He is well-versed in the current trends in STEM education, coupled with a commitment to utilizing technology to differentiate and enhance student learning as well as promoting high-tech learning.
Ayo explains, “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of K-12 education as we know it. The regular school year has now been replaced with uncertainty, fast-paced, high stress, and technology-filled, wreaking mental health.
As anxieties and the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and its variant, plus the emerging virtual learning and/or dependence on digital technology for education become widely accepted across the nation and not isolated to a particular sector of online courses or learning platforms, this will underscore the need of mental health awareness for students in K-12 education Special Report: as U.S. Schools Shuttered, Student Mental Health Cratered, Reuters Finds and Schools and the State of K-12 Mental Health Conditions.
“Furthermore, as many schools consider whether to continue their virtual or hybrid learning, some school systems may provide the parents with virtual learning options. Many parents may choose to keep their children at home because of concern about contracting the virus of different variants that causes COVID-19.
Therefore, the school systems must learn how to support students and teachers who may experience anxiety by learning how anxiety is manifested and developing strategies to mitigate this debilitating disease and ensure that students and teachers are supported.
The good news is that some district schools across the Charles County Public Schools in Maryland have begun offering a virtual webinar to address teachers’ mental health. And some higher education like the Northcentral University has already had in place a virtual education support center to help teachers support their students as many school systems across the nation begin to open up to both students and teachers,” he asserted
Ayo further said, “Furthermore, as many schools continue virtual or hybrid learning, the use or the growing dependence on digital technology will become the new normal; both students and teachers need more support with digital technology, the school systems across the country need to continue investing in hardware technology.
Additionally, the school systems may need to invest in hiring technology experts who can troubleshoot and fix technical issues. And also, invest in websites like Study Island, Discovery Education, Gizmo, PhET Interactive Simulation, and professional development training teachers on digital learning.”