Information Age Education

5 Ways to Enhance Teaching and Learning with Technology

March 3rd, 2009

Using technology in the classroom is one of the best and easiest ways to engage students who have grown up in the information age. Most students in public schools these days have grown up with the internet and are far more technologically savvy than most of their teachers; it’s no wonder that infusing lessons with technology ultimately resonate more strongly than lessons using only textbooks and written assignments. What follows is a brief list of ways to enhance teaching and learning by using technology in the classroom.

Video Resources

With the popularity of YouTube, there are thousands upon thousands of video resources available for free that can enhance the educational experiences of students in classrooms. Take the time to locate the proper resources ahead of time and look for other sites that stream educational programming for students’ use. Allowing them to stream video in the context of a computer lab may resonate more deeply than simply watching in the classroom.

Get Students Connected

Another tool that can be used in collaboration with other teachers in your district is to use email or school websites to help connect students with one another. Perhaps you have a lesson that another teacher uses; have their students contact your students and they can create collaborative projects using the web or simply exchange ideas related to the unit of study. There are many way and applications for using internet communication in lessons.

Create Presentations

Students love the ability to show off their skills, whether it’s making a short film, slideshow, or Power Point. Allow them to find images, information, and let them create presentations to give in front of the class. Be sure to have them cite where they located images and information, then screen the presentations before they are given in front of a group.

Evaluate Sources

The internet is certainly full of information, and some sources are superior to others. Make a list of sites for students to evaluate and have them use their critical thinking skills to evaluate the credibility of the information. They can be taught how to do this with a simple checklist of things to look for. This can be a great activity for them to learn that they can’t always take everything on the web at face value.

Multimedia Group Projects

Students love being able to work together when they can showcase their work in front of a group. Similar to presentations, multimedia projects will use students’ knowledge of a variety of technological applications and contain several components. There should be a written element, a visual element, and an audio element to the final product at the very least. These projects can involve a wide variety of skills and will truly engage students in the task at hand.

By-line:

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of the best online schools. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

2 Comments Add your own

1. Fast food statistics | May 12th, 2009 at 6:10 am

You learn what works best with different students, what approaches to take, what lessons they enjoy and take the most away from it. You learn the most effective or ineffective way to communicate.
2. Rich Wooger | August 14th, 2009 at 9:22 am

Very interesting information. Hope that students and teachers will find it useful. I have writen down a few tips for myself.