Over the past year, COVID-19 has rapidly pushed the move from physical to online learning. Schools all over the world closed down for months, and teachers had to get used to doing their job online. Of course, the initial transition was not easy. There were numerous hiccups with logistics and the availability of devices, along with internet issues. However, it was soon apparent that technology has a lot to offer to the education sector. While many students just google “pay someone to do my assignment”, we would like to talk about other solutions to students’ problems.
The first hurdle to cross in making technology an integral part of education is internet availability and affordability. Numerous vendors created internet bundles suitable for the purpose at affordable rates, with Spectrum internet prices being one such example. Once you cross that hurdle, the next step is to just look for innovative technologies which will make your students interested and engaged. You should try some of the following ideas, and see how they make your teaching experience much better!
Gamify the Learning Experience
Turning learning into a game is one of the best ways to get students interested, especially at the school level. There are numerous educational games out there suitable for all subjects. You can introduce a concept in class and have students play a related video game. This will reinforce the concept in their heads by involving multiple senses and making it interesting.
So, look up some fun games and use them as teaching tools. This will also push your students to perform better, as they will want to get as high a score as possible. Just make sure that all your students can participate and understand the game properly.
Go On Digital Field Trips
Sadly, field trips are a no-go for the past year or so. They were quite a helpful tool to make learning more interesting for students. Museums, parks, and animal reserves are all good options for students to explore and learn new things. They also help stimulate their senses and take an interest in the subject matter.
Therefore, you’ll be glad to know there is an alternative to them. Many museums and historical places are offering virtual tours on their websites. You can sign your class up for these tours and explore new places without any geographical restrictions. Many of these tours are free, so you should take the opportunity to show your students a whole new world right on their devices.
Use Visual Aids & Multimedia
Educational psychologists have discovered that visual and multimedia aids help students absorb information far more efficiently than conventional lectures. So, you should look into small videos and flash cards online. These tools will solidify the concept you’re teaching, and students will retain their knowledge for a longer time.
The best part about this is that you can find such multimedia all over the internet easily. Educational experts have created quite engaging material, with a lot of it available for free.
Create Forms & Quizzes
While there are numerous learning tools available with online teaching and such, you also need to assess students. Furthermore, you want to encourage them to self-assess and also be inspired by each other’s work. In addition, you should also take their feedback on various teaching methods you use and how well they have understood a concept.
To do this, you can create forms and quizzes. It’s a very simple process, and Google Forms is an excellent platform for this purpose. It will automatically generate the quizzes according to your requirements and give you all the results the students enter.
Have an Integrated Online Schedule
Often, it can be quite hard for teachers and students to keep track of what assignments are due at what time. In addition, coordinating online classes can also be a huge hassle. To prevent any confusion, you must use an integrated online calendar app. Your students should be part of the app, and you should be able to access their schedules to notify them of any classes or assignments.
When it comes to younger children, you should involve the parents with this solution. Google Classrooms, in particular, has proven to be one of the most successful examples of such an app, and is simple to use.
Have Students Create Digital Assignments
You don’t just have to polish your computer skills; you should also encourage your students to do so. When assigning tasks, make sure to include some assignments which involve creating a video or slideshow or such. Students will engage with the topic more in this way, and will also retain the knowledge for much longer.
In addition, digital assignments are the perfect way to train students how to perform and create in an increasingly digital world.
To sum up, technology can contribute a lot to education. All you have to do is explore a few interesting ideas and make learning fun for your students.