Technology will not replace great teachers but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational.
What does Integration of technology in education mean?
It simply refers to the use of technology to enhance learning and to engage the learners in a creative manner. Today, smartphones, computers, laptops, and tablets have all become an integral part of everyday life and all of us, teachers, students, and parents have access to all or any one of the above gadgets. Therefore it is only natural that we use these devices in the classroom, thereby making teaching and learning more meaningful and effective.
The pandemic has in a way strengthened and enforced the need for the use of technology in education. With schools remaining shut for almost the entire academic year, technology has become a boon to the educationists. Online classes, that have become the new normal and virtual classrooms are holding sway, thus continuing the process of learning unhindered.
The ways and methods to integrate technology:
1.Power Point Presentations – Both by teachers and students on various topics and sharing their work in the class. These digital presentations keep students engaged and make the teaching-learning process interactive and effective.
2.Online Research – Students of the middle and higher grades can be motivated and guided to conduct research online for various projects. This encourages individual learning and allows students to learn at their own pace and interest.
3.Interactive White Boards – These help in displaying websites, images and videos and is a good tool for the teachers to teach in an interesting manner. The knowledge thus imparted through visual images is retained for a longer time by the students.
4.Games and Links – In primary grades students can be engaged fruitfully by sending links of interactive games. These games can be successfully used to reinforce math concepts, spellings, reading skills and phonetics. The colourful and animated games are a great learning experience for young kids.
5. Technology and Homework Assignments–Students can be given homework assignments which prompt them to make use of technology. In subjects like social science or languages, students can be asked to submit PPT’s on some topics, which will make the subject more relevant and interesting. Videos can be made explaining a concept or model. In Mathematics and Science, the scope is tremendous. Graphs and spreadsheets can be made and in science, simple concepts can be explained with diagram, pictures or images taken from the web.
6.Assessments and Exams-Online assessments have become commonplace now, during the times of Covid and with the help of Google forms, both objective and subjective questions can be easily assessed. It is a simple yet effective and wholesome method of testing.
Advantages of using Technology in Classrooms.
Technology helps in
- Improving attention span and in engaging the students .
- Encouraging Collaboration
- Mastering the 4 C’S-Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity- skills which are a necessary part of a students learning and which will ensure success beyond the classrooms. These skills will make students future ready and for a life after school.
In conclusion:
“Technology can become the wings that will allow the education world to fly farther and faster than ever before if we allow it to.”