http://www.teachhub.

com/12-easy-waysuse-technology-your-classroom-eventechnophobic-teachers
12 Easy Ways to Use Technology in the
Classroom, Even for Technophobic
Teachers
By: Kim Haynes

Everyone wants
teachers to usetechnology in the classroom. But you're busy -- meeting standards, prepping
students for tests -- and maybe youre not too fond of computers, anyway. Never fear there are
easy ways to bring your classroom up-to-date, technologically.
Prepare for Your Technology in the Classroom Adventure!
Do you have a iPad in your classroom for your use? How about iPads for students to use? Could you
get a classroom iPad?

What kind of Internet access is available at your school? What are school policies on student use of
the Internet?
What do you have to do to get Ipads for your students?
Also try to find a technology mentor on campus the computer teacher or just another teacher who
uses technology more than you do. It helps to know theres someone who can guide you and help
you incorporate technology in the classroom if youre feeling overwhelmed.
Perfect Ed Tech Activities for Beginners
Do a PowerPoint Game Show Review
Many tech-savvy teachers have used Microsoft PowerPoint to create review games based on
famous game shows, including Jeopardy!, The Weakest Link, and Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire? These templates are available online for teachers to download and revise, including
their own content. Check out this template or search powerpoint game show template online. A fun
way to practice using a projector and get your students to review important material!
Have students complete a written classroom activity as if it was online.
Ever have your students write a diary from the perspective of a character or famous person? Why
not have them create a blog instead? Take a look at various blog sites (Blogger and WordPress are
two of the most popular) and create a template for your students to fill in.
Want students to summarize information? Ask them to tweet the lesson that is, have them write
summaries of 140 characters or less, as if they were writing on Twitter. Or create a template for a
web page and ask students to use it to design a webpage about the content they are studying. While
these activities dont actually use technology, they familiarize you and your students with the Web
2.0 world, which can be a great first step.
Try a Webquest
A webquest guides students to search the Internet for specific information. For example, students are
asked to serve as curators of a museum on a particular topic. They must search the Internet to
determine what artifacts belong in their museum and explain their choices.
There are tons of already-constructed webquests out there, a perfect way to teachers to begin
integrating Internet searches into their curriculum.
Good Ed Tech Activities for All Skill Levels
Use technology as a topic for a writing assignment

For younger students, have them write a how-to piece about using technology in the classroom.
Its a natural fit, as young people usually have a higher comfort level with technology than many
adults. Tell kids to write a piece instructing someone maybe a grandparent? on how to send an
email, set up an Ipod, or play a video game. For older kids, have them research the impact
technology has had on a particular time in history or science or include a unit on science fiction and
technology in your Language Arts curriculum.
Create a class webpage
A class webpage can be anything from a basic site where you post announcements (think online
bulletin board) to a much more elaborate one that includes class photos, a class blog, downloadable
materials, and your own domain name. Those of you with a little more experience may enjoy
Webs.com (http://www.webs.com/), which offers both free and premium service packages.
Use an online grading system
While some schools are mandating the shift to web-based gradebooks, you dont have to wait to try
one out. Sites like MyGradebook.com (http://www.mygradebook.com) offer the opportunity to track
grades, record attendance and seating charts, and compile reports on student progress. You can
also email students and parents directly to allow them to view their updated grades. Never worry
again about bringing home your gradebook you can access it from any computer.
Do an email exchange
When we were kids, some teachers had class penpals or had you practice your penmanship by
writing a letter to an author. Try the 21st-century version of that by instituting an email exchange. Have
your students exchange emails with students in another school, city, state, or country especially
valuable if both sets of students are studying the same material. Or arrange for a group of experts to
accept emails from your students on a particular topic. Students who fail to see the real world
implications of math or science may develop new interest if you can put them in touch with a video
game designer, astronaut, or engineer who uses those skills every day. And for adults who might
want to volunteer but feel pressed for time, email can be a great way to help out, since they can
respond on their own schedule.
Give multimedia presentations or have your students give them
Liven up a traditional lecture by using a PowerPoint presentation that incorporates photographs,
diagrams, sound effects, music, or video clips. For high school teachers, consider having your
students develop presentations as a review tool before semester exams. Their work may be so good
that you will want to use it in future classes!
Supplement your lessons

