Benefits of Tech in the Classroom
Benefits of Technology in the Classroom
Technology in the classroom is becoming more and more predominant. Teachers are learning how to teach with emerging technologies while students are using advanced technology to shape how they learn. By embracing and integrating technology in the classroom, teachers are setting students up for a successful life outside of school. Here are a few benefits of using technology in the classroom.
Student Engagement - Holding students attention and keeping students engaged has always required tricks up a teacher’s sleeve. While technology can be a cause of distraction amongst students, it can also be used as one of the biggest forms of engagement.
Differentiation - Technology makes it easier to meet all students’ learning styles and students’ educational needs. Many programs adjust the rigor as students participate in them, meeting the student where they are at and building on that foundation.
Connection - Technology is helping foster relationships amongst students, whether that be with the classmates at their table group or with students on the other side of the world.
College and Career Readiness - Technology can help take students to that next level by giving them the skills needed to live and work in the 21st century. Without the exposure to technology, students could be lacking in the technology skills that will likely encompass the future work they do. This makes technology proficiency, in many ways, equally as important as reading and math.
Collaboration - Technology helps students collaborate. Students can work together with the confidence that comes from being behind a screen. Technology also gives students a voice who may not otherwise have had one. Students can work together on a project, answer and ask questions, and contribute in ways they otherwise may not have had the confidence or ability to.
Beneficial for Teachers - Technology has so many benefits for students, but let’s not forget all the advantages it has for teachers as well. Technology helps with organization. Think about the switch from filing papers in filing cabinets to desktop folders. Technology helps with planning. Think about working on lesson plans using Google Docs with your grade-level team. And technology helps with classroom management.
Websites to check out for students:
Padlet
KidBlog
Prodigy
eSpark
Kids A-Z
Websites to check out for teachers:
ClassDojo
Too Noisy
iReward
Empatico