Changing Classrooms

 It is said in many forums that technology is changing today's classroom. The look and the curriculum are both looking different as the last few years have caused sudden and unprecedented change. Is there a right or wrong role to allow technology in the classroom or should it even be there? 

We have been pushed into the technology classrooms as Covid hit and all of a sudden teachers have to know how to teach from one of many classroom platforms on the internet. Classrooms may use Google classrooms, Canvas, Schoology or something like them in order to teach. I know some hybrid classrooms just use Zoom or Google meets to make the learning live and the scholars would send in their work to the office or use one of the many platforms to submit their work. As things improved, some classrooms had both students online and in the classroom with them. Teachers have used videos and slides to help teach their concepts or made videos of themselves so the children can store the information and go back to it later for help. If teachers are using those resources, can the teachers eventually become nonessential and the technology take over? Those questions were being asked in the height of covid. The answer would be no. Technology cannot replace the benefits of face-to-face learning. Technology can be a tool and resource to enhance what the teacher is teaching, but not a replacement and it should be used sparingly and with discretion. Some teachers say that they should be trained on how to use it. My coworker feels that everything that is done in the classroom should come with training or expectations on how to use it. I don't feel that is necessary in all things, but some training could be beneficial. With the push to teach online, teachers definitely need training on how to use the online classroom. 

Many teachers have struggled with the technology in the classroom. It might be teaching online, keeping the children engaged online, finding the right videos or supplemental material or just giving parents resources to encourage additional practice for their kids. Virtual field trips have become popular or watching events that were recorded in real time and seeing them as if you were there. My grandkids do all their homework online. They are taught in school how to access it and use it appropriately. It saves on paper and allows the scholars to stay engaged online incase they have to go back to online classrooms. The teachers put apps for additional practice in the form of games and activities and they can see the results from those. I think it is a good idea, if you have computers, tablets or a way to access the online information to keep scholars involved with the technology in an educational way. These are just a few examples of how teachers can use technology.

In todays world, most jobs require at least some use of technology. One father in my class said that even as a mechanic, he uses technology all the time. He also has to type reports about what the does all the time. Another mother told me how she has to use technology for scanning and keeping records for her office. Even at church another uses technology to take role for whose has attended. Our worlds are surrounded and dependent on technology and digital skills. We need to use at least a little bit in our classrooms. There are benefits to using it. Some suggested benefits are better engagement and participation, stronger motivation and better academic success. 

As we move forward, our classrooms need to have some technology incorporated into the learning. We shouldn't be going backwards to how things were before the pandemic, but learning what worked and what didn't, then moving forward. Many teachers and schools have ideas to share and some even provide resources. We can be creative and resourceful as we use the technology. Moving forward should be exciting as we incorporate all we have learned over the past two years in the field of digital technology in the classroom. 

https://www.waterford.org/education/technology-in-the-classroom/#:~:text=Even%20though%20the%20technology%20is%20likely%20to%20change,how%20to%20use%20technology%20in%20the%20classroom%20important%3F