When youve taught the same material for awhile, you and your students may find it less-thanexciting. A quick Internet search may help you identify ways to supplement your lessons with
interesting new material. Make a habit of searching before you begin each new unit. You may find
photographs, sound clips, video clips, and more that can bring your lessons to life. Many museums
now offer online virtual tours and teachers are constantly developing new presentations and
webquests, which are posted online. Add these in to keep your lessons fresh.
Advanced Ed Tech Activities
Create a class blog or wiki
Take appropriate precautions for Internet safety, but a class blog or wiki can be a great way to
integrate technology in the classroom and develop student knowledge. Some teachers use blogs
to drive outside-of-class discussion particularly helpful for AP/IB students who are motivated but
short on class time.
A wiki is a website that uses software which allows many different people to edit it (think Wikipedia).
Have your students work together to create a wiki on a topic they are studying. They will need to
correct each others work and collaborate in order to make it a success.
Listen to or create a Podcast.
There are thousands of podcasts available on the Web. Search for ones that meet your students
needs. Some colleges are offering professors lectures via podcast, which can be great for advanced
students. In other cases, you may be able to find an interview with the author of a book your students
are reading, or other supplemental material. Make arrangements to download it and play it for your
students. For the really ambitious, have students create their own podcasts to document their
progress through the year or discuss their ideas on a variety of issues pertaining to the course.
Publish your students work
Tools exist today to allow your students to create really professional looking work using a desktop
computer. Have students create a short film, run an ongoing class website that features student work
and opinions, or if theyre really ambitious raise the money to have their work professionally
published by a self-publishing company like iUniverse or Lulu.
No matter what your skill level, integrating technology in the classroom offers the chance to
increase student interest and teach valuable professional skills and have some fun!
What ways do you use technology in the classroom? Share in the comments section!

http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/2271-effective-teaching-strategies

5 Teaching Strategies to Engage Students Using

Technology
INSIGHT
Priyanka Gupta
13 January 2016
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Technology is aid to teaching in a great manner; and the same is quite visible from the way we see children's
love for tech integration.

STAY CONNECTED:

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If you are one of those educators who love to try different things then 5 strategies are listed below that might
come handy for you to engage students better than before.

1) Use of Multimedia
Vivid images, videos, instantaneous information, all of this capture attention from students easily. Use
of various multimedia resources adds zing to your classroom sessions. Students enjoy distinctive resources and

variety of these resources keeps students engaged and interested in the classrooms throughout. Multimedia can
stimulate more than one sense at a time, and in doing so, educators reach all different types of learners and
hold students attention longer. Giving students the ability to create and utilize different types of multimedia
creates a more collaborative classroom and allows students communicate and actually apply what they are
learning, enhancing the overall educational experience.
Also Read: Why and How Should Educators Embrace Media Literacy in Classrooms

2) Utilization of Social Media

Every kid, every teacher in fact everybody uses and enjoys social media. So when this social media is used for
teaching purposes, it turns out to be of great use. Students love being social, collaborating, sharing and
exchanging ideas. Various important aspects that are integral part of teaching like collaboration and interaction
can happen seamlessly via social media. Not just that it is being used by all but it also enables you to keep
things all checked up and helps you in assigning tasks, assignment and other class related activities
effortlessly. Social media also plays an important role when you talk about keeping guardians updated about
the students performance and other school activities. Various platforms like Facebook and Twitter are being
used by educators worldwide and are enjoyed by the masses.
Also Read: Social Media Tips Every Educational Leader Must Follow

3) Using Variety of Resources

Mix things up and add some engagement. The source of the information is not just limited to books in
21st century instead you can use podcasts, videos, OERs, blogs and other resources to deliver knowledge. Kids
enjoy exploring various resources and widening their horizons. A mix of various resources is enjoyed by
students and is refreshing. It even caters to the different learning needs of the students, as one same resource
may not be apt for all.

