Bridging the gap between teachers and technology

Does your school have technology available that you just don’t know how to use? Do you have a computer lab, a computer teacher and an technology specialist and just don’t know how to make technology useful in your curriculum?

When you think about your role in the classroom, and your student’s role in the classroom you think about facilitating learning and receiving learning. The concentration on these is paramount in the classroom leaving little room for figuring out the latest gadgets, software or programs and their role in teaching and learning.

An article in Learning and Leading with Technology discusses how a site administrator can analyze the needs and problems that exists in a school. To develop a plan for creating an open communication between teachers, students and technology experts may make integration easier and better received. Here are a few ways this can take place:

First, communication regarding how technology works and how software works could help teachers to figure out exactly how it can be useful for curriculum and classroom. Not knowing what exactly software does or how it can be useful is a barrier to inclusion. Second, there has to be an effort on the part of the technology coordinator and the teachers to know and understand the other’s needs. Streamlining communication and understanding what’s necessary to make technology easy and useful in the classroom would go a long way in closing the technology gap. For more ideas of how technologists and teachers have worked together to resolve this issue, click here to read the article.   *2017*

When Students Become Teachers

Today’s students have access to computers, cell phones, handheld video games and iPods. They are surrounded by technology without really realizing that what they are doing requires any special knowledge or skill. As a result, they may not have a fear of learning about educational technology, and will be more eager to incorporate it into their studies. It is then worth it to figure out how to relate to their reality and what’s normal for each generation of students as we (teachers) grow older.

In an article by the International Society for Technology in Education, students were tasked with creating a persuasive commercial demonstrating why students should use multimedia in the classroom. The assignment gave educators an opportunity to allow students to create, work in groups while promoting technology.

The students in the article were actually technology wizards who were tasked with helping to explain various technologies to teachers. The students actually presented professional development opportunities for teachers in technology, creating a rare opportunity for teachers to take advantage of learning from the very students they spend so much time teaching.

For the student’s video project on why technology is useful, click here.



For a copy of the article referenced in this post, click here.

Be sure to click below to check out a student created video on why technology in the classroom is important to them!