With the increased use of technology in our daily lives, it has forced students to demand for their right to use technology in the classroom. Many schools and teachers have been reluctant towards integrating the use of technology in their education circular. Out of school, students interact with various technological tools like tablets, computers, smart phones which can be used to simplify the way they learn. Their is a great tension on which technology should be used in schools, students have their needs , but also parents and teachers are debating on this particular subjects.
For the teachers, it will demand for technical training, so that they get to know how to use technology in the classroom. Some of these educational technologies like computers or smart whiteboards are easy to learn, but the trouble is mastering how to use them for more than just one function to meet both the teacher’s needs and student’s needs.
As the world develops, new opportunities are coming up and for our students to get a chance to compete in tomorrows demanding job market, they will need to know how to use technology in various ways, and this has forced them to demand for the use of technology in schools so that they get prepared for tomorrows challenge.
Technology can simplify the way students learn both in the classroom and out side the classroom. It makes education mobile and flexible, so in this case, students can have a chance to study from wherever they want. Technology makes education more personal, because students will have the ability to make research and read on their own at anytime of the day. So lets see how students are using technology for their personal use, and how can schools take advantage of their technical know how.
- They use Tablets to read news and watch videos: Tablets are flexible and easy to use, since they have the capability of accessing internet from anywhere, it is very easy for students to find information they need on instant. So, how can schools and teachers take advantage of this? In my opinion, i think teachers can also jump on the same technology and offer their students course work and other academic information via these tablets. For example, a teacher can create a classroom blog, where they post notes and assignments for students; they can even suggest e-books to download to aid the student’s research on a specific subject. On the same classroom blog, a teacher can integrate video and image illustrations on specific subjects, this can help students learn easily.
- They use smart mobile phones listen to audio books: All smart phones can access internet and they have a big storage hardware which can store downloaded audio books. Many students are downloading these audio books for their personal use. You can simply listen to an audio book as you’re exercising or doing some other activity. Audio books simplify the way we learn, for example, a student can download a novel and listen to the author as they attend to other activities. So, how can schools and teachers take advantage of this technology? In my opinion, i think teachers can create audio notes which students can download and listen to at any time. This can simplify the way student’s access academic information and it also improves the way they learn. The private business community has invested money in mobile educational applications which can be downloaded on mobile phones, most of these mobile Apps , can allow students to access digital libraries.
- They use internet to connect with friends: Students spend most of their time connecting and sharing their personal lives via the internet. Social networks like Facebook.com enable students to discover their old friends and also connect with new friends. So, how can we use the social network technology in our education system? In my opinion, schools or teachers can use educational social networks like ”Piazza.com” to interact with their students. On Piazza , teachers can manage course works , monitor students performance , assign course work to students and students can use the same platform to ask questions and get answers on instant. Platforms like Facebook can connect teachers with their students in a social manner.
In conclusion, students are not waiting for teachers or their schools to integrate technology in their classrooms, most of these students are taking online courses which can prepare them for tomorrow’s technological competitive world. Learn more on the use of technology in classroom here >>>>
