Does Technology enhance learning? In a short answer… Yes it does! Students are driven by technology. Technology is at ours and our students fingertips. Technology is not going anywhere. As a classroom teacher, I have had to embrace technology. By no means do I consider myself to be tech savvy, but I am learning to be. Beginning my teaching career in a Grade 2 classroom was very humbling. You definitely take things for granted with what you know and sometimes what you just figure your students should already know. As a young teacher I quickly learned that my students didn’t know much, so it was my job to help guide them. Fast forward to 2020 and the educational world was turned upside down and we were forced into the world of online teaching. Having to change my wheelhouse into an online teacher and think about the different ways I was going to reach all my students, made me VERY thankful that I had spend the time at the beginning of that school year teaching my students how to use and access their Google Classroom page, because it definitely made my world a lot easier.
Over the past couple of years I have begun to explore the world of coding, after being introduced to it by a colleague. I first explored Hour of Code with my classroom and most recently my students participated in the Go! Code Programs workshops offered by the Saskatchewan Science Centre. The best part of this program, was that they sent the facilitators to work with your classroom, and here is the best part, it was ABSOLUTELY FREE!!! I was blown away by what my students were able to create!
Now that I work with middle year students, I let them explore a little more, when my students complete inquiry projects, I am quite often amazed with what they can do with the technology that was given to them. They aren’t afraid to try new things and take chances. Yes there can be some frustrations as they try to figure some things out, but I find most times before they turn to the teacher for help they are turning to their classmates to help them troubleshoot.
Sam Kary, an educator, instructional coach, and advocate for educational technology in schools, argues that educators need to take a holistic approach to technology in education. On the New Ed tech classroom website, he lists 14 ways technology can enhance learning:
- Use Digital Classrooms for Organization & Accessibility
- Create Student-Centered Personalized Instruction
- Increase Engagement
- “Ditch” Textbooks & “Flip” Classrooms
- Differentiate How Students Show Knowledge
- Teach 21st Century Skills
- Bring Abstract Experiences to Life with Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality
- Expand Classroom Walls
- Teach Digital Citizenship
- Promote Social Sharing
- Develop Collaboration Skills
- Develop Metacognition
- Enhance Family Engagement
- Improve Teacher Practice
Technology, definitely is not something that is going away, so we need to embrace the technological world and use it to work alongside our students.
Hey Jacquie!
I completely agree that technology can enhance learning and it’s great to hear that you have embraced it in your classroom. It’s essential to prepare our students for the digital world they will enter after their education, and technology can be a great tool to engage and motivate them.
Your experience of having to transition to online teaching due to the pandemic highlights the importance of being flexible and adaptable in the face of change. It’s also fantastic to hear that you have introduced coding to your students. This is something that I know nothing about and have yet to try. Very cool stuff!
Hi Jacquie, I loved your post and reading about how you use technology in your classroom. It makes me eager to return to the classroom next September! -Amanda
Great post! It’s exciting to see how AI can be used to enhance the learning experience for students and make life easier for teachers. The example of using Dalle-E to help students create their own paintings is really cool. Of course, there will be challenges and concerns about the use of AI in education, but it’s important to explore its potential and how it can benefit both students and teachers. Looking forward to seeing how AI continues to shape the future of education!
Excellent post Jacquie! I love how you related this week’s topic to your own teaching experience! I am with you and believe wholeheartedly that technology is an amazing tool that enhances our students’ learning. I completely agree that technology is most certainly not going anywhere, and it would benefit teachers to familiarize themselves with what it has to offer to engage our students and help us relate to their realities. I also agree with you that we need to take the time to teach our students to maneuver all the different technology that is available to them at school and guide them to act responsibly when using technology. Well done!