Pedagogue Blog

The Internet is not just about consuming – it’s also about connecting. Forums and other forms of online social networking provide opportunities for educators to come together and commiserate, encourage, and share information.

Online social networking encompasses different online communities of people who share common interests. It allows members of that community to interact in a variety of ways. They can conduct live chats, or they can leave comments in blogs or discussion groups.

These communities are shaped by different profiles of individuals who link to each other. Each member of the community creates a personal profile that can include pictures, personal information, audio, and video files. Others can access this profile and can connect to it by requesting a friendship with the other member. Almost all of these social networks have security settings, so each member can accept or deny access to their information and profile.

An example of an online social network is Facebook. This is a worldwide tool that allows individuals to connect with friends, classmates, coworkers, and teachers. This network also includes a feature that allows you to look for individuals by name. Facebook is creating a worldwide network, connecting people around the world and allowing them to rediscover friends and family members not seen for years. Other examples of social networking sites include Tumblr and Google Plus. Teachers have taken advantage of these tools. Using Facebook, for example, they can develop small group projects, build a classroom community, and present discussion boards for students.

Something to be aware of is the fact that, when you become involved in online social networks, you are highly exposed to students and parents. Educators must be very careful not to have “inappropriate” profiles, pictures, or postings. A teacher cannot post personal opinions about students and must be very careful about the pictures they include in their profile and the kind of communication they have with students.

Communication and information access have also shifted. New online tools give teachers and students immediate access to millions of gigabytes of information, available in seconds. International news is heard and watched virtually live. One of the leaders of this change is YouTube, an online video clearinghouse, where any user can watch, upload, and share online videos. Almost any subject matter can be found in this site, from homemade video to footage captured by cell phones to comprehensive film productions.

E-portfolio or assessment tools allow students to store their work in web-based portfolios, so teachers and students can have access to it. This is also a feature included in blogs. Teachers can permit students to upload their work to the blogs for other students to watch and review. Students not only get the opportunity to publish their work, but they also get opinions from fellow students all over the world. Knowing that other classmates will be reading their work, students tend to invest more time and effort in their writing.

Online social networking is a massive opportunity to expand your network, pick up new tips and techniques, and find support and friendship. If you haven’t already, take some “you-time” to peruse the various social networking sites available to you and check out what they have to offer you as a teacher – and a person.

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The Internet is full of resources for teachers – time-management software, lesson plan ideas, and wealth upon wealth of informative websites. But the Internet isn’t just for educators – it’s chock full of tools for students, too. Below are some of the top three resources that modern technology can offer your pupils:

1. Drill-and-Practice Programs

These game-like programs function at different levels that students can progress through toward the final level. If a level has not been passed, the next level cannot be accessed. For educational purposes, this is created in such a way that the game cannot continue until a concept is mastered entirely. The concepts build from one level to the next. The learning of each level of the game prepares the student for the next level. This feature increases the fluency of a skill.

A different type of these drill-and-practice programs is called a “clicker.” These programs are basically response systems. Students enter the answers to the questions into a system, and they are automatically compiled and displayed for the teacher to see. This can be used for questions, competitions, discussion classes, and debates according to the answers.

2. Multimedia Software

Multimedia software allows users to create presentations with pictures, audio clips, videos, and even short movies. Imagine teaching history by showing a presentation of pictures and videos of the civil war, or teaching geography by exploring Google Maps with a projector, or watching an earthquake or a tornado developing in real time. As discussed earlier, these technology resources make classes richer and much more interesting to students. They can actually see that the lessons are real and that they are related to real-world problems and people. Multimedia resources can also be useful to present charts, graphs, and mind maps and project them for the whole class. Students can even provide feedback and re-create the concepts and diagrams after a class discussion. Resources such as these allow students to visualize concepts instead of passively listening to a lesson, leading to greater understanding.

