There are, in total, four stakeholders in the realm of education, namely teachers, administrators, parents and students. They make decisions which directly affect the quality of education students receive. Teachers are considered the second most important link in the process of education and need to be the best in what they do to provide for the students.
On the other hand, teachers are also usually hesitant to incorporate technology into their curriculum. This is because many of them do not receive the support which helps them with a smooth transition from traditional to new methods of teaching. These substantial changes, which involve change in the tools which teachers use for teaching, must be encouraged and nurtured for a stronger foundation; this prepares them for future scenarios.
Partnering with education consulting firms that provide plenty of instructional support can be a good starting step to understand the role of technology in today’s learning environment, and also to help educators as well as administrators to integrate the older systems with the newer ones. Clearly new developments are being made everyday in the realm of educational technology. Smart classrooms are on the rise and educomp devices are increasingly making their ways into classrooms. However, some educational interfaces are not user friendly, or are too complex to handle. Therefore, the incessant need of training for any new technology, which is usually in the form of a thick user-manual, can be stressful for the teaching staff.
In order for students to utilize technology effectively and accomplish their goals, they must have teachers who introduce them to technology and make them technologically literate. However, it is incorrectly assumed that one must be technological guru or a well-versed techie to teach with the help of technology; this is not the case.
Instead of emphasizing on learning how to use the technology, companies which create smart education solutions must keep in mind to make interfaces as user-friendly as possible. All stake holders, especially teacher and students, must be able to use educational devices with ease.
As Einstein said,
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
So, while companies are busy improving their technology’s usability, there are some things a teacher might do to progress the situation; they must update oneself with basics like how to run a computer. Smart teaching is key and educators must grow continuously and consistently to get a hang of technology in order to reap the benefits it provides within the classroom. This holds true especially in the modern school setup. Without any growth in regard to this area, educators quickly meet stagnation in schools and universities. When parents look for a school to enrol their child in, they expect it to have all the modern facilities, as well as staff literacy to handle said facilities and teach them to students as well. If a private school were to try and spread the word about their world-class, technologically sound teaching methodologies with help from firms such as Nick Laiuppa Marketing, for example, there should be substantive evidence to back these claims too.
Consistent growth is a major component in becoming and remaining a success educator.
To become a more technologically sound educator, below are some suggestions for you to keep abreast with new developments and remain well equipped with modern educational technology:
Get comfortable:
Teachers, you must acknowledge that you, personally, use some form of technology to make your personal lives easier. If that is so, you must become comfortable using progressive technology in the classroom as well. It should get easier for you to execute daily tasks via technology; be it taking attendance, making a lesson plan, teaching a lesson or conducting a test. Beginning by performing daily tasks like sending emails or surfing the internet shall help you broaden your horizons. This process of using technology to perform tasks, sets you apart from the rest and thus sets an example for everyone to look up to.
Handle new technologies:
As the years progress, the sophistication in technology progresses as well. For example, eins.ai technology is first of its kind to provide interactive and collaborative learning platforms for teachers and students. It is a new age sophisticated technology which powers Spark devices. So, as an educator, you should make it a point to explore new technologies which makes your task, which is teaching, easier for you. Go to technological fairs, encourage other teachers to join you to check out new teaching products or have your institution’s administration do so. Get hands-on experience and figure out if the devices and the apps on those devices can benefit your classroom in some manner.
Pitch requirements to Admin:
As a teacher, you probably have specific requirements in your class. Some of your colleagues probably share more than half of those requirements. However, since hardly any teacher points these requirements out, the school’s administration needs your perspective to help them in choosing the best educational technology for the school. Sit down and make a list of things you think that technology can help you out with. Tech-savvy educators are always on the lookout for events and programs that will be beneficial for them and their students. Reach out to an administration member and voice your concerns. The more vocal you become about the devices you need in your classroom, the easier it will become for the administration to help you and in turn for you to help your students.
Get perspective:
Now that you have listed out your requirements as a teacher and communicated them with the concerned team, try getting the requirements of your students and their parents on that list as well. Try thinking from the perspective of the other stakeholders in your process. The students would probably want a smart board, or a personal tablet via which they can contribute to the lesson that you are teaching, which means the board should be multi-touch enabled. If your student is absent, but the parent is worried about him or her missing out on class, the technology in your classroom can allow the student to join your class remotely. Spark products, which are enabled by eins.ai technology, can help you with such concerns from their perspectives.
Give feedback:
Suppose you were successful in attaining the educational technology of your choice for your classroom or already have a learning technology in place, but there are suggestions for improvements in the device you are using in the classroom. You can intimate the administration and they can convey your ideas, since you’re the fist-hand user of the product, to the providers of the technology. Developers, in any company, are always working towards bettering interfaces and tools in their apps and devices so that users like you can make smooth progress in your curriculum. If you have their contacts, you can mail your feedback to them directly.
Curated content:
As a mentor, you are always wondering if internet is safe to use in the classroom considering the number of advertisements and the amount of unsolicited information floating around; your concern is valid. However, some educational technologies, like eins.ai, have built-in algorithms which filter out irrelevant content and allows only relevant content to be circulated; enabling you as an educator to use internet freely in class. You can login on EinsClass and access internet live in the classroom for videos and images to explain concepts better, sans all the stress. The easier a technology makes it for you to teach your class in a safe environment, the worthier it becomes in the academic arena. Curated content is number one priority for products powered by eins.ai.
Yay or nay:
With practice, you become perfect. This holds true for every human, especially if you’re a teacher who’s trying to become more technologically sound. However, your practice has a limit as you have a ton on your plate. Any technology meant for a classroom scenario should ensure ease of use and engagement; the more you use it the more it fits into your routine. Any quality app or program or device shouldn’t take your weeks and months to figure it out; that’s not a job well done from the manufacturer’s side. A decluttered and user-friendly interface is one such important feature to look out for. You should be able to determine how technology blends into your classroom setup; how you and your students are benefitting from it while gaining greater familiarity with the device and its operations. A rule of thumb is, the more user-friendly, engaging and collaborative your interface is for you, the harder the company has worked on making it a state-of-the-art educational product.
Consistent growth is a vital part of an educator’s identity, particularly if you are working in a technologically ambitious institution. This process of improvement, fortunately, needn’t be nerve-wracking or tedious in nature. You need just accommodate technology into your daily work-life little by little; perform basic tasks and engaging your classroom to enhance both yours and your classes’ technological literacy. Small steps, as you very well know, takes you far.
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About The Author: Sindhya Ravikumar
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