Successful ways to incorporate Technology in the Classroom
Here we explore how technology can be successfully incorporated into the classroom environment.
Long-Term Planning
One of the key aspects of incorporating technology into the classroom is the understanding that technologies will continue to progress and advance over time. By creating a long-term plan which will accommodate future advances, school business managers and head teachers may be able to save the school significant amounts of money in the long term.
Investing heavily in a current technology without the means to upgrade or incorporate upcoming technologies can leave a school or academy stuck with outdated equipment.
Utilise the Full Functionality of New Technologies
When incorporating new technologies into the classroom, it is vital that your school researches the full capability and functionality of the technology. Determine how these capabilities could benefit the school and try to implement them into lesson plans. This could provide students with additional benefits and could increase the value of investment – making future ventures more attractive for the decision-makers.
For example, if your class has invested in an interactive whiteboard and projector there are numerous tools and websites to use in tandem:
– Brainpop
– Scholastic Interactive Whiteboard Activities
– Skype – For guest speakers and lecturers
It is also important to make sure students and faculty members receive sufficient training, so that they fully understand its functionality. Inspiring interest in the technology allows all concerned to grasp a wider understanding of the subject matter.
React to Problems not Trends
It is important to invest in technologies where necessary and beneficial for your school or academy, not in line with the latest trends or where competing schools are investing. Producing full reviews of school performances across all courses can help you better understand where the implementation of technologies will be most beneficial to the school and, most importantly, its students.
Conduct reviews of the technologies after they have been incorporated into the classroom to determine how they are benefitting the school and how they could possibly be improved upon. This will give the school a better idea how to incorporate similar technologies in the future.
Teach Digital Responsibility
Alongside the development of students’ skillsets and understanding of new technologies, it is always important to teach digital responsibility – especially with younger and teenage peer groups. Cyberbullying has been in the news increasingly over the last decade, making it even more important to educate students about the importance of respecting technology and other users of it.
This will help to reduce the chance of any negative activity being carried out on the school’s technology, helping to protect students and your investment.