Supporting Early Learners: Personalizing a Digital Classroom

Compared to older students, early learners have a unique set of needs. Of course, the objective with any student is to ensure that they acquire lifelong skills and mastery on their learning journeys. But the way to deliver on that objective varies depending on age. Edtech tools are a great way to ensure that all learners are supported in their quest for learning, as long as they have the right features for their intended users.

Teachers can empower students of all ages to take ownership of their learning by personalizing their experience. Custom avatars, icon-based navigation tools and customized activity feeds are just a few tools that can be used to achieve personalization in younger classrooms.

In this blog—the second in a two-part series—we’ll go over some of the tools in D2L Brightspace that teachers can use to personalize the learning experience for their students. You can also read part one, Demonstrating Learning and Growth.

Custom Navigation Bar

Students in early grades can’t do the same things as students in high school. For districts that want a universal learning management system (LMS) for all their schools, the ability to customize individual users’ experiences is crucial.

One way that educators can personalize their blended classroom is by customizing the navigation bar. Rather than including access to as many links as will fit, a more minimal way of navigating is much more user-friendly for younger learners. By offering fewer and more intentional options, teachers can ensure that students can easily find their way to the most important information. Students can then rely on their teacher for supplementary resources. Educators can also opt for icon-based navigation to support early learners who may not read as quickly.

Bitmoji Classroom

For younger learners, engaging in a digital classroom can sometimes feel impersonal. Educators can make this experience feel a lot more familiar by integrating a Bitmoji classroom, a virtual classroom that mirrors elements of a traditional one. This can help students better understand the online classroom at an early age, because it looks more like what they’ve seen in schools.

The Bitmoji classroom is a great way to engage students by increasing teacher presence with avatars and videos. The widget also makes it easy to share important information by presenting it front and center to students who are logging on. An LMS can be used to distribute a lot of information, making it important for teachers to feature can’t-miss announcements and resources.

Activity Feed

It would be great if all the important information a student needs could be available on the homepage, but presenting so much information all at once can be confusing to younger learners. Enter: the activity feed. This is a valuable space for educators, who can personalize it to reach their classes and ensure that their students are getting the most important information when it’s timely and relevant.

Being intentional with the activity feed means that students only need to click one link to access specific content, rather than having to always navigate the Content tool. Teachers can ensure that the latest items in the activity feed are most relevant to the current lessons to help keep students on track and in control.

Harness the Power of Brightspace

Learn how you can use Brightspace to create a personalized learning experience for your younger students.

Written by

Chase Banger

Chase Banger is a Content Marketing Specialist at D2L. An award-winning journalist and former communications specialist, he has a passion for helping people through education.