Tips and Tricks for Integrating Technology into the Classroom

It is no secret that we live in a day in age where technology surrounds us at all times whether we like it or not. We live in a world where change is a constant factor that we grow to accept, love and expect. The same is true for the world of education. No longer are teachers bound by simply lecturing from the textbook while their students take notes. Thanks to technology, students have access to resources and information that was never available to preceding generations. If technology is that beneficial, should we not feel compelled to integrate it into our classrooms? The answer is an emphatic YES! For teachers, however, the thoughts of transitioning from traditional ways of instruction to this new, exciting, connected, hands-on approach can be a terrifying task. Thankfully articles like the one from Julie Lindsay and Vickie Davis in the March/April 2010 edition of Learning and Leading With Technology gives us some tips and tricks that we can apply in order to become a “Digiteacher”:

• Customize: One of the most effective methods of instruction is customizing your approach to each individual student and avoiding the “one-size-fits all” approach. Teachers who avoid customization often claim they cannot customize and meet standards at the same time. But meeting standardized learning outcomes does not mean you have to standardize the process. In fact, if you involve students in student-centered, globally connected projects, each student's learning experience becomes markedly different, and each classroom becomes as unique as the students and teachers who learn there. A customized classroom and national standards can coexist and lead to rich learning.
• Monitor and Be Engaged: When dealing with online resources like Professional Learning Networks students can be caught-up in very unprofessional activity. “It is not enough to open the gate and let the sheep out to wander aimlessly. The role of the teacher is to gather, lead by example, and make sure students don't cross the line. When misunderstandings happen, teachers must coach students about responsibility and sensitivity.”
• Have a Plan: When students overstep the bounds of what is considered “ethical” on the internet, teachers must know how to react accordingly in order to prevent further offensives. One of the pros of a PLN however is that all eyes are upon who contributes what so it is not difficult to identify the culprit when an offense takes place.
• Overcoming the Fear Factor: It is not uncommon for teachers, especially digital immigrants to feel nervous about incorporating an unknown into their classroom. It’s important for them to remember that all instructors have felt this at one time or another and the first days are always the roughest. From there the only direction is up!
• Dealing With Objections: When is the best time to start educating children in technology? What about internet safety? These are all questions asked of teachers. It is important to remind objectors that educating students about the internet makes the internet safer.
• Straying Off Topic/Put the Learning in the Hands of the Students: When is the best time to start educating children in technology? What about internet safety? These are all questions asked of teachers. It is important to remind objectors that educating students about the internet makes the internet safer.

Source: Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis. Navigate the Digital Rapids. Learning and Leading With Technology. Online Article. March/April 2010