4) Making Most of Games and Perks of Gamification

Maybe this is the best part about tech integration. The thing that students get to learn while gaming is the best
thing. No doubts about the thing that how much love kids have for the games and here educational games are
there to help kids learn their important lessons while playing amazing games. Students can get motivated by
challenging each other and if done on a mobile device, students are more likely to continue learning outside of
the classroom. Usingeducational games is one of the best ways to use technology in the classroom to make
students eager for learning. And gamification can be used as a framework for education that can be used

anywhere and in any level of complexity. It can be directly applied to contents, to the pedagogical framework
(usually constructivism), or even to other complementary frameworks.
You can also watch these 9 videos to know more about gamification in education.

5) Use Technology to Empower Students and Reach Out

Technology nurtures artistic expression. Engaged students are those who actively express opinions, and dont
just passively receive wisdom. Technology can give them a platform to explain their ideas, not just
regurgitate facts. Apart from this you can help students reach out and learn more. Social media helps you
connect to people around the world and you can get in touch with experts.
Modern technology-based art forms have encourage artistic expression among our diverse student population.
These tools provide forms of artistic communication for those students who have been constrained by the
traditional options of verbal and written communication. You should also help students to have a voice. One
way to do this, for example, is to get them to each set up a blog or participate in other ways to demonstrate
their learning. But remember that not everyones the same: introvert students might find Twitter intimidating,
for instance. Instead, offer multiple choices: podcasting, YouTube etc. To make this work, students need to be
aware of ethics of online world and the principles of digital citizenship. You should help with this on priority
before starting up!
You must check these fun resources on digital citizenship for kids.
Which strategies do you follow to keep your students engaged and active in the classroom?

Img Src

About the Author

Author: Priyanka Gupta

http://www.teacherkit.net/engaging-students-through-technology-four-strategies/

4 strategies to engage students

using technology
Home/ Blog

26 Feb 2015

Ibrahim AbdelGhany

Blog

When were engaged in something, we do better at it. Thats as true of learning as it is anything else: an
engaged student is more likely to learn and succeed than a disengaged one.
Technology can play a huge part in this: motivating, involving, inspiring. Weve rounded up four key
engagement concepts and some tools to try in your classroom. Always remember, though, that
technology should support and reinforce things youre already doing.

1 Use technology to ENHANCE lesson content

Todays students are highly visual, preferring pictures and video to words and speech. Mixing in visual
learning tools increases their engagement, by adding variety to the learning environment.
Equally, when they can choose between several teaching media, such as online videos and interactive
reading materials, their engagement and motivation are also boosted.

2 Use technology to ENABLE collaboration

Todays students are also social. They love being part of a community, collaborating, sharing and
exchanging ideas.
Interaction is therefore vital, so you could integrate tools such as Google apps and wikis to involve
students in collaborative environments with one another. Equally, instant messaging allows teachers and
students to discuss tasks, share ideas and links, and generally work together.
This can also extend beyond your school group. After all, to succeed in todays world, students need to
network widely. That means co-operating and collaborating with others outside the classroom. Online
Virtual Learning Communities are great for this, as are tools such as Skype.

3 Use technology to EMPOWER students

Engaged students are those who actively express opinions, and dont just passively receive wisdom.
Technology can give them a platform to explain their ideas, not just regurgitate facts.
For example, VoiceThread allows students to record their own take on something, such as a
mathematical concept, and post it online. Similarly Moodle Glossary enables them to upload their own
definitions and concepts, and comment on others.
You should also help students to have a voice. One way to do this, for example, is to get them to each
set up a WordPress blog or Twitter account. But remember that not everyones the same: introverted
students might find Twitter intimidating, for instance. Instead, offer multiple choices: podcasting, YouTube
etc.
To make this work, students need to be aware of copyright issues and the principles of digital citizenship.
You should help with this!

4 Use technology to EXCHANGE feedback

Modern students are used to giving and getting immediate feedback. Technology can help with this,
making data instantly accessible.
Asking a key question as a lesson ends is a proven way to gather feedback and assess students
learning. Its how you can judge whether to reinforce something, carry on, or even accelerate learning.

