Technology in Education

By Ryan Crawley

Educators are changing up the way that they are teaching. The image of a teacher standing in front of the classroom and lecturing while students sit quietly at their seat taking notes is a thing of the past. Technology in the classroom is changing teaching styles across the world. At the same time, it is enabling the students to learn skills that they need for gaining a 21st-century education.
 
A number of schools now have a 1:1 technology initiative in their district. Schools have been making expensive upgrades in an effort to have more high-tech classrooms. According to EdSurge, 83 percent of schools now have adequate wifi to support 1:1 learning environments (a computer device for every student). Back in 2013, only 25 percent of all schools could make that claim. With this huge leap, we can’t be too far away from having digital textbooks replace those hardcover antiques that litter all classrooms across the world.
 
If you are a teacher that is not on board with the 'technology in the classroom' movement yet, then you are not only preventing yourself from learning new skills, but you are not preparing your students adequately. It can be a bit scary entering the unknown, so find a tech mentor somewhere in your school to educate you on the basics. Listed below are some easy ways to integrate technology with all grade levels and content areas.

PowerPoint Presentations
There are other presentation programs that will do just fine (Google Slides, Keynote, etc…) besides Powerpoint. Presentation slides can simplify subjects to just the most important information. Teachers and their students can create these presentations for the class on any subject area. Teaching straight out of the textbook is the surefire way to bore your students and lose your audience.

Once you start building all your presentation files to incorporate the content you cover during the school year; you can use them again and again. The subjects of History and Science are tailor-made for slide presentations that can narrow down the parts that you would like the students to memorize. With these presentations, collaborative learning and discussions can take the place of a teacher lecturing.

College courses always make the students present on different topics, so might as well start them early and provide them with the knowledge needed to enliven their presentations with technology. The days of standing in front of the class with posters and pictures are long gone.

Video Clips
Today’s students have shorter attention spans than ever. But you can’t just blame the children; even adults have trouble concentrating for long periods of time. However, incorporating technology into your teaching style is a sure way to have them pay close attention.

All students learn a bit differently. Interesting video clips can ensure the students’ understanding of a subject better than just out of the textbook alone. Any teacher that teaches straight out of the textbook is going to lose their students nowadays. Videos are supplemental material that needs to be used in the classroom for several reasons.
 
Almost every classroom now has a projector and a screen of some sort. Finding video clips that go along with your lesson has never been easier. There is no longer a need to go hunting for videos at the library. Do a quick internet search for videos on your topic and you will be amazed at some of the quality educational videos that are available for free.

Smartboard
Most classrooms today are equipped with a Smartboard or something similar. Basically, in case you are not familiar with Smartboards, they are interactive whiteboards. The screen is a touch screen and connected to the computer on your desk. In addition, you can write on the screen, just like a normal whiteboard. There are available websites where interactive lessons are already created and separated by grade level and subject area.

Anything that you find on the internet can be projected on the interactive whiteboard for the whole class. You are no longer attached to your desk when displaying your computer screen. You can be up and teaching in front of the class, instead of having to stay within a couple feet of your desk. The students can be called upon to complete lessons on the board as well. They love having the opportunity to get out of their seat and use the Smartboard in front of the class.

Podcasts
Podcasting is sort of a new technology that has exploded over the last few years. It’s basically recorded audio shows or lessons. It is possible to find a podcast online about what you are currently teaching in the classroom. There are millions of downloadable podcasts out there. You may have to listen to a few before you find the best suitable one for your students.

The real fun is having your students make their own podcasts on what they are learning in class. Or even an audio class diary for students that are absent or just as a review of what has been covered. These are simple things to do, and will make the students use their summarization skills in completing these projects.

iMovie
The iMovie application, or something similar, can give the teacher and the students the ability to make videographies, documentaries, student films, and amazing presentations. By inserting pictures into your movie, you can then add in your own dialogue, special effects, credits, and many other interesting things.

An easy way to begin using iMovie in the classroom is having the students each pick out an important historical figure. They then do all the research on this person, create an outline using a document program on your devices, and end the assignment with their own iMovie documentary on their important figure in history. Displaying each of these documentaries in the class will educate the students, and enable them to see what their classmates can do with iMovie, also.


Ryan Crawley is a writer/educator from Illinois. Born into a family of eleven, he spent most of his childhood watching old reruns of Three's Company and Happy Days. He has his Masters in Reading and Literacy, and is a certified Reading Specialist. He spends his free time writing, working out, and hanging with his two dogs Flair and Smoosh Face.