Teachers devote so much time and energy to their students. Even outside of the classroom, teachers need to lesson plan, grade tests, run clubs or extracurriculars, and provide extra support to their students and schools. It’s no wonder, then, that so many U.S. teachers report feeling overworked and underappreciated. But there are ways to make their lives easier while also improving the education system as a whole.
One of these ways is by implementing modern technology in the classroom. Though this may sound like additional work for teachers—having to master new devices in their spare time, figuring out how to incorporate them into their curriculums—technology should always be able to help instead of hurt. Nobody wants to add to the already-heavy burden of teachers, or to eat away at precious class time by having to troubleshoot complicated technology. But as long as the technology is high quality, accessible, and user friendly, technology can be a crucial tool to enhance teaching and learning.
Technology helps our teachers and our students
Technology can help teachers facilitate an easier, more productive learning experience. Some examples of this in play are:
- Preparing for an ever-increasing digital world. Jobs, especially, often rely heavily on computer skills and online modes of communication, such as email. The sooner that students can learn a sense of ease and mastery with technology, the sooner that they will learn important skillsets that will set them up for their futures. Technology isn’t just a medium to better their learning; it is the material that they should be learning as well.
- Online resources improve student learning and retention. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 92% of teachers said that technology improved their access to content, resources, and materials that could help them in the classroom. Through videos, learning games, and images, teachers can show students colorful, stimulating examples of the material that they’re trying to teach. Subjects that are historically dry or difficult to grasp can be turned vibrant and interesting. This will improve students’ enjoyment of the material, and subsequently, their understanding of the material. Overall, this will create a much more engaging and effective learning environment.
- Meet all students’ unique needs with more suitable lectures and explanations. For example, through technology like pointers and Smartboards, teachers can punctuate a long talk with engaging, interactive examples, which will improve students’ listening skills, even if they struggle with focusing. Additionally, supplementing lectures with PowerPoints and other mediums also helps students with a variety of learning styles. In past years, the traditional lecture was only constructive for auditory learners—students who learn most effectively through listening—and much less helpful for the six other learning styles. But now, with modern technology, teachers can easily accommodate all of their students and their different needs by incorporating tools for everyone through simple technological resources.
Importance of technology and education collaboration
Technology can clearly improve learning for individual students—but it can also encourage collaboration between students and students and teachers. Through interactive websites, learning forums, and shared documents, students can better learn teamwork skills in the classroom and use other students as resources to learn, by sharing their work and ideas. Technology also makes it easier for teachers to collaborate with their students—through communication such as email, or through online activities—and also to collaborate with other teachers. Technology can be a great resource for teachers to talk to other teachers, keep up to date on the latest teaching tools, and to figure out what is working in the classroom and what isn’t.
As technology continues to grow, becoming a larger part of our daily lives, it’s important to adjust the classroom to better suit our teachers and our students. When the technology itself is up to date and user friendly, it can be an extraordinary tool to supplement teaching. In fact, according to a study by CompTIA Research, 84% of teachers reported using the Internet weekly to find engaging content to teach their students. This is because technology has the ability to offer almost unlimited resources—images, videos, games—that can engage any type of learner with any subject. And this is especially helpful given that teachers are already so overworked, and could use these resources to make their jobs a little bit easier. Providing these tools to teachers will not only help them, but will help administrators, schools, and of course, the students, improving learning and the education system as a whole.
Technology should help, not hinder, the progress made in the classroom. Learn how you can implement modern technology in your classroom with our Educational IT Services. We help educators find affordable solutions to augment teaching in their classrooms.
