Technology in the Classroom.
When the Covid-19 pandemic spread throughout the globe in early 2020, it wreaked havoc on practically every aspect of daily life, including education.
Teachers made do with the resources and methods they were given as they made the fast transition to online instruction. Many teachers established the framework for long-term success while they prepared their online courses.
Technology is a powerful tool when used in conjunction with excellent teaching methods and can completely revolutionize classrooms.
Giving kids the tools to direct their own learning by setting objectives, keeping track of their progress, and finding areas for improvement is an excellent method to help them become lifelong learners.
How can we use Tech in the classroom?
The new order is digital competency. With so many new resources in the ever-growing technology area, it is critical for teachers to be able to educate themselves on this information and apply it to assist students in achieving their objectives.
It’s crucial to recognize that most instructors haven’t had much experience with learning technologies as part of their professional development.
Training
A sensible and hands-on training program is required to make this shift in such a short period of time and to acquire the proper combination of abilities afterwards
The capacity to move between virtual and physical instruction is a critical milestone in a teacher’s journey to properly embrace technology. Traditional learning cannot be replaced by digital learning; the future will be a mix of the two.
Let the Students be teachers
Teachers are likely to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of learning a variety of apps, devices, and programs in addition to their regular lesson plans. Give a student a new tool and ask them to learn how to use it before showing you.
Ongoing and updating your skills are ever ongoing. Udemy is a great source of learning about technology in the classroom.
Don’t ban the phone
Many schools ban students from using cell phones or watching YouTube in the classroom. However, one of the most common ways for students to contact is through the telephone. And YouTube is one of the most widely used social media platforms.
So make use of social networking platforms, think outside the box, and allow your pupils to learn while having fun.
When we deny our pupils access to materials, we lose a lot of learning opportunities.
Children are technologically sophisticated, and if you use these tools, they will be able to relate to and focus on the lesson.
Teachers should champion technology.
Not only is it the future of learning and business it can be an opportunity to become an advocate of online etiquette. If the teacher does it correctly children can learn how to behave appropriately on the Internet.
You can teach online etiquette to your students. To make it more human, state that you should never tweet something you wouldn’t say to someone’s face or in front of their grandparents.
And never go to an inappropriate website and tell an adult if you’ve been cyberstalked or bullied.
What free tools are available?
Google Classroom is a free online service used by about 30 million teachers and students worldwide. It is designed to help teachers make, distribute, and mark homework and class work more efficiently.
increasing cooperation and providing immediate feedback, and nurturing communication are great features of this tool. One of the best tools in this portfolio is Google Meet.
I am currently teaching online for 4 hours a day and find this to be an intuitive and adaptable tool to use. For me it is a life saver.
Do you want to create exciting and easy to make visuals for the classroom. Canva will then be the answer for you. It is easy to use and you get professional results every time.
Canva is a simple design tool that allows you to create any design online and share it with the world. And “Learn” is your one-stop shop for the latest design for educational inspiration. Canva will provide you with tools and ideas for the classroom.
This application allows teachers to simply add instructional information, questions, videos, and interactive conversations to any web page on the internet in order to engage students and increase their grasp of the issues in question.
It was created by two high school teachers who sought to provide their pupils with a more engaging learning experience by transforming the internet into “an interactive learning experience.”
Quizizz allows teachers to simply make engaging quizzes or select from millions of quizzes created by teachers all around the world.
Quizizz’s multiplayer quizzes are enhanced by games such as avatars, leader boards, amusing memes, and other features aimed at increasing student involvement.
Twinkl
Twinkl creates educational tools for children at all stages of their schooling. They include everything from comprehensive lesson plans, class resources to online educational games, augmented reality, and much more with their teacher-generated content.
If you want to download instructional resources from the Twinkl website first create a free account. Have a good look around and you can upgrade if you wish or stay as a free paying customer.
If you upgrade to a premium subscription you get full access to all of Twinkl’s teaching materials.
Kahoot! is a question-and-answer-based game-based learning tool. Teachers can use this tool to create quizzes, discussions, and surveys to supplement their classroom instruction.
The material is shown in the classroom, and students respond to questions while playing and learning at the same time.
Students learn through games with Kahoot!, which increases student engagement and creates a dynamic, friendly, and engaging learning environment.
Look and Learn.
There are many online tools out there that can help in the class room and these are but a few of our favorites. If you want to increase your knowledge, go online and hunt around. you will find tools that will make your students happier and your life easier.
As technology continues to shape the future of education, today’s teachers must be aware of not only the specific tools and technologies being developed to improve student learning. But also the reasons why they should be used. As well as understanding the importance of balancing technology with traditional teaching skills.
Even the most experienced and gifted instructors will have a steep learning curve in developing the ability to use high-tech innovations to generate real value for real pupils.
Conclusion.
We’d love to hear about your opinions and experiences with this. What are some of the most intriguing educational technologies or breakthroughs that you’ve utilized in the classroom, or that you’d like to try?
Stephen Hey
CEO
Any or all links on this site maybe affiliate links, and if you purchase something through those links I will make a small commission on them.
There will be no extra cost to you and at times due to my affiliation you could actually save money.
You can read our full affiliate disclosure here.