Recognizing the hard work, accomplishments, and interests of your community increases feelings of safety, belonging, and esteem. The result is lower emotional stress, enhanced trust, and better retention of learning for students. And with the growth of digital solutions within schools, the interactive nature of a digital tribute can connect people across generations, demographics, and locations.
Celebrating Proud Moments, Top Role Models, and Rich History
A month ago, many of us gathered around to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl led by quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski. Rewind nine years to the same powerhouse duo playing for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Expect that year, they did not come out victorious, in part due to the efforts of New York Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn, who stepped in front of Gronk for the only interception against Brady that night.
As with most professional athletes, Blackburn’s career started from humble beginnings before he went on to win two titles. He grew up in central Ohio and attended Marysville High School then traveled up to the University of Akron prior to being recruited by the Giants. To honor his great football journey, he returned to his former high school in 2018 for his induction ceremony into their hall of fame. The school used their new digital Wall of Fame tribute to showcase videos of him playing over the years, news clippings from his career, and excerpts from interviews. The variety of content they were able to celebrate with him was incredible.
But the best part was the way the whole community, including his family came together for the occasion. When Chase arrived at the school with his three young sons, he quickly and excitedly called them over to see “Daddy” from high school with a big smile. He got to revisit the highlights of his life with the people who matter most. And the entire Marysville community had a chance to remember their school’s history and rally behind the great role models around them.
The Marysville Hall of Fame is only one example of what a digital tribute can do. The adaptable nature of digital solutions means these tributes can now go way beyond pictures, plaques, and trophies on the wall. With an interactive content platform and kiosk, a school’s entire community can connect across generations, demographics, and locations. It’s easy to recognize the great work of all students, past and present, in all fields from academics to arts to athletics to business and community engagement.
Why Schools Are Going Digital
Recent years have seen the emergence of digital solutions within classrooms and schools. Educational technology, or EdTech, introduces a variety of IT tools into the learning environment to create a more engaging and inclusive experience for students. We know the learning experience is not a one-size-fits-all process. How people best learn, what subjects interest them most, and what pace they need differ for everyone. The growth of digital and interactive solutions inside and outside the classroom allows lessons, content, and teaching methods to be tailored to each student. This results in kids feeling more included, valued, heard, and capable within their educational settings.
Digital signage, specifically, is becoming a normal staple in schools to enhance communication. Everything from welcome messages, curriculum updates, emergency notifications, lunch menus, and other resources are being displayed through technological means. We live in an overwhelmingly digital world. People of all ages and demographics are now interacting with technology on a daily basis. The key constituents of schools, especially, expect easy-to-access and navigate content for communication, entertainment, and connection. EdTech solutions, like digital signs, provide this type of engaging, interactive experience.
How Recognition Improves Student Performance
The shift worldwide, including in schools, toward technology shows the importance of digital means of communication, but what exactly is a digital tribute and why does it matter? A tribute is any type of gift, testimonial, or acknowledgement of one’s gratitude toward another person’s or group’s impact. The public recognition and admiration brought by paying tribute to someone is an essential need for human beings. We grow in relation to ourselves and others as we pause to celebrate the wins, big or small, together.
To understand the positive impacts of recognition, let’s take a step back to examine a foundational psychological theory called “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Many people have heard of this concept, but for a quick review, it’s a pyramid of human needs split into five categories: Physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization.
Unlike most things in life that fulfill one or maybe two of these categorical needs, recognition meets three. Paying attention to the hard work, accomplishments, and interests of those in your community can increase their feelings of safety, belonging, and esteem. This is turn builds a sense of security, strengthens relationships, fosters collaboration, and encourages people to keep working. The result is lower emotional stress, enhanced trust, and better retention of learning for students.
The Wall of Fame’s Interactive Content Platform
For years, our society has used hall of fames, museums, art exhibits, honor societies, sporting events, and more to showcase each other’s talents, passions, and accomplishments. At the Wall of Fame, we are committed to helping our customers do the same. Our digital tributes allow schools to connect with their community, teach students about their rich history, and celebrate the incredible work of their students.
We live by four key brand promises: Content matters, legacy matters, education matters, and stories matter. We know our schools work tirelessly to build their students into strong, well-rounded, fulfilled adults. So, we dedicate ourselves to telling their stories and bringing their legacy to life with engaging, interactive content. Our content management system and content advocate program allow users to easily build, share, and display the proudest moments of those around them.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” One of the best ways for schools to build future leaders is to encourage their students to dream by showing that their accomplishments matter and deserve recognition. When we celebrate the dreams and passions of those around us, we help them believe in themselves as we do.
Sources:
https://www.award.co/blog/the-psychology-of-employee-recognition
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