Thinking About Educating for the Future - Part 1

In order to maximize student achievement in the future, it is essential for teachers/supervisors/administrators to incorporate new technological trends into the classroom.

One thing in particular that needs to change is to allow students to have more computer access during the school day. In this day and age, students’ lives revolve around a computer, and it would be a wonderful thing to allow students to participate in class through computers, ultimately having a laptop for each child. Handouts could be posted to a course website prior to the start of class and the students could access them, as well as power points and other tools/resources before class begins.  Classes could be paperless, thus enabling the district to be more “green”. This would allow for more student participation, and would make the content of the curriculum more relevant to them and their interests.

Testing strategies also need to significantly change, as the current bureaucratic method of standardized testing is largely ineffective. Technology can assist in this process, as incorporating it into the classroom can allow for a variety of differentiated assessments. Using sites such as Moodle and Turnitin.com, students can discuss topics, take quizzes, self-correct their work, and better understand the content.  Utilizing this kind of technology takes the pressure off the assessment, as the students can work on their assignments at their leisure, from the comfort of their own home. It gives them the opportunity to feel prepared, and they don’t have to worry about feeling self conscious in front of their peers. They also have the ability to learn in the style that works best for them. Additionally, the class can access documents which can be used during class time, which as mentioned in the previous paragraph, can help students better prepare for classes and make the district more “green”.

A third characteristic that will have to be changed is training teachers in technology. Currently, many students know more about technology than their teachers. If a teacher is “out of the loop”, there is no way they can reach the students in a way that the assignment will be relevant to them and their lives. Professional development in technology needs to be offered to teachers who both desire and need the assistance so they can be more effective educators.

All of these changes are significantly important, as they seek to improve the quality of education we are providing to our students. Technology can do this, but as educators, we need to allow these changes to take place before we can make the content relevant to our students.