It’s undeniable; technology has allowed teachers to take their lesson planning & organization to a new level. As this school year gets underway, there are some fun and creative ways to engage your students both in the classroom and at home. Here are 3 practical ways that you can implement technology to further learning and participation.
-
Blogging
Creating a blog for your classes can be a perfect resource for teachers, students and parents. This online environment allows teachers to not only reduce their paperwork, but create a space where students and parents can go to see the latest assignments and updates. This digital space can also be used for collecting assignments as well. Teachers can post additional content that students can use to as an additional source to refer to outside of the classroom. Students can respond to open ended questions and engage in a conversation with classmates. Initially, you must set ground rules and you may even want to set up the blog in the classroom to teach students how the blog should be used and to communicate your expectations. To learn more about implementing blogs into your teaching practices, visit Teaching with Blogs.
-
Podcasts
There are a few different routes that you can go with podcasting. You can choose to record your lessons and upload them for students to review at a later time, especially as a resource to go over material before an assessment. Other teachers can also be inspired by your lessons simply by tuning in to listen to your latest podcast. Students can also experiment with leading the podcast to as a way to use multimedia when presenting a project. As a classroom trend, you may want to experiment with this tool and use it to your advantage to encourage engagement and creativity among students. For more information about using podcasting as a teaching tool, read this article by the Professional Learning Board.
-
Infographics
Are you familiar with this phenomenon? Display statistics that you can discuss to introduce a lesson or topic. With a fun graphic you can create a stunning visual that will keep students engaged and give them a resource that they can refer back to throughout the lesson. Try creating infographics for free with Canva, they even have templates just for teachers!
How are you embracing technology in teaching? What other technological tools do you use to enhance your teaching?