GIS software applications are used to create, display, and manage geographic information digitally. This may seem costly, but, as mentioned, most city governments own this type of software, and the option of partnering with the schools is generally available. Such a partnership includes technical support and the resources for the school to take full advantage of the software, as well as the opportunity to work with experts and learn from them. Students can have access to unlimited project opportunities. Teachers can have access to a great amount of opportunities to include students in scientific environments otherwise inaccessible to them. These opportunities could include, for example, observation of how NASA experts take samples of water and find the pH level, temperature, oxygen dissolution, and contamination in just minutes. The software will also allow students to graph the data. Geography studies are also highly improved with this software.

3. Tutorials

As mentioned, these are educational software applications that provide instruction on a specific topic. The software generally includes visual materials and examples to present a certain concept, and then evaluates the student’s understanding after he or she is finished. Some tutorial subjects include different levels of evaluation, so until a specific concept is mastered, the program does not continue.

Online resources can fling your students’ education wide-open, especially if they have access at home. Learning is no longer limited to the walls of any building. Your students can delve into their education anytime, anywhere. The web lets your students take their learning worldwide.

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How do you know whether or not a website is a worthwhile resource? It can be hard to tell from a single glance if a website is valuable. If you’re considering using a certain site for information for yourself or as a potential site to point students toward but aren’t certain about the website’s value, try evaluating it across the following four categories:

1. Authoritativeness
 The author(s) are respected authorities in the field.
 The author(s) are knowledgeable.
 
The author(s) provide a list of credentials and/or educational background.
 The author(s) represent respected, credible institutions or organizations.
 Complete information on references (or sources) is provided.
 
Information for contacting the author(s) and webmaster is provided.

2. Comprehensiveness
 All facets of the subject are covered.
 Sufficient detail is provided at the site.
 Information provided is accurate.
 Political, ideological, and other biases are not evident.

3. Presentation
 Graphics serve an educational, rather than decorative, purpose.
 Links are provided to related sites.
 What icons stand for is clear and unambiguous.
 
The website loads quickly.
 The website is stable and seldom, if ever, nonfunctional.

4. Timeliness
 The original website was produced recently.
 The website is updated and/or revised regularly.
 Links given at the website are up-to-date and reliable.

Decide whether the site in question matches up against each characteristic in a way that’s poor, fair, or excellent. Tally up the score for each. For a website to be worth using, it should fall mostly in the “excellent” range, have some qualities that are “fair,” and have extremely few to, preferably, no “poor” tallies. You should also decide whether any of the categories and sub-characteristics are “make or break it” qualities. Figuring out ahead of time what you need from a site can help you determine whether any given source will actually give you what you need.

The Internet is a huge arena of resources, but sometimes, navigating it effectively can seem like a daunting task. How do you know what’s worth clicking on? Is a site really reliable? What sites have the best tools for you as a teacher?

Certain aspects of technology that are readily available for use by anyone can be put to very specific use by teachers. These are easy to use and can be of help for the general tasks teachers do as part of their job description, such as attendance forms, delivery of grading charts, and finding new resources.

This software can also be a timesaver for a variety of classroom tasks. Here are some of the software tools that can make a teacher’s life easier:

Time-Management Tools

These types of tools are basically calendar
software. They can be used to schedule your appointments, or you may want
to take advantage of more complex features. Some tools can be viewed online, so more than one student can access it. A teacher can arrange appointments or
make a note of due dates for assignments so that all students in their class can see. Most of these
tools allow the option to put some information in private mode and some in public mode, so the administrator can choose which calendars can be seen by everyone and which cannot. Most of
these tools include a feature allowing teachers to arrange meetings and groups.

Software Grade Books

This tool is basically a database that keeps records of student information. Teachers can enter contact information as well as grades. These kinds of tools provide valuable statistical information regarding grades, tests, and performance, giving the teacher a view of each student’s performance and learning progress.

Test Generator Software

With these tools, a teacher can create a database of different questions and tasks. The software will then construct tests from these questions. It can also create versions of the same test using different questions or ordering them differently.

