3210. How to Use Technologies in the Classroom


 
I confess I have to learn how to use the technologies in the classroom. Because of that today I copy and paste a nice comment from the website of The British council and BBC, whose link is https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/ekontovas/do-you-use-et  You can visit the site because the comment continues.

Using technology in the 21st century classroom is I think a sine qua non. Students are digital natives. They are born in technology, they use technology daily and different devices are part of their everyday lives. From a very young age they know how to use a tablet for example and how to find videos that interest them or even apps that are entertaining for them. Not including technology in the teaching procedure is like speaking to them in a different language. The benefits of using it in the classroom are numerous. First of all, students are motivated. They are excited for the lesson and about discovering what the teacher has prepared for them this time. Secondly, they are taught that the different devices they have, like smartphones, tablets, laptops are not only meant for entertainment but they can be vehicles of knowledge. In addition to these, the lesson becomes more interactive because the teacher can create polls or use different apps and have all students answering a question. Everybody is part of the teaching procedure and no one is excluded. Shy students do not have to expose themselves in front of the whole class and this way they are more willing to participate in the lesson. Furthermore, the lesson is much more interactive with the use of videos, podcasts, music and is not confined to books or slides. Finally, the teacher becomes a facilitator of knowledge and not the omnipotent figure who can answer everything. This way knowledge becomes a discovery process and a very personal procedure and sticks with the students much longer than with the traditional methods.

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