Google forms and Moodle quizzes work well for this. Equally tools like WallWisher are ideal for quick
assessments.
In terms of giving feedback, this could be as simple as sending students their test results electronically,
rather than waiting till the next lesson. Or it could embrace external tools. For example, PaperRater gives
students instant assessments on essays, covering aspects such as vocabulary and punctuation.

http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2014/09/5-ways-virtual-reality-will-changeeducation/

5 ways virtual reality will change

education
BY KATE ABROSIMOVA SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

Education and technology are interconnected. This synergy is able

to transform the world we live in. The contradictory phenomenon is
that while being an early adopter of technology, education is also
one of the last sectors to be fully transformed by it, due to
institutional inertia and a number of other reasons.
Education hasnt changed for years in terms of teaching approaches
and techniques applied. Although we are seeing some innovative
variability in this area. Today millennials feel pretty comfortable with
online education, doing research on the Internet, resorting to

instructional videos on YouTube and distance learning powered by

video technology. Obviously, virtual reality is next.
Some virtual reality projects used both in schools and higher
educational institutions, are already under way.
Weve covered before a story about the students in Ireland who
recreated a historic place in OpenSim and explored it with an Oculus
Rift headset. The project was made possible with the help
of MissionV a platform, that provides Irish schools students with
tools to build virtual learning environments.

MissionV project. Introducing virtual reality and Oculus Rift to Irish schools. (Image courtesy
Mission-V.)

We are getting ready to take the next step by supporting schools

that will invest in head-mounted displays like the Oculus Rift, James
Corbett, the managing director of MissionV, told Hypergrid Business.
We are in no doubt now that virtual reality will become an ever
more important part of education.

James Corbett

The Medical Virtual Reality group at the University of Southern

California Institute for Creative Technologies studies use cases of
virtual reality simulation technology for clinical purposes.
Virtual reality is also used for training purposes in the military, which
includes flight and battlefield simulations, medical training under
battlefield conditions, virtual boot camp and more.
If the future for education is going to involve virtual space, how
exactly can virtual reality technology make an impact on the
learning process?

1. Collaboration in virtual reality

classroom fosters social integration of
learners
Dr. Conor Galvin at the University College Dublin School of Education
and Lifelong Learning evaluated the MissionV Schools Pilot
Programme, which involved 20 primary schools. In his report Dr.
Conor Galvin gives examples of how the virtual reality technology
managed to tackle students social issues.
He says, the students struggling to become part of the class group,
were able to become accepted by their peers because of their
technology skills. Owing to MissionV, shy students come out of their
shells and the kids, previously lacking in confidence in their maths
skills, became self-assured technology experts.

Additional evidence which wasnt published to the site, pointed to

especially positive outcomes for individual children from ethnic
minorities, or with learning difficulties, or experiencing problems at
home, said MissionVsCorbett. In fact, we heard some particularly
heartwarming stories in that regard.
Virtual reality technology is apt to students with different needs and
learning styles, according to the teachers at pilot schools. Also it
gives a lot of opportunities for group work and peer teaching.

2. Not possible in reality is possible in

virtual reality
The pedagogies of constructivism and game-based learning show
that children learn best by doing or by being, said Corbett. So they
shouldnt just read about history they should be historians. They
shouldnt just study archaeology they should be archaeologists.

A virtual building site project. (Image courtesy Inge Knudsen.)

The ability to introduce practical knowledge to the classroom

without actually leaving it, makes educational experience

invaluable. Rather than listening to lectures, students can put words

underneath a headset and get a real experience but in a virtual
wrapper.
My current project involves safety on a building site, said virtual
education expert Inge Knudsen.
I have created a virtual building site with many safety issues, she
added. Students can walk around in the virtual environment and
take pictures of places that are not safe. This is a case that is not
possible in real life and therefore highly suited for virtual worlds.
Virtual immersive environment lets students experience any sphere
of professional and life application yet at the learning stage.

3. Virtual game-based experience

increases students motivation
Motivation and engagement are key factors of game-based
learning, and virtual reality takes those to the next level, said
MissionVs Corbett.
Thinking about the very purpose of education, it is basically a key to
self-knowledge, a tool to get a job and also an experience that
should better be positive and engaging, given the years people
spend on it.

