Tom Jager is professional blogger. He works at Awriter. He has degrees in Law and English Literature. Tom has written numerous articles/online journals. You can reach him at G+ or Facebook.
The primary tools of education of the past were pens, in technologypaper, and books. These three tools are still used today but their roles have already begun to change, thanks toin technology. Smartboards, computers, smartphones, and tablets are being increasingly used in classrooms and the benefits are amazing.
Let’s focus on tablets. Why are they important for real twenty-first century teachers who love to use technology? What can tablets do to replace the traditional education tools?
What a Tech-Thinking Teacher Sees in a Tablet
Most people see tablets as tools for entertainment and communication in social media. Of course, those are among the primary functions of these remarkable devices. But what about education?
Truly tech-minded teachers see them as tools for performing a wide range of great educational activities, including:
- Publishing Platform – Students can write text for wikis and blogs, record and upload to audio platforms, and post on social networks.
- Mobile recording – Tablets have apps that allow students to record audio and video, which is perfect for recording experiments, lessons, lectures, and other schoolwork.
- Editing – Students can edit text, photos, audio, and video using installed apps. Great for homework and classwork.
- Exploring – Tablets allow to access educational websites on the web, thus providing an opportunity to take online tests, read articles, and watch videos.
- Homework tool – A tablet can serve as a tool for taking pictures and writing assignments on the go.
All these benefits suggest that tablets can extend the learning context beyond the classroom.
What Do Other Teachers and Students Think?
A recent study by a group of scientists from the Ghent University in Belgium is perfect for demonstrating how tablets are changing the way the classroom is run today. It investigated the perceptions of teachers and students concerning the impact of using tablets for teaching and learning.
According to the results of the study, there are two categories of teachers innovative (tech-minded) and instrumental (traditional). There was a difference between their teaching strategy that can be demonstrated by the following interview data.
Traditional teachers admit their role is “just as same as before.” They have no intention to be innovative and want to exert more control. So is this how a truly twenty-first-century educator is supposed to think about involving technology?
Of course not.
Some of the comments from students of traditionally-minded teachers are really alarming. For example, students indicate no difference in learning compared with last years and perceive their classes as old-fashioned. These teachers lack innovative methods and experience poor student engagement during the classes.
This is where it gets even more interesting. In contrast to traditional teachers who want to exert control and have no other way of learning, innovative ones perceive tablets as helpers in promoting learning and better performance of students. Moreover, they perceive themselves as coaches who need to involve more current issues into their teaching methods.
What the students think about that? Innovative teachers are seen as “superbly modern,” with exciting assignments and different teaching styles. The students obviously enjoy learning this way, as the study results showed because they appreciate innovation, excitement, and interactive nature of assignments.
The Key Takeaways from the Study
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- Teachers are key to the success of the implementation of technology in schools.
- Tablets are an effective way to increase engagement, diversify teaching and assignment style, and improve the image of learning.
- Students have high expectations regarding the use of technology in schools
The Steps for Mastering Tablet Use for Teaching
With these great benefits provided by tablets, it is highly recommended to incorporate their use in the classroom. Here’s how to do it.
- Explore the tablet. The students probably know how to operate them, so go beyond basic functions and show them some cool tips and tricks. For example, show how a web design program can be used to learn geometry. Also, show how text editors are used by professional writers to teach advanced functions. Or just ask the class about how they think some popular apps can be used. You should have a pretty big whiteboard because the ideas will keep coming!
- Introduce some rules. Some of the students will surely want to play games while learning, so establishing rules is critical. A teacher needs to address off-task activities before they became an issue.
- Choose some apps and expand. With thousands of apps out there, it’s difficult to pick those that would work perfectly for educational purposes. That’s why teachers should aim to choose just a few apps at the beginning and then move to more complex ones.
Wrapping Up
A technology-enhanced classroom is a better classroom. Tablets are one of the most important elements in providing a truly innovative learning, so their presence is indeed critical in a classroom of a tech-minded teacher.
Many thanks for reading and I hope tablets will be great helpers for you and your students as well!
