Today at Benchmark Education we were reminiscing about the days when we used a typewriter to complete all of our school assignments and went to the library to do all of our research. Now a typewriter is as arcane as an abacus, and students look at me quizzically when I mention Wite-Out® (a staple in my high school English classroom).
New technologies have transformed every aspect of our lives. We now balance our checkbooks online; we buy our groceries online; and we chat with our friends online. No part of our lives remains untouched . . . certainly not our children’s education.
Students now use computers to complete their assignments and the Internet to do their background research. But computers and the Internet have done more than give students a one-stop shop for gathering and synthesizing information. The 21st-century classroom uses technology to become:
- More efficient: Through portals like Google Sites, Weebly, Edmodo, and Wiki Spaces, teachers can create engaging classroom websites to keep parents and kids up-to-date on the latest assignments, school announcements, and relevant news articles or videos.
- More connected: Through videoconferencing, chat rooms, and e-mail, classrooms all around the country can connect as virtual pen pals of information and support.
- More responsive: Through chat rooms like TodaysMeet or Chatzy, teachers can create forums in the classroom so students can work together on group assignments or offer real-time critique and/or questions when listening to a lecture or a movie.
Teachers are beginning (purposeful emphasis on beginning) to become more sophisticated in using the technologies that are part of the fabric of their students’ lives. Technologies like Twitter, avatars, and blogs, which have become newly embedded in the teenage lexicon and reality, can enhance the classroom experience if used thoughtfully and creatively.
Twitter has even gotten actively involved through a partnership with TechNet, an advocate for technological innovation. Together they have launched a new nonprofit called ConvergeUS, which will (among other things) explore the use of cutting-edge technologies to support and improve reading, science, and math.
At Benchmark Education, we offer innovative educational technologies as part of Benchmark Universe. Our Talking E-Books provide the same excellence, leveled content, and differentiated instruction as our printed products, AND they are available online 24/7 for teachers and students. Click here to view the Benchmark Universe demo.
Of course, these new learning strategies beg the question: Will (and has) all this technology made the classroom experience more effective at reaching and teaching students? What do you think?
Check out these articles in Harvard Education Letter and Education Week for more information.
