Over the past few months, I’ve visited a few of our local schools specifically to see how teachers and students are using technology in their classrooms. Each of these visits has impressed me. And it’s not only because of the fun things students are doing in class, or the obvious engagement and learning opportunities on display, but if anyone has truly impressed me, it’s the teachers.
When I first wrote a story for a Back to School section we offered readers in September, I anticipated doing one story on technology in the classroom. A simple overview on some of the fun things happening and how teachers and students are adapting to a changing world.
What I quickly found was that not only were teachers in the area changing and adapting, but they were so incredibly eager and ambitious. I had no problem finding teachers to speak to me, and each of them had their own fun ideas to share. What was supposed to be a typical 500-word story was getting longer and longer by the day, as teachers offered their thoughts and projects. This has lead to a series of stories being shared since then.
As a parent of a child in elementary, the topic of how children learn is clearly important to me – as it should be to many people. Pencils and paper are still found in the classroom, but so are iPads, Chromebooks, smart boards, laptops, and a bunch of other gadgets.
Students don’t have to get on a bus to visit a world-renowned museum anymore; they can do it virtually with a few pieces of equipment and a teacher willing to learn that equipment. Students don’t have to carry home heavy, out-of-date textbooks to get their homework done, instead they can log into Google Docs, search credible sources online, and have a world of knowledge readily accessible to them.
One crucial piece of the puzzle I quickly discovered was that technology, when used properly, can open doors for students that may have otherwise had a hard time being engaged in learning. But students can’t simply be handed a piece of equipment and left to their own devices. Teachers are just as important, if not more important, as they now guide students through a digital world, rather than just through units in a textbook.
Since September, I’ve also been impressed with a few teachers I know on a different level. I regularly receive emails from my son’s Grade 2 teacher. I come across class photos of the kids dressed up for special holidays, or videos of the students doing science or social studies projects in my email weekly.
Connecting students to their learning is important, but connecting parents to the classroom is also a huge benefit. It allows me to ask my son specific questions about his learning, and he’s excited to share.
I will likely be doing one or two more stories on the topic of technology in the classroom, although that certainly doesn’t mean that there aren’t countless other stories out there to share. It seems like the list is endless and I think parents can be confident that local students are being properly prepared for life in a world that is always changing.
