(Newswire.net — January 16, 2017) — Within the U.S. Department of Education, there’s a designated Office of Educational Technology (OET) that sets the policy and charts the vision for how to successfully incorporate tech advances into curriculums of all levels. According to the OET’s 2016 National Education Technology Plan, one of the strengths of tech-based learning is that it can foster authentic learning experiences, which are defined as “those that place learners in the context of real-world experiences and challenges.” Making the most of technology in the classroom ensures that lessons are more than just pages in a book or lines on a whiteboard; it brings them to life.
That being said, teachers need to juggle many responsibilities over the course of a workweek, and simply don’t have time for inefficient, time-consuming, or undependable technology. Looking out for learning technologies like Participate might help you gather the whole classroom together in some active learning. In order to even foster authentic learning experiences, first the logistics all have to line up. If you’re messing with a complicated setup or fumbling your way through technology created with a poor user design, that’s time that you’re not spending with your pupils. It is possible to attain the best of both worlds, provided that you scout out the right technology tools to benefit your classroom. Learn more about technologies that are particularly feasible to integrate into your lesson plans below:
Polling in the Classroom
Have you ever seen a student’s eyes glaze over in the middle of a PowerPoint presentation? Or witnessed the old texting-under-the-desk trick during a long afternoon of lectures? Classroom polling can take your presentations, discussions, and quizzes from passive to active with minimal work and equipment that you already have on hand.
How it works: You create a poll to generate questions, answers, or feedback, and then students utilize any device that’s enabled for web to participate, including a cell phone, laptop, or desktop computer. Answers display in real time for all to see, so the lesson remains highly interactive and engaging. It’s a convenient choice for educators due to the lack of extraneous equipment besides the web-enabled devices and presentation setups already on hand, and runs on a flexible subscription model so you can update the technology to suit your needs as you go.
Video Games for Learning
Video games have the potential to reach students in an interactive, engaging, and memorable way based on the advantages of the medium. They can also increase metacognitive function, or control over one’s thoughts and actions, which has been linked to improved academic learning. Of course, a distinction must still remain between purely entertaining games and learning games, and that’s why more thought and effort than ever is going into developing games that fill a learning niche for smooth integration in the classroom. Utilizing video games in your curriculum is a good way to fully channel the power of technology that many classrooms already have access to, whether in desktop, laptop, or tablet format. Since most games include a practical in-game tutorial, the only real burden of integration for educators is choosing and installing them properly.
Depending on what level and subject you’re teaching, the video games that work most effectively for your purposes will vary. The experts at Edutopia note that teachers themselves should understand different categories of games so they can choose the best fit, and include some suggestions for great places to start searching. Game attributes to consider include:
- Single- vs. multi-player
- Real-life vs. electronic
- Feedback vs. no feedback
- One-time vs. persistent games
- Thematic, storyline-driven games
Write About It
The old trope of a teacher perpetually shuffling a huge stack of papers every time an assignment is due can thankfully phase out, as streamlined technology emerges to help students unleash their inner creative writer, editor, and collaborator while teachers keep track of it all. Digital writing programs for classrooms like Write About focus on building a community around writing, so students can take pride in the process of publishing, commenting, and editing in a safe and controlled environment.
An intuitive user interface makes it easy to implement in the classroom at the free or paid level, and teachers can leave feedback directly through the program for students, not to mention preside over visibility settings and assignment prompts. Students can spend more time writing about high-interest topics and anticipating the publication of their piece than they do waffling on a topic and feeling as if the teacher is the only person who will ever read it, all thanks to their savvy teacher who ushered this technological outlet into the classroom.
With the right tech tools and a strategic implementation process, teachers can round out their curriculum without any extra hassle. This will go a long way in freeing up their time and energy for students, while still providing a stellar education that draws on old school and new school methods of learning.