Top Technology Tips for Teachers

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Teachers taking their first tentative steps into the world of education may be a little overwhelmed at first at the prospect of facing a classroom of young learners, all relying on their imagination and resourcefulness to take them to the next stage in their lives.

On top of this, there will be school policies and curriculums to adhere to, new colleagues and perhaps a few ‘class management’ issues to contend with too. So it suffices to say that a teacher’s job has its fair share of challenges.

However, this is counteracted with the many rewarding facets of the profession, including working with lots of adorable young people, eager to hang on the teacher’s every word and learn many valuable lessons that extend well beyond the confines of their textbooks.

Teachers in the modern digital era are lucky, however, in that they have a myriad of tools to tap into that can make their jobs just that little bit easier. Whilst there are a whole host of interactive multimedia tools available to help teachers in the classroom, the wider technological sphere can be used to their advantage outside the classroom too.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace weren’t developed for the sole purpose of helping friends keep in touch. They are fantastic forums for teachers to connect and collaborate with other educators around the globe.

Twitter is one of the latest social networking tools to take the world by storm and it’s incredibly simple to use. Teachers can develop a personal learning network (PLN) on Twitter, and connect with other teachers who specialise in the same subject area, and best practices, tips and tricks can be shared with ease across the international online community.

There are differing opinions on whether children using technology is a good thing in the home, with games consoles, computers and multimedia devices replacing more conventional forms of personal development tools. The fact is, however, they are there and they can’t be ignored. Children who are switched on to technology at home may become bored in the classroom if presented with a simple textbook, so it’s important to engage the children as much as possible – this will make the learning process a whole lot easier. Teachers can keep a folder of ‘bookmarked’ websites containing problem-solving puzzles or other educational, interactive media sites, which are ideal for filling any spare time throughout the day.

Similarly, the link between home and school is crucial. Young learners shouldn’t switch off when they leave the classroom, they should continue to learn at home too. If a teacher was to build a simple website containing things such as classroom policies, homework, newsletters, calendars and topics covered in class, parents will be better positioned to engage with their children and take an active role in their kids’ development.

So teachers shouldn’t rely solely on classroom-specific technology such as interactive whiteboards and learner response systems to advance their pupils’ learning. The wonders of modern technology extend beyond the four walls of the class and teachers should be using them to their full advantage.

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