Technology in the classroom is a very important topic and is something that will make your life easier as well as more exciting for the student.
Much like Orville and Wilbur Wright who could see the changes happening in Aviation, we can see the changes happening in the classroom. It is something that is happening now, not in one or two years time.
I would like to show you the tech. tools that I use in the classroom. And why I think we should all have these tools to help us with our lessons.
One of the biggest problems I have as a teacher is to be heard in the classroom. Especially in the public schools where it is not uncommon to have 40 students in a class. A headset/amplifier is a must if you want to protect your voice. A good output is about 30 watts of power. There is a large selection of headset/amplifiers that you can choose from.
We also have to think about the listening content for the class. In the past we would have used a C.D. (Compact Disc) and C.D. player. Or a USB. But now, for efficiency, I load my google drive with my lessons. Then I connect it to my mobile phone ( Cell phone) and add a Sony blue tooth speaker ( Like a Sony SRS-XB41) that is also around 30 watts output.
And then when I want to provide any visual material, I use my laptop or a projector. These days my preference is using a projector. The reasons for this are threefold.
Number one is the ease of operation. setting up your laptop with a school resource always presents problems. What is the wi-fi password? Where did the HDML cable go? Where is the remote control? You can set up your projector before class starts. You can have everything ready to go. The worst thing for students is to sit and wait for the teacher to get ready. One class might only be 45 minutes, so if you are wasting 10 minutes in preparation, dont be surprised if the classroom starts to become noisy.
Number two is cost. You can provide very good lessons at a price that doesn’t hurt the wallet or purse too much. The cost of a projector is a lot less than the cost of a laptop if a glass of water gets spilled on it. Once again there is a good selection of projectors, with some that can interface with your smartphone.
Number three is size. Yes, size does matter. The smaller the better. Try to keep all the stuff you carry from school to school as compact as you can. Your body will thank you at the end of the day for just carrying a projector and not a laptop with all the extra bits and pieces.
“> At the end of the day you will find the technology that suits you and your style of teaching.