Is Technology Really So Important?

As parents that grew up in a different time than your children, you may be wondering why people are trying to integrate technology into the classroom.  Obviously you did well enough without it, and how can technology really affect an English class?  Do the students even want it?  It seems the do!  There is a class in Texas that put together a little video about what technology means to them.  They are a third grade class and if you think about how excited about technology they are, and how much use they have been able to find for themselves in their classrooms, can you then imagine how high schoolers would find it even more useful?

This technology gives the teachers more effective means in which to reach your children.  We have interactive white boards to make diagrams and concepts easier to understand, powerpoints to make information more accessible, and we have websites where we can communicate  with you, the parents.

Technology might not seem like the most effective way to teach English because of it's roots in classical literature and grammatical rules, but there are tons of Web 2.0 tools that can highly enrich a lesson.  One such tool is Crocodoc.  Crocodoc allows teams of students to upload PDF files, Word documents or even Webpages.   Once uploaded, other team members can log on to Crocodoc and make trackable changes without the hassle of having to email attachments back and forth.  It's a remarkable tool that allows multiple people access to the same document to make changes immediately and allows areas for comments and discussion.  I like using Crocodoc in teams but also for peer editing on different assignments.  

Powerpoint presentations are also a succinct way to present information.  Rather than traditional means of lecturing and having the students take notes, I can create a powerpoint presentation that displays all pertinent information in a clear way with pictures and diagrams.  When class is over, I can then upload the powerpoint to my classroom's website to aid students in studying and homework.

Along with being a place to store uploaded lecture notes, a class website is a great way to foster a sense of community.  With a discussion board, classmates can ask and answer questions and can work through their own problems together.  By figuring out answers to questions themselves, they can  learn a lot more in the process than just asking me for an answer.  The website is also a great place to upload short stories or assignments as examples for what to do, along wit rubrics to see how I grade.  With it all available online, the students can check anytime, and not just in the class--and it's good to get your student thinking about classroom material outside of school.

Technology also allows for an easier way for me to communicate with parents.  Not just through email, but we can have tele-conferences through web-based services like Skype.  This is particularly helpful in instances when it would be difficult to find a suitable time to have a conference on the progress of your child, and could be done from the comfort of your home or office.

So, technology can really aid in a student's learning  and in your involvement!  I look forward to helping your students learn more about English and technology.