What is it we want to be doing in our classrooms? Are we just replacing the chalkboard or white board with powerpoint presentations or are we really trying to engage our students with technology? Are they sitting back passively as we perform using all the gadgetry at our disposal?
We as teachers are constantly being told that we have to move with the times and engage our students using 21st century skills. I think we all know this but the question is - how? We have to change our mindsets or make a paradigm shift, to quote an overused cliche'. Again the question is how.
I think we have to start with small steps and try and change just one thing in our teaching practice at a time. We become overwhelmed too easily with all this talk about ICT. When you are preparing your next lesson try to think of a way that you can get your students to really be engaged in the learning . Obviously including technology in this learning is what want, but getting them actively involved in the learning process is the first step.
So how about this for a start? Let's hear from you!
Also, a "performance" every day is really tiring! We need to get the students to be doing something as well, rather than just relaxing in their chairs under the fans!
ReplyDeleteI'm really excited about this, I have noticed that ICT brings abstract concepts to life e.g through vitual tours and simulations. I definitely think that ict enriches the quality of teaching & learning in class.
ReplyDeletePower point presentations are still better than the chalkboard for various reasons:
ReplyDeletea You can re-use them and not erase them like chalk
b They are neater than someone's irregular writing
c They can add to our understanding with real life pictures and scenarios
d They can keep us focused with design and colour BUT
In themselves they are often not interactive
Students are much more attentive and interested in educational material that is presented differently. The chalk/white board in Mathematics is valuable but this must be supplemented by the use of visuals (clips, pics,schematics, etc). This truly enhances understanding.To go a step further...get interactive! Watch this space...Sue
ReplyDeleteFor maths the chalk/white board is still absolutely necessary because, while I can use powerpoint to bring up each successive step in a sum, sometimes (for more complicated topics) the students need to be able to WATCH ME actually writing every single part out so that they know HOW to get from one line to the next, and can then repeat it themselves.
ReplyDeleteFor things like graphs though, it is very useful to have my computer draw them for me :-) And if we're discussing something in class that is perhaps more complicated than they know how to do, I can just open up the graphing program, type in the equation and the computer draws it for us right there. They can then immediately VISUALISE whatever it is we're talking about.
Yesterday and today in my grade 8 class instead of letting the students write their feedback on paper or the chalk board I got them to use easiteach - it really was fun and then it could be saved and added it to. They loved seeing all their work the next day. As they were writing sentences we could immediately correct them as well. Not fab ICT but OK.
ReplyDeleteStudents love to complain that lessons are 'soooo booooring' - and maybe they have a point. But let's face it, when you're competing with 3D movies, digital effects, instant entertainment, channel surfing, surround sound and endless choice it's quite a feat to capture their interest and keep their attention.
ReplyDeleteWe can't be expected to produce a Hollywood Hit six times a day, and they need to know that. But integrating ICT into our lessons can certainly be a positive step along our mini red carpet :o)
Hear, hear,Miss T! What I love about the graph program is that you can draw multi graphs on one system of axes in different colours and delete them and call them up one at a time at will - great for comparisons!
ReplyDeletei think we should introduce digital books to students, something like your ipads, and tablts. we seriously need to catch up with technology before we fall behind because it moves fast
ReplyDelete