Blogs

Derived from the term web logs, blogs are journals that are available online for any Internet user. Students can publish their photos and videos. The fact that their work is published online motivates students to care more about their work and make a greater effort on it. If the blogs are associated with the school, teachers must be certain to check the entries to ensure that no inappropriate content is posted and that copyright is not violated. Students should be tutored in correct blogging etiquette.

The World Wide Web is vast and variable, but the list above can give you a good place to start in your search for digital resources. For even more information on bringing media into the classroom, check out our other articles to sharpen your tech savvy up even more!

No matter what field or age range you teach, the World Wide Web offers innumerable resources for your classroom. Check out the list below to learn what the Internet can bring to bear on your subject and for tips on how to effectively apply technology to your curriculum.

Mathematics

Productivity tools such as Excel can be useful when introducing math to students. Excel spreadsheets offer a wide variety of features that can save time, leaving more time to focus on thinking and analyzing data. Excel allows users to introduce data in the spreadsheet, perform complex mathematical and statistical calculations, and display information visually using graphs. It allows you to choose the type of graph and how to organize data. It also has powerful programming capabilities that may remove the need for performing repetitive tasks on different data sets. Other features of Excel focus on data organization, and various filters can be applied to the data, which allows the information to be easily displayed in different formats, depending on the topic for discussion.

The Internet can also be useful for math teachers. Tutorials can be useful when presenting a new concept. Tutorials are software applications designed to provide instruction on a specific topic. They deliver small amounts of information in a sequential manner that can be paced according to the learner, allowing each student to adapt this to his or her needs. Tutorials also check for understanding throughout the process to ensure the learner has mastered the concept by the end of the presentation. In opposition to drill-and-practice applications, tutorials provide teachers with tools for individualizing instruction and monitoring student progress.

Foreign Languages

The Internet is an almost infinite resource for foreign language education. Thousands of Web sites offer resources, dictionaries, and articles written by natives for different levels of learning. Some sites are also interactive. Students can practice exercises on the site and will receive immediate feedback on the mistakes made and how to correct them. There are also online communities of students and teachers for all languages. This gives an extra dimension to language acquisition—sharing ideas, thoughts, and resources, and even engaging in dialogue with native speakers. The Internet also provides resources that, due to cost or distance, would be impossible to access: foreign language publications, including newspapers and magazines, and access to different cultural institutions of the country. Note that caution must be used when using information found on the Internet.

Teachers can take advantage of numerous sites that offer lesson plans, interactive activities, dictionaries, vocabulary and grammar resources, virtual tours, articles, and book publications, as well as discussion forums that can introduce interesting debates in the classroom. These resources and applications allow students to be creative while teaching them to be flexible and adapt to changes. Rural students who may not have access to formal foreign language teaching can still have access to a foreign language by doing online courses, using materials and resources provided by the institution offering the course. Alternatively, they can form study groups, get connected with a teacher, and work together online as a class.

Science

Various applications of technology can be useful in teaching science. As mentioned previously, online tutorials are useful in almost any topic. For science, it can be particularly interesting to introduce presentations to the class, including pictures, videos, and other media to tie the lesson more closely to the real world and make it more interesting for the students. Simulation software can be applied to science. This application allows students and teachers to generate dynamic presentations of a given topic or to explore a concept as if they were living in the field. To name just a few possible examples, students could take a “field trip” to space, or they could voyage through the human body, experience an active tornado or volcano from the inside, or visit foreign countries and tourist destinations.

Technological equipment offered by government organizations are also important tools that schools can use in the classroom. Most city governments own geographic information systems (GIS) software and are interested in partnering with local schools to share expertise, technical knowledge, and equipment. These partnerships allow students to see how experts work in real-world jobs, and for some projects, they can even participate. Classes can be much richer when these resources are tied to the activities. Devices such as digital microscopes, which allow sample collection, and databases from NASA are just some resources that students can use.

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program aims to foster collaboration between students and scientists (Green, et al., 2008). GLOBE allows students to collaborate with mentor scientists who answer questions, help the students analyze data, and place measurements in the context of global environmental issues. Students and teachers work in the classroom collecting data. They enter this into a computer that aggregates the data of all students and returns analyses of all the information. After this, students interpret the results and understand the development based on their own experiments.

