Technology is becoming an important part of today's education. With the new devices and programs that are available for students to use, technology needs to be integrated into traditional learning. Typically technology is not used as a tool to engage students because many teachers do not know how to integrate it into their lessons. With the use of technology it should engage, extend, and enhance a student's learning. To be able to use technology tools efficiently it is important to understand what these three terms truly mean.
Engagement- is when the teacher is trying to motivate or interest a student that is disengaged.
Extension- is when the technology in the classroom brings in learning from outside world to make it relevant to a student's everyday life. Also it should benefit the student after their education is over.
Enhancement- this is used so the students can have a better understanding of learning goals that could not be accomplished without those technology tools.
Engagement in an activity that is important when using technology. There are many perks to engaging students in technology. For example it helps the students to focus on an assignment with less distraction. It is also more motivating and can change students from a passive to an active learner (Keren-Kolb, 2013). There are many ways that you can use technology as an engaging tool, for example applications for a variety of tablets have become very popular. There are lots of apps that can be downloaded for a small price or even free that can actively engage students. Apps such as Scribble Press and Stack the States are great for elementary school students to learn a certain subject while playing a fun interactive game (McGinty, 2013). One of my personal favorites is Collins Big Cat Books. They are interactive books that allow a student to read a book or it can be read to them. It has pictures that move and are visually stimulating and it also has a quiz at the end of the book to test the students comprehension skills. The best part of this app is that it allows the student to create their own story that goes along with the same theme of the book. I have personally used this app with numerous students and they all really enjoy creating their own story and they are actively engaged. Applications are great to use to support students with disabilities. It keeps these students engaged and they are more willing to participate in fun activities.
The use of technology needs to be an extension of what is already being learned in the classroom. Technology can be integrated into any lesson no matter the subject. The use of technology allows students to extend on what they learned during the day outside of school. It also allows students to apply what they learn in class to their everyday life. Lastly it helps the students realize that they do not need a teacher or a school to continue to use their technology tools(Keren-Kolb, 2013). There are many great programs on the internet that can help a student extend their learning beyond the classroom. Blogs are a great way for student to look up relevant information about a certain topic and to comment about their opinion. Students can also create their own blog if they wish. Another great tool is for a student to create a Voki. This is a tool in which a student can make a character and they can program it to say whatever you want whether you want to use a animated voice or your own. An example of a way to use this program is to have students pick their favorite person from history. They can make these characters and program the characters to say facts about themselves. This is an easy and free tool for anyone to use. It is also great for students with disabilities because many of them have a fear of public speaking. They can use this site to record what they want to say and then they can present it to the class without actually having to speak themselves in front of a large group of people.
Technology is a great tool the enhance any lesson for any subject. Teachers have many tools that can enhance their lesson such as using computers for projects, using videos, podcasts, etc. For example a great tool to use to enhance a lesson would be Skype. This tool could be used to talk to someone from another country. This would be great for a science or social studies lesson. By doing an activity like this it would give students the ability to experience what it would be like to be from another country without leaving the classroom (Corcordia University).
Many programs can be used to make a lesson more exciting and interactive for students. Also many of them do not take up that much time to make. Some other perks are that it can make a lesson easier to understand for some students. It also allows the students to have a more sophisticated look at a subject that they could not get from other resources. Lastly it allows the student to show their understanding of a subject by using technology to complete projects (Keren-Kolb, 2013).
Technology can be a great addition to any classroom. It can be used to help many students grow in this world where technology is used in every job occupation. The technology skills that teachers teach their students will be used for many years to come. It is easy to engage, extend, and enhance lessons in order to help students better understand and to truly learn the material.
