Technology is advancing at a break neck pace and there are many apps and gadgets being made to help teachers. Teachers may however find it a daunting experience to figure out easy ways to integrate technology into education. Here is a list of some easy ways to help seamlessly integrate technology in teaching.
1. Take the help of tech – savvy peers and parents
Most parents these days are much more tech – savvy than their children and they are often enthusiastic to help teachers set up infrastructure and give them a hand. Teachers can also seek guidance from their own peers who are more tech – savvy than themselves or might know about current trending apps and gadgets that will help in a classroom. Getting help from peers is one of the easy ways to integrate technology in teaching. Some of the older kids are also quite tech – savvy and you could leverage their knowledge too to find better and easier ways to integrate technology into education.
2. Find an Internet service provider who can provide reliable connections to several devices in the school
You already know that computers are but one of the means of integrating technology in the classroom. There are tablets, smart phones and some custom made devices to run apps that are informative and education centric. Find an ISP who can cover the area of the entire school and provide reliable connection for several devices at the same time. You might want to get other teachers interested and also check the budget for this with your administrator.
3. Include gadgets in the lesson plan
Once you have set up the Internet connection and procured gadgets, the next step is to include the use of gadgets in your lesson plan. One of the easy ways to integrate technology in teaching is to use the gadgets while preparing for a future lesson and find a slot for the gadgets in your lesson plan. Gadgets in the classroom need not necessarily be used to Google for information. One of the easy ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum is to use various apps available. They could be used to prepare for geometry or a trigonometry lesson. You could also use specialized apps to teach a biology class with three – dimensional images of birds, animals and such.
4. Put older students to task
It is easy to find free apps online but not all of them are reliable. If the teachers are not Internet security savvy, it is possible that some downloads may cause more harm than good. If the school does not have enough budget to procure apps that charge money, one of the easy ways to integrate technology into education is to have the older students program specific apps to help in teaching various subjects. It will not only help the students with their programming skills and expand their intellectual horizons, those older students will be able to devise easy ways to integrate technology in teaching using the apps they designed and developed.
5. Use technology to improve learning and skills of students
Gadgets need not be used in teaching sciences only. Teachers can also use recording devices to record students reading or answers during a class and hand the recordings over to them. Students can then listen to their own voice and the answers they give and can identify gaps in their learning as well as their style. One of the easy ways to integrate technology in teaching communication is using the recording app on iPads or Android tablets and then passing it on to students to help them improve. These recordings can also be used to set benchmarks for each individual student separately thus improving the morale.
6. Using slide shows in the classroom
When starting with easy ways to integrate technology in teaching, a teacher could use a simple slide show in his or her lesson. Then, he or she can slowly move on to making the students listen to an online lesson. Slowly, they can move on to using gadgets in other areas of teaching.
7. Use online worksheets
Many worksheets and Word Processor tools are available for specific grades and subjects online. Most of these are also free. You could also make your own worksheets and upload them to the school server. It makes it easier and faster to share information in the classroom and also with parents who might want to look into the day-to-day working of their children’s lessons.
One of the most important and easy ways to integrate technology into education is for the teacher to get some hands – on experience with the devices and apps he or she intends to use in the classroom. It is also important for the teacher to have an open mind when it comes to technology so that he or she approaches technology with confidence and conviction.