Social Studies

Digital resources are very important in promoting inquiry-based learning in social studies. Research skills are essential for historical research and learning. There are also specific sources for social science subjects, including an enormous amount of digitized documents available on the Internet that cannot be accessed as books.

Simulation software plays an important role here as well. Virtual field trips can be taken to historical locations, museums, or the country being studied, many of which would be impossible, or very difficult, to undertake otherwise. This connection with historical elements makes students feel that the lesson they are studying is connected to their lives. With this particular software, a class can even travel in time, going to a specific time period and seeing what life was like in the past.

Besides virtual trips, simulation software also allows the class to be a part of the problem they are studying. An example is Decisions, Decisions: Local Government, a simulation game in which users assume the role of the mayor of a community facing a problem. The main activity is to make decisions and then see how the software reacts to it. The software presents the students with the results. With this tool, students can achieve a deeper understanding of social issues and feel more involved with them. They may also get a better understanding of how society works by making decisions by themselves, and experiencing the consequences. Technology fosters the use of real-world problems in the classroom, promotes interactivity, and encourages cooperative education.

Technology multiplies your pedagogical options by several orders of magnitude. Take some time and browse what’s out there! While it may seem counterintuitive, surfing the net can really pay off for you and your students, as long as you know how to use technology to delve deeper into a subject, instead of distract. Look over the examples here as often as you need to make sure you’re on top of making the most of the information age!

Modern technology offers a plethora of cognitive tools for implementation in your classroom. You’re likely familiar with pedagogical tools and teaching resources, but you may also be wondering what exactly a “cognitive tool” is.

Cognitive tools are tools that, when used outside of the classroom, play a role in productivity. They include word-processing programs, spreadsheets, and e-mail programs. Applied to the classroom, these become cognitive tools, because they improve the learning process, enhancing thinking and understanding. Let’s look at some examples:

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are screens that are divided into rows and columns, and are supplied in programs that have mathematical and statistical computational capabilities. This information can also be used to generate graphical data from the numerical data. Spreadsheet analysis programs are provided with a wide range of formulas that allow many functions, some of which resemble low-level programming, while others are complex mathematical functions. Both of these functions can be used to assist students with learning. Spreadsheets require the prior collection of data, which may be obtained from various real-life or online sources. Real-life sources could be data from a student’s bank account showing how much money the student earned, received, or spent in a month. Or a group of students could collect data while conducting a study on how many cars come in and out of the school parking lot in a month. T

he data would need to be organized into a row- and-column format to make use of the analytical capabilities of the spreadsheet. This skill in itself is useful in showing students how to identify which data is important and how to arrange it. Analysis could be largely automated through familiarization with the various formulas available within the program. Further familiarization with the program would allow students to be able to take their data and convert it into a graphical or visual format, making it meaningful, relevant, and interesting to other students. This could also reduce the work required of the teacher, who could design the exercises so that the correct arrangement of data, formulas, or analysis is crucial in allowing the graphs to appear correctly, thus allowing them to quickly identify students who require additional assistance.

Databases

Another cognitive tool that’s very useful in statistical analysis is a database, which is a vastly more powerful tool than a spreadsheet. Databases are larger, more robust stores of data, but are generally built on a more advanced programming platform than spreadsheets. Whereas spreadsheets store single items of data, databases can store information regarding how the data has been changed, and can link items of data together to form data relationships. Databases allow much larger stores of information to be created, as well as allowing multiple students to access them and make changes over a period of time, keeping a history of those changes for future use.

Word-Processing Programs

These have many advantages over paper and pencil. Editing is a lot less tedious, as you can change the document while you work on it without having to erase and start over. Some word-processing programs offer students the option of group activities, so that the group can all work on the same document.

