our differences. We are all human.
What a great lesson in people skills!
5. Technology Reinforces What the Students are Learning
There are some great ways to reinforce what your students are learning, both in non-tech as well as techie ways. A mixture of both is perfect. But for the technology side, here are some great ways to do it:
- Playing a game in which they need to remember facts that they learned. This can be as simple as a buzzer set. Or it can be as complex as a full on electronic quiz game.
- Gamification. This is a wonderful way to immerse the students in a game world that enhances their whole school day. And it such a great way to encourage the way they already think to make their school day fun. A great way to do this is with Classcraft. This is by far my favorite gamification app. It is one of the most well thought out ones on the market. And it was created by a teacher who knew what would work in the classroom.
- Recording a video allowing the kids to demonstrate what they have learned. This can be a quiz show format, a news story format, a narrative storytelling format, or even a drama format. It can be anything the kids can dream up.
- Showing educational videos that reinforce what they have learned.
There are so many other ways to do this. You will find them as you work on technology in your own life. Just try to keep an open mind about what can be done in the classroom, and they will pop up all the time in your own personal life experience!
6. Because There is More Information in Their Tablets Than in the Whole School
In a large number of schools in America, students have to carry their books, instruments, and other materials around school all day. It is daunting as well not physically advantageous for them. In some cases, younger students are struggling with back and shoulder issues from carrying around more weight on a regular basis than is healthy for them.
One great way to change this is to have a lot of their learning material on a tablet or Chromebook rather than several textbooks.
Of course, as traditional reader myself, I realize that there is no great substitute for a physical book. But in the case of the ability of technology to store huge amounts of information, technology earns its place in the school setting.
While I realize we can’t practically remove all textbooks from the classroom, or even a large number of them, there are things that teachers can do to help alleviate the carrying books around problem.
Some Great Solutions
The first thing they can do is make their homework not dependent on bringing home their textbooks. If they only need their binder or folder for paper homework, it helps a huge amount. Carrying around six or seven folders is way less work and stress on their bodies than carrying around six or seven textbooks.
Another great option is to keep a place in the classroom for everybody’s textbook. Even if you have several classes that meet throughout the day, having a space for those books prevents students from having to carry them around all day for that one class.
A third option would be worksheets that they can fill out online. Then they can do them at home without having to carry anything home. There are lots of different computer apps that allow you, students, and parents to access the material online. I am planning to do an article regarding this sometime in the near future.
7. Technology Helps Keep the Students Engaged With What They are Learning
Technology can help teachers to reinforce what they are teaching their students because most methods of technology are simply more memorable.
Technology appeals to multiple senses at once, which is a great way to learn things. So when the students are introduced to something in the classroom and it is followed up with activities that liven their senses, they can’t help but learn.
Of course, some students will respond better to some methods than others. But it is still universally true in the learning arena. Studies have proven that the more variety there is in learning, the more students are reached.
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