachers enjoy learning with them and can immediately integrate what they've learned into their classrooms. As they often say, “Training is just where to click, professional development includes why you should.” Empowering Educators for Today's Classrooms friEdTech We could not be more proud of the work we’ve done with these teachers and administrators. I think the number one thing that sets us apart is that we care how the people who learn with us feel about their learning. By initially forming relationships with the educators in Mississippi, we have been able to provide professional development experiences that engage teachers first in their own learning, which ultimately increases student outcomesAmy Mayer, Founder and CEO TOP 10 SERVICES PROVIDERS - 2023PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENTCANADA
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