Technology: Teachnology!

I recently visited a teacher friend’s high school English class. This is what I observed during the 47 minutes of allocated instruction time: 17 minutes dedicated to classroom management; four interruptions, including two separate visits from guidance counselors, who pulled five students out of the class; and a continuous, high-pitched ring from a phone in the room.

The class ended with students requesting that their exams be returned to them by the end of the week (which would allow their teacher two days to grade all 33 of them). The bell rang, the students fled, and my friend’s minute of downtime was spent picking up a stack of student assignments that had toppled over. The period came to an end with my friend darting down the hallway and around the corner to conduct his duties in the lunchroom battlefield.

We all know teachers are stretched to the limit, but when do they find the time to actually teach? When I posed this question to my friend, he responded with a harsh, blank stare.

Today’s students, who have been described as having an information-age mindset, may help teachers find the answer. Current students are members of the Net Generation, and the technology and media they use during their formative years influence how they learn. So, as one of my favorite Edublogs, The CoolCat Teacher, suggests, let the technology do some of the teaching.

There are lots of Web sites containing lesson plans galore, with interactive features to promote a media-rich classroom, but I’m going to let the teachers do the talking, as they relay tips and tools for teaching and technology:

1.Speedofcreativity.org has handouts with an overview of integrating technology into the classroom.

2.Successful Teaching has clever teaching ideas for all grade levels.

3. Teach and Learn will inspire you to “think outside the box,” and outside of the classroom, in order to create an inspirational environment for learning.

4. Teach42 is a comprehensive resource offering practical advice for using technology to facilitate teaching.

5. And for those teachers who experience internal dissonance from time to time, Artichoke gives you some food for thought.

I realize that technology can’t do all the teaching, but it’s important for 21st Century learning … and it can cut teachers a little slack.

Jen O’Neill
Education Writer

Comments

[Pat]

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