Award-winning teacher uses Sway to help students access the world

Kit McDonald

The Office Blogs posted a guest feature today written by Brett Bigham about the value of Sway in the classroom. The 2014 Oregon State Teacher of the Year started started off the guest feature declaring that he is an ‘old dinosaur’ when it comes to technology. Many teachers and administrators can relate to the disability of being a forward thinker, particularly when it comes to something so mundane as the classroom.

Brett was first introduced to Sway as a result of his own innovation: Ability Guidebooks. He was involved in the National Network of State Teachers of the Year conferences in which Microsoft Sway held focus groups, and tt was clear that the tool has been focused highly on education.

He was invited to the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) conferences where Microsoft held Sway focus groups. According to the post, the tool was being created specifically based on feedback from teachers and administration to meet their needs.

For Brett, that meant using Sway to recreate his Ability Guidebooks. These were presentations created for children that are fearful of new endeavors and explorations, especially those on the autism spectrum. To go on a field trip, Brett would first scout out the area and write up the guidebooks to help prepare the students.

https://sway.com/O5B9rarvvIIWJNCt

Creating those Ability Guidebooks in Sway has not only made them more available to other teachers, students, and parents but it has transcended language barriers in ways that physical copies couldn’t. Not only that, but students can listen to the presentation if reading is not an option.

If you’d like to see some other NNSTOY Sway publications, check them out on Docs.com. Let us know in the comments if you agree that Sway is a great tool for educators.