Desktop Publishing and Multimedia

These programs allow users to combine text elements with audiovisual information, such as graphics, videos, audio clips, animations, and other display and design elements. Students who learn with these options become competent in constructing and delivering a complete document that includes videos, audio, and graphic information as well as text.

Most of the programs mentioned here now come standard with laptops and desktop computer software. If you’re curious about how to best implement these cognitive tools in your classroom, read on in future articles about how to best apply technology to your curriculum.

The World Wide Web can be a powerful tool for educators. The Internet is thick with informational resources, sample demonstrations, and primary source sites. You probably use the Internet every day in your personal life, but have you really sat down to consider what the Web could do for you as an educator?

The Internet is the connection among computers connected to various networks around the globe. These connections allow the sharing of information. Many classrooms use the Internet every day, as a communication tool, as a meeting board, and to conduct research. The Internet has the potential to be used for the enhancement of classroom activities. Teachers can create discussion boards online, where students can upload their thoughts and ideas to provide feedback regarding different activities. All the documents used in class can be uploaded to the same system, and the whole class has access to it. Teachers can see how the different groups are developing their activities and even track learning progress for each student.

The Internet is an excellent research tool if used correctly. Teachers and students alike need to know how to determine whether information is reliable and to become aware of issues such as copyright infringement and intellectual property, to ensure that they don’t incur any unnecessary litigation. Developing research skills is an integral part of subjects such as social studies. In general, all the information needed for a specific lesson can’t be found at one source. Knowing how to find different sources of information, and different points of view on the same subject, is an important part of today’s instruction. The Internet can also be used to facilitate foreign language acquisition, with an extensive variety of online resources, including exercises that give immediate feedback on performance results.

Compile a list of websites that you find most informative. Some of the sites can be for your own edification and for purposes of compiling lesson plans, and some of the sites can even be links to pass on to your students for their own perusal. There’s an entire world out there waiting behind a screen – don’t be afraid to go and access it!

Words like “technology,” “digital devices,” and “modern media” sound flashy and attractive. Of course teachers want to have those buzzwords in the classroom! But when it comes from moving to virtual reality to concrete curriculum, what does introducing technology in the classroom actually look like? What do all those buzzwords really mean?

Technology-focused education is based on a constructivist approach to learning. As described earlier, the teacher in a technologically advanced classroom is seen as a facilitator rather than a pure instructor. A teacher’s function is to help students use the technological resources appropriately to find the information rather than presenting it to them. Students need to learn how to find the information they need and take ownership of their own learning. Working in small groups is also a crucial factor in acquiring these skills. Small-group instruction versus massive class instruction provides opportunity to develop a group dynamic, to make group decisions, and to share knowledge. Classes working under these principles promote cooperative rather than competitive group dynamics.

The degree of ease with which you’ll incorporate technology into your teaching methods will depend on how much technology you’ve been exposed to during the course of your life. You may have grown up in a home where a computer was used every day, or attended a school where learning was predominantly based on technology. Teachers who are less familiar with technology and have used traditional methods of teaching can also incorporate technology into their classes without having to change their entire teaching system. Teachers in schools commonly communicate via e-mail and text messages, incorporate the Internet into lessons, and encourage the use of productivity tools such as Microsoft Excel and Word.

This method of teaching also changes the way educators assess knowledge. The fact that students play an active part in knowledge acquisition implies a better understanding of the content provided. Formative assessment in this model of teaching becomes more important than ever, and teacher feedback is a crucial part of the process in order for students to achieve the content learning goals of the lesson.

If you’re interested in learning more about the ways that you can capitalize on today’s modern inventions to bolster your teaching, take some time to look through our other articles on specific resources available out there in realm of hardware and software.

Cell phones: good or bad? There’s no denying they’ve made modern life much more convenient. Communication happens at the drop of a hat – or at the click of a button. However, the instant gratification can make cell phones a little too attractive, making it hard for students to let go and focus on learning.

In our increasingly technological society, teachers have to deal with the fact that students as young as seven own cell phones, and many bring them to school. Some schools initially banned cell phones, but with the multitude of tragedies that have happened over the last decade, many have changed their policy. Also, parents pushed for the change, insisting their children needed to use their cell phones to reach them after school hours and to schedule rides. Many schools have now lifted their bans on cell phones.

