Digital Native, Net Generation, New Millennials - these are just a few monikers for people growing up in the digital age. Let's face it, technology to todays youth is as normal as eating, walking, BREATHING. With that in mind, shouldn't technology be thoughtfully infused into the classroom? The operative word here is "infuse". In the article "Saving Time with Technology" Kristine Gullen & Holly Zimmerman shine a spotlight on a few ways that technology can be used to produce positive results.
Here is what every teacher needs to keep in mind: technology needs to be used as a tool to enhance instruction and build engagement, not replace a lesson or practice which could cause students to lose focus and get off task. Perhaps this is why some teachers are wary to embrace technology. That, or they're daunted by the seemingly complex nature of certain programs and/or they're intimidated and burdened by having to learn something new when they find the blackboard will suffice. Either way, there is a great disparity between those for and those against technology in the classroom.
I, for one, am for it. There are a variety of apps and websites that assist teachers with organizing class activities, creating group projects, and assessments. Gullen and Zimmerman point out a website, Socrative.com, that gives a teacher a quick way to formatively assess what her students' comprehension is on, say, the previous nights reading assignment, by having the students answer a few questions and send them to her electronically (through phones, laptops, tablets). A spread sheet is generated by those answers and immediately gives the teacher a clear indication of what her students didn't understand and therefore is able to focus the day's lesson accordingly in order for her students to be able to "synthesize" and think critically about the material.
"Flipping" is another approach, but I'm not entirely sold on it. It requires a good amount of time and is, in essence, doing double the work because the teacher is teaching the lesson twice (once in the classroom, and also pre-recorded and posted on YouTube or a private website the students can access). I do, however, see how this could be beneficial for lower learning students, or students who didn't understand the lesson the first time around.
I'm a huge fan of Google Docs for feedback and editing sessions. I use it in my professional writing work because it's simple, direct, efficient and fast. How could this not benefit students and teachers? Also, with the enormous amount of illegible handwriting that would make a doctor's prescription pad blush - by teachers and students alike - it's far more efficient for both to read typed notes and papers. You can even offer extra credit for typed papers! Now, you tell me that isn't motivating for students and makes grading easier?
So, back to our operative word: infuse. In order for technology to be successful in the classroom, teachers shouldn't replace their lessons with it but rather "find new ways to enhance practices, leveraging technology's ability to help them connect, collaborate, and enrich".
iPads in the Classroom
