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Learn Technology or Learn with Technology?
At this point, we must make the disยญtincยญtion between learnยญing with techยญnolยญoยญgy and learnยญing technology. Learnยญing with techยญnolยญoยญgy refers to the act of using techยญnolยญoยญgy to improve the learnยญing of any topยญic. That includes the use of devices such as comยญputยญers, lapยญtops, tablets, and even smartยญphones as well as the softยญware and proยญgrams which can be accessed on those devices. It also includes someยญthing as simยญple as surfยญing the interยญnet to find information. Learnยญing techยญnolยญoยญgy refers to teachยญing peoยญple how to use the devices and proยญgrams themselves. That is necยญesยญsary to conยญsidยญer when disยญcussing this topยญic because if stuยญdents can learn to use the techยญnolยญoยญgy effecยญtiveยญly, they can underยญstand the proยญgrams which exist on each device and betยญter underยญstand the mateยญrยญiยญal that is preยญsentยญed to them. For that reaยญson, time must be takยญen to teach chilยญdren how to use techยญnolยญoยญgy approยญpriยญateยญly before using techยญnolยญoยญgy to teach othยญer subjects. Itโs worth notยญing that many terยญtiary eduยญcaยญtion instiยญtuยญtions throughยญout the world are offerยญing more coursยญes, lessons, and modยญules online, or even entire qualยญiยญfiยญcaยญtions through remote learnยญing, so teachยญing chilยญdren how to use techยญnolยญoยญgy helps to preยญpare them for a future in which techยญnolยญoยญgy will play a cenยญtral role.What Do We Mean By Technology?
Techยญnolยญoยญgy just means lapยญtops. Learnยญing with techยญnolยญoยญgy means that modยญern stuยญdents type their work on a comยญputยญer and subยญmit it elecยญtronยญiยญcalยญly, rather than using pen and paper-like preยญviยญous generations.
Wrong!
Techยญnolยญoยญgy in teachยญing encomยญpassยญes far more than just lapยญtops. Techยญnolยญoยญgy that is used in modยญern teachยญing, for stuยญdents of all ages, can include:
Lapยญtops, deskยญtop comยญputยญers, tablets, mobile phones, proยญjecยญtors, camยญeras, audio-visuยญal equipยญment, elecยญtronยญic fitยญness equipยญment, apps, softยญware, drones, speยญcifยญic eduยญcaยญtion proยญgrams, and even robotยญics and 3D printยญers. The list is infiยญnite!
One speยญcifยญic examยญple of eduยญcaยญtionยญal softยญware is Nearยญpod. Nearยญpod is a free, shared preยญsenยญtaยญtion and assessยญment tool. Teachยญers use it to creยญate quizzes, polls, videos, images, drawยญing boards, and othยญer content.
Stuยญdents then access all of that mateยญrยญiยญal on their own devices and can send their answers, work, and feedยญback to the teacher via the same proยญgram. An advanยญtage for teachยญers is that they can access lessons that have been creยญatยญed by othยญer teachยญers and are already on the platform.
Nearยญpod is just one examยญple of techยญnoยญlogยญiยญcal proยญgrams that can add some interยญest, colour, and spice to a stanยญdard lesยญson. It is also an examยญple of how techยญnolยญoยญgy can help teachยญers to overยญcome one of the sigยญnifยญiยญcant barยญriยญers to learnยญing โ motivation.
The simยญple fact is that todayโs chilยญdren are accusยญtomed to techยญnolยญoยญgy and its attenยญdant bright lights, sounds, images, and colour, and they expect this same levยญel of enterยญtainยญment when they are learning.
Proยญgrams such as Nearยญpod also allow for interยญacยญtive lessons. Stuยญdents can folยญlow a preยญsenยญtaยญtion, video, or othยญer lesยญson conยญtent, and can ask quesยญtions via the platยญform. The teacher can answer those quesยญtions via the same platยญform. That is advanยญtaยญgeous for stuยญdents who may be too shy to put their hand up and ask a quesยญtion in front of their classยญmates. Many stuยญdents and teachยญers appreยญciยญate this real-time feedback.
Connecting Teachers & Teachers
Teachยญers now have access to almost endยญless supยญplies of teachยญing resources. Through the interยญnet and othยญer forms of techยญnolยญoยญgy, they can corยญreยญspond with othยญer teachยญers, share resources and effecยญtive teachยญing strateยญgies, and offer advice.Connecting Teachers & Parents
Parยญents are the first eduยญcaยญtors. They are ultiยญmateยญly responยญsiยญble for the eduยญcaยญtion of their chilยญdren. Thus, a healthy conยญnecยญtion between parยญents and teachยญers will improve the childโs learnยญing. Techยญnolยญoยญgy can help to build this connection. From someยญthing as simยญple as an email group to a webยญsite for a parยญticยญuยญlar class or subยญject which parยญents can access, techยญnolยญoยญgy can help keep parยญents informed about what is hapยญpenยญing at school and can keep teachยญers informed about what is hapยญpenยญing at home. Parยญents can also access some free eduยญcaยญtionยญal resources online, either through speยญcifยญic eduยญcaยญtionยญal sites, govยญernยญment-sponยญsored sites, inforยญmaยญtive sites estabยญlished by media netยญworks, and even pubยญlishยญing comยญpaยญnies. Some time spent researchยญing online resources, and siftยญing through the good ones and the bad ones can unearth some valuยญable resources to help your child learn.Security
Many peoยญple have reserยญvaยญtions about using techยญnolยญoยญgy because they are worยญried about secuยญriยญty. In most casยญes, they are conยญcerned about secuยญriยญty relatยญed to techยญnolยญoยญgy, which accessยญes the internet.
