5 Top Tips to Support Digital Technologies in the Classroom

Introducing new technologies in to your school is easier than ever before. So, as a school, how can you ensure that your classrooms are fully enabled to become hubs of digital technology, enabling your students to learn and retain information better than ever? Read our 5 top tips below!

1) Get to Grips with the Tech!

Whether it’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) or Flipped Classrooms, make sure you’re aware of the latest updates and innovations happening in classrooms all over the world. Once you’ve completed some research, you’ll be able to identify the places which provide you with the information that you need to know. Teacher Toolkit is one of the top education blogs in the UK, and with topics such as How Technology is Captivating Classrooms, you could find some fantastic inspiration for your own school. 

No matter the source, it’s important to locate a conversation that helps with your own learning about these technologies in a way that you can absorb effectively. Perhaps it’s a podcast, a blog or even social media feed; find one that suits your way of learning and get involved in the conversation happening around it. 

2) Know the Benefits of Digital Technologies in the Classroom

There is often new research that investigates the benefits of digital technologies and if they help students to retain information that they learn, however the most important thing is to know if and how they can benefit your students.

No matter your vision for the use of technology in classrooms, you should admit that technology does make learning more fun. For subjects that your students may find challenging, boring or non-engaging, adding technology in to the mix can make the lessons more interesting and help them to find a new, exciting way of learning.

Technology can also allow your students to learn at their own pace, enabling teachers to quickly identify those who may need some additional help. The study mentioned above states that students believe that the use of technology also helps them to retain information better. With all these benefits and more, you can create environments where every student enjoys learning, retains the information and wants to learn more, filling your classrooms with energy. 

3) Know the Criticisms of Digital Technologies in the Classroom

You should think carefully about which technologies to use in your classrooms, including the efficiency and effectiveness of those you wish to introduce. When a lot of time and resources are invested to bring in a new technology, ensure that it’s effective in the classroom vs traditional learning methods. A big criticism of digital technologies is the cost vs their effectiveness; researching the effectiveness of a new technology can help you to invest in the right places.

Your students’ safety could be at risk if certain elements of the digital world aren’t managed effectively, including: cyber-bullying, hacking of personal information, access to illegal/banned materials and other online distractions. As well as their online safety, looking after your students’ physical wellbeing is also important when working at desktop computers for prolonged periods, including common problems such as poor posture and eyestrain.

The most surprising criticism of digital technologies is that, on their own, they do not enhance learning; the impact they have relies heavily on the way that they are used. How could you ensure that they are used correctly in your school?

4) Support Your Teachers

For teachers to make the most of digital technologies in their classroom, they need to develop an awareness of a range of technologies and complete research about how they are used, as well as why they are used to support learning. If the intended learning goals and methods of use can be outlined for them, and they can also be provided with all this information centrally, this will give them more time to spend using the technology and becoming more comfortable with it. 

Easy ways to use technology in the classroom are readily available, but are they effective? Allowing your teachers some freedom is imperative to their own enjoyment of using new technologies but providing them with some guidance is important for maximum effectiveness. Ensure new technologies are incorporated in to your curriculum with clear guidelines on how and when technologies are to be used. 

Another way you could support your teachers is to help them create and enforce a school wide technology policy, so that all students know what is expected of them when using tech and to stay on track when using lessons. If you cannot trust your students, using mobile device management software can help to ensure they can only access what was intended by their teachers.

5) Ensure Your School WiFi Can Handle Your Ambitions

The most important question to ask when implementing a new technology is if your existing infrastructure can cope with the new demands that you will be placing upon it. As mentioned in this report from Cambridge International, one of the greatest challenges when implementing digital technologies in to your classrooms, is an inconsistent or slow internet connection. You could find that if all of your devices are used at once, that your desktop computers suddenly have limited access to school resources.

WiFi connectivity should enable you to reach your goals and transform your school in to a digital hub of learning. Your staff should be able to work quickly and effectively, whilst your classrooms make the most of their new laptops, tablets and other digital technologies. 

Find out more about how EIS’ Managed Wireless Service can help you achieve your goals by clicking the button below. A future-proofed wireless solution fit for 21st century learning.

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