Before technology....
When I first started teaching, it was before the days of mobile phones, laptops, IPads, even desk-top computers. We all knew it was coming but there was no way we could have imagined the impact technology would have on the world.
Many years ago, when I was doing relief teaching years ago, technology was just beginning to bud and teaching computer was a new concept. At the local primary school, the computer teacher would line me up to teach the days he would be off. He would give me the apps he wanted me to teach, so that I could take them home and practise using them, and as I had already entered the world of internet and chatrooms, I enjoyed the extra challenge. Those were the days when a teacher could come into the classroom and 'blow up' all the computers, when computers were feared and when some people viewed them as a hostile opponent. I, on the other hand, wanted to have the latest and best technology.
I walked into the Year 5 computer class and noticed a little green messenger icon in the corner of a few of the children's screens. "It's nothing Miss. I think it helps the computer work" the boy smirked, trying to look innocent and failing.
A few years later, at another school, a teacher aide handed me a print out of a messenger conversation that had taken place between a few of the older students. She had been cleaning out the library and found it on the printer. I read through the messages and went to the classroom with it in my hand and sat down, pretending to read through it while surreptitiously watching the students. One boy started sliding down in his chair, a girl put her face in her hands and a couple others looked around furtively, their faces a nice shade of red.
I began, "Sometimes, I don't hear or find out when you do something wrong. Other times, you make it easy for me." I paused and shuffled the papers. "I know what LOL, BRB and WTF means, as well as all the other things you have said in your chat with each other."
Those years were the beginning of social forums and since then technology has progressed and advanced, weaving its tentacles into homes and the lives of even very young children. When I started a teaching job at the beginning of 2020, someone on the interview panel asked me what area I would like to grow in professionally and my response was "Using technology in the classroom more effectively." A few weeks later, we were preparing to go into remote learning/teaching from home and I was thrown into the deep end!! Although I did not like being separated from my students and the classroom, I enjoyed the challenge of using technology to educate and engage my students in their learning.
Today, I gave my students a research task and they had to present their findings in a powerpoint presentation. In their small groups, they shared their presentation with each other so that they could work on the same page together. I was proud of how hard they worked and how engaged they were in their learning. I got each group to share their Presentations with me so that I could be a part of their groups. While each group worked, I'd add a new slide with a message of encouragement or fun, or put in a picture of something they liked, do a bit of the editing where needed, or give them ideas about their topic. We laughed and learned and it was good.
Technology is a useful tool in the classroom and teachers need to figure out how to share it with their class in a meaningful way. Get to know your students and get to know technology. Don't be afraid of either.
No comments:
Post a Comment