Unfortunately, while restrictions on cell phone use have either been lifted or relaxed by most school districts, the distractions caused by cell phones and smart phones have increased. This is partly because the cell phones of today allow users to do much more than they could in the past. In addition to texting and making calls, students can take pictures, record short videos, play games, surf the Net, and more.

As a teacher, you’ll undoubtedly have problems with students abusing cell phones by texting each other during class, sending answers to exam questions, and harassing and bullying classmates. Because of this, you’ll need to impose strict rules to combat these issues. Your school may already have rules in place concerning cell phones that they require all teachers to adhere to. If it doesn’t, consider implementing the following rules in your classroom:

• Students who are caught using a cell phone in the classroom without permission will have points deducted from their class participation score.
• Students who are caught using a cell phone during a test will receive a one- or two-grade deduction from their test score.
• Students must place their cell phones in a basket at the beginning of class. When class is over, they can retrieve their phones.

Cell phones in the classroom are not all bad, because they can be used as powerful teaching tools. Many feature multifunction calculators that can be used during math and science classes. The camera can be used to take wonderful photos, and the video feature can be used to take short videos. If your school does not have laptops available for classroom use, students can use the Internet browser on their phone to search for valuable information or to complete complex projects. Students can even use a dictionary app.

The cell phone can be a powerful distraction or an educational tool. You have to decide which it will be in your classroom. Make sure that you explain the school’s policy on cell phones at the beginning of the year. In the absence of formal school rules, you can make your own. Take advantage of this powerful teaching tool, but don’t let it distract your students.

As much progress as technology can help a classroom make, it isn’t always a positive force. There are some drawbacks to trying to introduce technology into classrooms, even when the implementation is done in the most thoughtful and well planned out of ways.

Most dramatic shifts in how humans act and interact are accompanied by difficulties, especially at the outset. Though these difficulties may not outweigh the benefits of the new paradigm, they are nevertheless real. Technology in schools is no exception. Some of the problems associated with technology are mechanical: we all have memories of a teacher struggling to get a projector or program to work, or of losing a week’s work on a project because of a glitch in a system. Other problems may be less obvious.

Many schools must deal not only with students who lack access to technology, but also with those who have too much access. Some students spend most of their free time at home playing computer games, surfing the Internet, or texting on their cell phones. This obsession with technologically based entertainment spills over into the school environment. Teachers must be aware of students who are surreptitiously playing games on cell phones or tablets in the classroom, who are using school computer time to communicate with friends, or who are not getting the social contact or exercise they need because they are hunched over their device at every free moment. See the accompanying “Survival Tips” for help with students and cell phones.

Another difficulty is that the World Wide Web contains not only beneficial information, but also information that may be harmful. Young people may not have the skills or desire to filter out the negative elements from the positive. As a teacher, you should be aware of this and should make an effort to tutor children in possible danger areas on the Internet: chat rooms, sexual trolls, and so on.

Just as you as a teacher must do your research on how to best extract benefits from technology, you must also do your homework when it comes to being prepared to combat the negative impact technology can have. Make sure you’re equipped to handle not just the best, but also the worst of what happens when the modern age comes to school.

Educators – how do you deal with the difficulties of seamlessly incorporating technology and teaching?

What does successful implementation of technology look like in the real world? Below are three of the current leaders in bringing the modern digital age into the school environment with booming success.

1. The New Technology High School Model Movement
The New Technology High School Model movement began in Napa, California in 1996. The movement had its origins in California, but Indiana has been especially active in promoting the New Tech Model. These school districts claimed they needed to change their existing high school model; they wanted to change the whole high school experience for their students. This model is now being implemented in several schools and is an example of an entire structure of schooling transformed by technology. 
The goal of New Tech is to use group- and project-based learning to generate problem-solving and discussion skills. It’s the result of an effort to give students the necessary tools to face the reality of the changing contemporary job market. Students at New Tech schools study by doing research about specific problems in the world, and they have to deliver a production based on what they have learned. At New Tech schools, you will not find classrooms with a teacher talking to a silent listening class. Group learning is an important part of this model. Teachers encourage group learning and become coaches of this learning process, rather than instructors giving a lecture. See the Professional Crossroads for an example of a teacher who incorporated the New Tech model into her classes.