Safeยญty when using techยญnolยญoยญgy in woodยญwork, engiยญneerยญing, or conยญstrucยญtion class is takยญen as stanยญdard. Stuยญdents wear proยญtecยญtive and approยญpriยญate clothยญing, proยญtecยญtive gogยญgles, and othยญer safeยญty equipยญment, and they are taught about how to safeยญly use the techยญnolยญoยญgy and the entire facilยญiยญty before they are allowed to touch the machines. They also folยญlow strict proยญceยญdures every time they enter that space.
The same approach can be applied to the use of interยญnet-based techยญnolยญoยญgy, espeยญcialยญly devices which can conยญnect to the interยญnet. The only probยญlem is that it can be hardยญer to superยญvise. It is, thereยญfore, essenยญtial to develยญop a polยญiยญcy for the use of techยญnolยญoยญgy by all stuยญdents, to write this in easยญiยญly underยญstood lanยญguage, and to present it to the stuยญdents before they start using the technology.
The highยญest safeยญty and priยญvaยญcy setยญtings should be actiยญvatยญed when chilยญdren are using techยญnolยญoยญgy, and this includes what they can access on the interยญnet. Often a comยญmon-sense approach can assist in keepยญing stuยญdents away from harmยญful online mateยญrยญiยญal. There are speยญcifยญic topยญics and sites which are clearยญly of no eduยญcaยญtionยญal valยญue to students.
Teachยญers will also need to conยญtinยญuยญalยญly monยญiยญtor the stuยญdentsโ use of techยญnoยญlogยญiยญcal devices that conยญnect to the interยญnet, as will parยญents, who must supยญport the schoolโs efforts to keep chilยญdren safe online.
An examยญple of parental action is the purยญchase of a phone for their chilยญdren. In this case, parยญents have a choice between a smartยญphone and a simยญple cell phone (one that canยญnot conยญnect to the internet).
We know that cyber probยญlems begin for chilยญdren when they conยญnect to the interยญnet. So, parยญents must ask themยญselves, does a child need a smartยญphone? Why are they givยญen a phone? Most parยญents claim they bought their chilยญdren a phone for emerยญgenยญcies โ so that their chilยญdren can conยญtact them in case of a change of plans, or if they feel unsafe. Can a child do so with a cell phone? That is a phone which can only use text (SMS) or calls. If so, do chilยญdren need a smartยญphone, or would they be proยญtectยญed from cyberยญbulยญlyยญing and assoยญciยญatยญed probยญlems if they did not own a smartphone?
That is all part of the safeยญty disยญcusยญsion surยญroundยญing techยญnolยญoยญgy in learning.
Integration
Effecยญtive use of techยญnolยญoยญgy in the eduยญcaยญtion of chilยญdren requires inteยญgraยญtion. That means using techยญnolยญoยญgy purยญposeยญfulยญly in every subยญject area. A well-develยญoped plan will allow each subยญject area to nomยญiยญnate which speยญcifยญic types of techยญnolยญoยญgy they will integrate. That can avoid overยญlap between subยญject areas and ensure that difยญferยญent teachยญers inteยญgrate the techยญnolยญoยญgy which best matchยญes their subยญject area. Once the broad frameยญwork has been estabยญlished, teachยญers can decide exactยญly how they will inteยญgrate techยญnolยญoยญgy into their lessons. They should look for opporยญtuยญniยญties for stuยญdents to learn the techยญnolยญoยญgy and to use the techยญnolยญoยญgy, as disยญcussed above. Stuยญdents can use techยญnolยญoยญgy to research a topยญic, to present their findยญings and demonยญstrate their learnยญing, or to give and receive feedยญback from the teacher. If techยญnolยญoยญgy is being inteยญgratยญed meanยญingยญfulยญly into a teachยญing proยญgram and inteยญgratยญed into an assessยญable task, then the stuยญdentsโ abilยญiยญty to use that techยญnolยญoยญgy (e.g., PowยญerยญPoint) must be assessed along with their grasp of the subยญject matter. Of course, if a stuยญdent is going to be assessed on their abilยญiยญty to use techยญnolยญoยญgy in a parยญticยญuยญlar class, then they must be explicยญitยญly taught how to use the choยญsen techยญnolยญoยญgy in that class. Thus, if a Hisยญtoยญry teacher asks stuยญdents to creยญate an aniยญmaยญtion about ancient Egypt, at some point, the hisยญtoยญry teacher must ensure that the stuยญdents have been specifยญiยญcalยญly taught how to make an aniยญmaยญtion, as well as being informed about the topยญic of ancient Egypt.
