Technology for Teachers: The 21st-Century Classroom
What types of technology for teachers exist in a 21st-century classroom? Check out this list to Learn how education has made learning and teaching more exciting.
What types of technology for teachers exist in a 21st-century classroom? Check out this list to Learn how education has made learning and teaching more exciting.
The days of a classroom containing desks, textbooks, and a blackboard with chalk are long over. Instead, many K-12 school teachers have access to a nice variety of technology to help them better educate students and, in turn, hopefully help students learn concepts more effectively. Below are some of the modern, 21st-century pieces of technology for teachers utilized in classrooms today.
While computers have been overtaken by mobile devices on many fronts, laptops remain a staple in classrooms as technology for teachers and students. Teachers can easily show PowerPoint presentations, videos, and other interactive media from anywhere in the room with a laptop. This could be used with a projection capability and Wi-Fi.
Of course, students can benefit from taking quizzes or completing certain assignments on a laptop. They can also interact with their teachers this way, expanding the potential teaching methods in so many ways.
While they've been around for some time now, smartboard technology for teachers is still an innovative method of communication. Smartboards allow instructors to:
Whether it's an iPad or any other tablet, these devices can unlock a wealth of teaching and learning opportunities. With the ability to write on a tablet using one's finger or stylus, teachers can interact with students through this technology, and vice versa.
There has been evidence that in certain cases, students now have access to still and video cameras in schools. These devices can be utilized for visual presentations or projects that you might assign to your students. For example, if you have a TV production class, cameras can certainly help students learn how to properly take photos and video for production purposes. Even in classes like chemistry or physics, a camera could be used to capture a lab experiment. This can help students better understand various concepts.
Since there are plenty of devices that need to be charged and powered for use in a classroom, teachers and students alike can enjoy easier access to more electric sockets and USB ports. There are also various devices that can be purchased and added to a classroom to make it more user-friendly for modern tech gadgets.
It goes without saying, but many schools and classrooms are now enabled with Wi-Fi access. This makes it very convenient for teachers to pull up apps or information on their smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other devices. It also allows for students to use these pieces of technology in their learning, and collaboration among students in pairs or groups can be done more easily within a room without the need for Ethernet cables.
With Wikipedia and many other online resources available to students in all grades, it has become so much easier for someone to copy and paste information from a source and fail to use the proper citation for it. However, thanks to sites like TurnItIn.com, it's easier than ever to have a paper electronically reviewed. This can help ensure your students are not plagiarizing any information. Plus, resources like Grammarly can help you quickly review text and identify grammatical and mechanical issues within a term paper submitted by a student, not to mention spelling and other areas that a word processor would identify for you anyway.
Teaching one or multiple classes per day can be challenging at times. Fortunately, the technology for teachers these days can ease their stress. It's important to take full advantage of the many devices and services for educators. This is why going into teaching can be an exciting career choice today. Check out the 6 reasons to consider a career in teaching for more on why to pursue education.