Teachers often feel that they do not have the needed skills to keep up with the ever increasing development in technology and that they do not have the right knowledge and training to successfully integrate technology to improve the learning experience of their students. However, a lot of educators are exerting efforts to learn how to use technology and make it an effective tool to enhance the learning power of students and make their classrooms an interesting place to learn. Here’s how:
1. As an educator, you are tasked with preparing students to assertively enter the new era of global communication and innovative technological development. In order to do so, you can read various books about the technology you want to introduce in your classroom and learn how to integrate these technologies.
2. Take time to learn about the various applications and program software in the market today that is commonly used for classroom learning. Take advantage of the resources you can find on the internet to help guide you in finding and developing the knowledge you need.
3. Create a list of the aspects and key areas in your classroom resources that you want to develop. If you want to keep up with the , you need to make sure that your learning environment is also properly equipped to integrate it.
4. Take advantage of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook in order to expand the learning experiences of your students. You have to remember that learning should not only be confined to the four walls of the classroom.
5. The growing interest of people, particularly students, in the popularity of social networking sites, ipods, computer games, and the like is an excellent aspect of learning you can exploit if you want to be at par with the technological development happening all around you and maintain student interest.
6. But before you sign up to any social media platforms, you must first assess the capability of your classroom to host such changes as well as your personal proficiency in using computers or browsing the internet. Make sure you have access to technological gadgets like webcams, headsets, computers, and an internet connection.
7. Always keep yourself up to date with the latest computer innovations and applications so that you can take advantage of it in your teaching. Most students today are ‘technologically active’ and they might know a thing or two more than you do. Make sure you are at par with your students if you want to introduce communication technology in your classes; however, don’t be afraid to ask your students a question or two.
8. Whenever you are free, take time to learn more about the technological developments happening around you. Browse for newly introduced internet services or gadgets so you will know whether or not these can be integrated in your teaching.
9. Be creative and do not focus yourself on a single technological advancement like the internet. There are other ways you can keep up with technological developments and you should try to explore these options.
10. If you are not confident with your technological skills as a teacher, undergo training and skill development related to this particular subject area. There are many technology-related professional development courses that you can take that are either broad, as in “integrating technology in the classroom” or are specified to a certain technology, like “SMART Boards”.
What are some ways that you integrate technology into your classroom?
For more ways to integrate technology in the classroom, check out this guide 50 Ways to Integrate Technology in the Classroom, or visit the A+ Resumes for Teachers’ Store to see our other guides.
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