Teaching And Tech Go Hand-In-Hand

We will always need teachers who are able to inspire the next generation to be global citizens and tackle the challenges that we face today as a society. To be a great teacher we need to be able to use technology in all its many forms. Technology can support us as we become teachers and as we find ourselves in the classroom. Technology can also help us teach our students the skills that they need to grow to their full potential and make a difference in the world.

Teaching Credentials and Technology

There are a wide range of programs that allow us to get our teaching credentials no matter at what level of education or what type of students we plan to teach. For example if we are seeking to gain a California Teaching Credential we can find many hybrid programs that combine online course work with in class training. This means we can start getting our teaching credentials at home while maintaining our current job. This also means it is never too late to work towards a teaching credential, which makes teaching a great job pivot. In addition, a wide range of online sites allow us to gain continuing education credits from home keeping us up on all the current best practices in education.

Technology: In The Classroom

Once we are in the classroom there is a wide range of technology we can use to really engage with our students. For practical purposes there are many sites that help us stay in communication with our students especially as more and more classrooms are hybrid. These systems can help us keep both our students and our students’ parents up to date on assignments, tests, and due dates. These systems also mean we can provide additional support for students if we notice they are struggling.

The better communication we have with our students the more successful we will be because we will have a greater buy in. In addition, if we use technology effectively, we can more easily engage students. For example, it is one thing to hear that art is important, it is another to get on a classroom wide zoom call with a local artist. Students remember those teachers who were able to show the importance of what they were learning to the student’s day to day lives. 

Technology: Outside The Classroom

Often our students are more engaged if they see the connection between what they are learning and their lives. Technology has a wide range of uses including the cell phones and apps that students use, technology which is working to mitigate the effects of global warming, and technology which is helping doctors provide personalized treatment options. No matter what age group or subject we teach there are great examples of how technology is impacting our students that can be incorporated into our lesson plans.

Teaching technology is also useful for every student no matter where they see themselves when they are adults. Technology plays a role in everything from how sports shoes are made, how music is marketed, how we can fight global warming, to how we can prevent deaths from common diseases. Technology is one of the easiest subjects to connect to our students’ lives. Teaching is an important field because teachers help form the next generations. 

As teachers we know the importance of technology. We use technology to get our teaching credentials, to teach inside the classroom, and to help our students solve the major issues facing society today. While being a teacher is always a challenge, using the right technology can make the process easier. Instead of spending lots of time grading multiple choice questions we can have these tests graded by a computer. Instead of having to write pages of info on a chalkboard we can play an interactive video clip instead. Instead of simply telling our students what they are learning is important we can connect our students with individuals from across the globe putting our lesson plans into action. As teachers, if we use technology to its full advantage, we will find our students are much more likely to be engaged in class and much more likely to have the skills they need no matter what field of study they later go into.