Jane Wilde

In my own experience game-based learning is motivating because

it is fun, Jane Wilde, an instructor at Marlboro College and an expert

in using games and simulations for learning, told Hypergrid

Business.
Educators use games as a matter of daily practice. Even though
virtual reality games are not the only source of fun and engagement
in class, they can make a substantial difference.
Conducting game-based learning experiences in a virtual
environment is enhanced by the following factors, said Wilde. The
player is immersed in the game world an authentic context for
the activities. The playing field is leveled a players gender,
weight, race dont have to interfere with their acceptance by other
players. You are judged by your actions. A lot can be accomplished
in a virtual environment that would not be possible in real life. Also it
is memorable the visual and kinesthetic experiences in virtual
worlds contribute to our ability to learn.
There are many educational games that lack the motivational
features I have listed, added Wilde.
Students need inspiration and encouragement to keep exploring the
potential of education for their own capabilities. Engagement that
virtual reality can produce will eventually veer students desire for
exploration more toward intellect and away from play.

Building a sand castle in Minecraft, for Jane Wildes assignment at Games and Simulations
class. (Image courtesy Jane Wilde.)

4. Virtual reality introduces new

approach to rewards
Assessment of academic achievements and students progress
reports have been used in education for centuries. However, virtual
reality is going to transform the traditional concept of incentives in
the learning process.
Success is acknowledged, said Wilde. There are rewards for
achievements. Failures are generally ignored. This is the opposite of
much education where success is neutral and failure is punished.
This kind of rewards engage the brain and keep learners questing for
more. Emotional reward cannot be ignored either. It makes a huge
impact on students desire to study. Though there is always a risk of
discouragement, let alone competition.

It isnt easy, told Wilde. There are challenges that cant be

accomplished on the first try. There is increasing complexity. Taking
risks and trying other ways are good strategies.
Students rewards for the challenges virtual reality provides, are
both individual and collective
Players need to work together and benefit for different skills,
specializations of their team members. Everyone on the team is
important, said Wilde.

5. Virtual platforms and headsets are

the new tools for inspiring creative
learning
Virtual reality technology creates the world of imagination, which is
capable of breaking the boundaries in traditional education.
However, its adoption requires not only time and effort, but
thoroughly elaborated methods to adjust the technology for the
learning purposes.

Tom Chatfield

Im actually slightly cynical about using virtual reality in education,

in that I think people often get too excited at gadgets instead of
thinking fully about what a great educational experience looks
like, Tom Chatfield, an author of a number of books on digital
culture and a gaming theorist, whose appearances include TED
Global, told Hypergrid Business. For me, perhaps the most exciting
thing that could come of this type of technology is students

themselves getting excited about, and using it to create things and

learn via the act of creating.
OpenSim virtual platform and the secure working environment it
helps create seems to be a perfect choice to empower students
creativity. Educators are already using OpenSim to build historic
recreations. But there are other options on the virtual bookshelf as
well.
One of the greatest tech tools for inspiring creative learning in
recent years has been the game Minecraft, which is extraordinarily
basic in its graphical appearance, said Chatfield. What it offers as
a tool for creating worlds and experimenting with some of the ideas
underpinning logic and programming that make it exciting
together with the incredible community of users and their creations.
I would love to see this kind of creativity combined with new tech
like headsets, and people in education systems building and
collaborating through them, added Chatfield.
Minecraft doesnt officially support Oculus Rift yet, but attempts to
build a Minecraft virtual reality mod, called Minecrift. The beta
version is already available for experiencing, though can only be run
on an Oculus Rift Development Kit 1.
I think the Oculus Rift has tremendous potential in any 3D platform
that is built to accept it, said Wilde of Marlboro College. I
anticipate that it, or something like it, will become as ubiquitous as a
mouse or game controller. I see both questing platforms like World
of Warcraft and constructive platforms like Second Life and Minecraft
being enhanced by the Oculus Rift.
The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is
boundless, said Jean-Jacques Rousseau, speaking in the 18th
century.

Now, as the we have the device for letting imagination into the real
world called Oculus Rift, lets hope it will open new endless
possibilities in our century.