IT's Role in Creating an Environment for Learning in MS Teams Schools

As remote learning has changed the educational landscape in recent years, IT leaders have played a critical role in ensuring that educators have the resources that they need to meet the demands of this new environment. Microsoft (MS) Teams has become an integral part of remote, hybrid, and in-class learning and emerged as an essential tool as learning moves increasingly online.

The communication platform enables educators to create digital classrooms and centralize learning, allowing for increased collaboration, coordination, and customized learning. IT leadership has played a critical role in the adoption and deployment of MS Teams on campus, guiding educators as they navigate the platform.

When IT leaders collaborate with educators, they contribute to improved learning experiences for learners and ensure that schools take full advantage of all the tools that MS Teams offers. In this article, we look at the role that IT plays in creating an environment for learning within Teams for schools.

Set Up Educators for Success

While educators have embraced new technologies such as MS Teams over the past several years, they may not take full advantage of these learning assets without guidance from IT departments. It's not for lack of trying, of course; teachers have many demands on their time, and if a technology proves too challenging, it'll often go unused.

That's where IT leadership can help. IT leaders bring a unique skillset to the table that they can use to help educators create an environment for learning when using MS Teams. Instead of focusing on the traditional roles of providing technical support and strong technology infrastructure, they can help educators develop new approaches to using that technology.

IT departments must go beyond coordinating and supervising the installation and maintenance of hardware and software by helping educators use MS Teams as a tool to transform learning. One way that they can do this is by ensuring that educators understand all the tools that MS Teams offers, along with the apps available, to encourage creating an environment for learning within the platform.

Train Staff on How to Use Microsoft Teams

One of the most important ways that IT leadership can set educators up for success is by ensuring that they're properly trained on how to use MS Teams. If teachers don't know how to take advantage of all that Teams has to offer, they won't be able to instruct their students on how to use the platform effectively.

IT departments can solve this problem by setting up a website with information on how to work with MS Teams and a page that answers frequently asked questions. This website can highlight apps like Beedle that educators can use to plan classes quickly.

Another option is holding workshops to introduce educators to the many ways that Teams works with the school's LMS. Most importantly, IT leadership should make sure educators have the tools that they need to use technology effectively in the classroom.

Identify Apps That Extend the Functionality of Microsoft Teams

Apps play an essential role in expanding the functionality of MS Teams. There's no shortage of apps and add-ons available, but keeping up with them is no easy task, making it difficult for educators to determine which ones are most appropriate for their classrooms.

IT leadership can help with this information overload by assisting educators in identifying the best apps to enhance productivity and learning in the classroom. Once they've identified appropriate apps, they can introduce educators to ones like Beedle that give teachers the resources that they need to organize learning and track learners' progress throughout the school year.

Assist Educators in Building Collaborative Classrooms

Collaboration goes a long way toward enhancing the educational experience for learners, which is why many educators prioritize it. Studies have shown that collaborative educational experiences can lead to deeper learning and promote increased student-educator interaction.

Many tools for MS Teams can assist teachers in creating an environment for learning and collaboration in the classroom, and IT leadership can also help them achieve this goal. IT departments should work with teachers to ensure that they know how to use interactive and collaborative apps to enhance classroom instruction.

For example, the Beedle app gives parents and teachers tools to connect, enabling them to track their student’s progress throughout the school year. Educators can also share notes, comments, and feedback with students via the Beedle journal, enhancing collaboration. By ensuring that educators know how to use these tools, IT leaders help them maximize the potential of collaborative classrooms.

Create a Hub for Tech Support

While IT departments' role in education is evolving, one constant is educators' need for accessible tech support. Many of the technical problems that teachers face in the classroom can be quickly resolved by reviewing a website's frequently asked questions page, but others will require IT assistance.

In addition to creating a website for educators to find answers to common issues about MS Teams, IT departments provide trainers to support staff when they encounter problems or have questions. IT leadership can use MS Teams to their advantage by creating a staff channel within the platform to facilitate communication between IT and educators, ensuring that staff can get timely answers.

Final Thoughts

Although the role of IT departments has traditionally been viewed as providing a robust technological infrastructure and technical support for schools, these departments play an integral role in helping educators take full advantage of educational software like MS Teams.

Teams has become an integral component in creating an environment for learning at schools across the country, enabling educators to streamline their work and maximize their students' learning outcomes.

IT leaders play a crucial role in promoting and supporting new technologies, and by collaborating with educators, they ensure that schools can make the most of MS Teams.

Beedle is an all-in-one solution for teaching and learning in Microsoft Teams, giving schools the power to leverage Teams for improved resource and lesson planning, class management, insight organization, and more!

If you’re in a Teams district or school and want to unlock the true potential of Microsoft Teams, contact our specialists to maximize the worth of your Microsoft Teams investment today!