2. WebQuest
WebQuest is a method for students to research using the Internet. It was developed by Bernie Dodge of San Diego University. This method includes a wide array of learning activities designed for students to develop research skills. The goal is to find all the information they need from the Internet. Through different assignments students learn to find useful and accurate information from the Internet. They are required to do research during classes and outside school, working together in groups, which encourages cooperation and making group decisions. Dodge found that students who used WebQuest were much more involved with the subject they were researching and asked more complex questions. This led to a better understanding of the issue being studied. It’s important to note that the main factor was not the technology itself, but how well technology resources were used

3. Project CHILD
Project CHILD (Computers Helping Instruction and Learning Development), which is based on research conducted by Florida State University, demonstrates how teachers can incorporate technology into common teaching practices. The program is designed for children from kindergarten through fifth grade, and emphasizes reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. Teachers work in cluster teams consisting of three individuals, each focusing on one subject area: reading, writing, or math. Students receive instruction from the teacher and rotate through three stations to complete the work: computer station, textbook station, and activity station; all the while using technology, paper and pencil, and hands-on work. A fourth station is used for small-group tutorials or assistance for individuals. The advantages of this type of program are that students receive the same amount of time in different areas of work, and this allows teachers to individualize instruction. And the teacher isn’t the only source of knowledge, permitting students to get different points of view and learning from information sources as well as from each other.

Do any of these stories resonate with you? Do any provide an example you could follow in your own teaching? Don’t be afraid to try out what others have already found to work. Look around for other success stories for inspiration. Let others’ success help move you and your students forward too!

Can bringing technology into your classroom really have positive results? What benefits could these modern resources hold? What would digital progress in school even look like?

Many teachers have indeed successfully introduced technology into their curriculum. Careful planning have yielded a slew of positive results, including:

1. The classroom turned toward student participation and cooperation.

2. Students became increasingly involved in the activities.

3. Technology-focused activities produced critical thinking and deeper understanding.

4. New technologies provided new ways for teachers and students to stay connected, being able to 
give and receive feedback and coaching during homework activities.

5. The Internet allowed students to be in touch with real-world problems. For example, they could study global warming by looking online at different climates from around the globe. This was especially important for isolated schools or rural schools that didn’t have access to the same information resources as an urban school.

Several business software tools are helpful in performing classroom activities. To use technology successfully for classroom activities, it’s important to keep the following in mind:

1. Everyday technology tools can be used in the classroom for educational purposes. It’s not essential to use applications that have been specifically designed for education. This may include the use of cloud-based software that allows students the freedom of accessing material from their own devices.

2. Using a task-oriented approach requires you to consider which application to use after the lesson activity has been set. It’s better to first know what you want to do and then use the tool that best suits the task.

3. Various elements of technology are useful for various aspects of the curriculum. Data gathering may be easier with video recorders or digital cameras, whereas data analysis will be easier with spreadsheets or database software. Knowing what’s available and suitable is important for every teacher.

4. Developing interdisciplinary activities will mix traditional educational tools with technological applications. Sometimes it’s better for students to carry out the task without the aid of technology to teach them certain elements of theory. After they’ve grasped the underlying concept, they may start to apply technology. For example, geography students may learn how to read contours on a paper map and then use a computer to explore various mountains and valleys across the globe using their new understanding.

When planning your daily lesson plans, consider whether the concepts being taught could be better illustrated or in any way augmented with the use of technology. Will multimedia options help drive the point home, or will using extra technology only distract from the main lesson? With conscientious implementation, media resources can help your teaching to flourish and your students to thrive.