Nowadays, everyone (and their mother) seems to be embracing EdTech and its many benefits. Apart from being a pretty useful aid in the classroom it has also found its way into our homes, helping our children explore new ways of learning.
As a teacher, you may find yourself repeatedly pondering upon whether EdTech is the “easy way out.” Should we assume that all educators relying upon technology have no real talent to offer in a traditional setting? Quite the contrary!
EdTech simply supplements your already existing talents in the classroom. It makes an already credible educator much more efficient and tech-savvy!
1. Identifying Educational Goals and Needs
Primary school teachers may consider starting out by identifying what they actually want to accomplish. Are you a mathematics instructor hoping to make solving sums much more interactive and fun for your students?
Are you an English teacher attempting to work on your students’ linguistic skills? Choose your tools accordingly.
You might also benefit from understanding what your students need. If you think you have a diverse group of learners with vastly different learning styles or needs, choose tools that can cater to that demand.
The See.Touch.Learn app is a great example. This keeps in mind children with learning disabilities and helps them identify colors and basic objects or even navigate to other lessons relating to phonemic awareness, basic math, and more.
2. Lead with the Audience in Mind
Educators must be encouraged to become pioneers in the field of EdTech, identifying and implementing techniques that allow their students to learn in exciting new ways.
However, every new tool introduced to the classroom must be thoroughly vetted for its age-appropriateness.
Prioritize special tools that cater to young learners who are often drawn to visually stimulating and auditory tools. Interactive books and drawing tools can foster the kind of creativity and learning you want to achieve.
Consider implementing gamification techniques in your lessons. Print out fun badges and set small targets that are easy to achieve at a primary level. Set milestones and distribute badges accordingly!
3. Collaborate and Co-Create
EdTech is ever-evolving and it doesn’t need to be a one-way street. You can learn from EdTech implementation just as much as your students.
Encourage students to work together using platforms like Google Docs, Padlet, or Jamboard where they can collaborate with you as well as their peers to brainstorm and share ideas.
Students can also be encouraged to create and share digital stories using tools like Adobe Spark or Book Creator which essentially allow them to use multimedia and express their ideas in creative ways.
Encouraging students to adopt and work with EdTech tools at a primary level allows them to learn safer ways of interacting with tech.
They begin to view these tools in a much more positive light and recognize the benefits of utilizing tech in learning. It doesn’t just provide them more avenues to express their creativity but also nurtures a much healthier relationship with technology.
4. Creative Projects
Learning is often a primary school teacher’s first priority and EdTech is simply a means to an end. Students can easily relate to difficult concepts when they are transformed into fun activities.
These concepts are much easier to digest in the form of digital posters, infographics, or visual representations, and it’s a great way to encourage participation in the classroom.
For example, design tools like Canva or Adobe Spark allow students to create posters about historical events, scientific concepts, or stories.
Once completed, these can be printed using poster printing machines, turning all that hard work into tangible pieces which could also be shared with parents.
5. School Events and Parent Engagement
Poster printing machines can also be used to create posters for school events, science fairs, art exhibitions, and even parent-teacher meetings.
EdTech tools turn dry concepts into appealing visual aids, making it much easier for teacher and students to communicate event details, such as the themes, dates, and activities.
Primary school teachers could also encourage students to take pride in their creations by printing and sharing posters with parents right after a digital learning activity or project.
These could be shared in the form of printed summaries or highlights of students’ projects, providing a visual account of how EdTech was used in the classroom.
6. A Slow and Steady Pace
As a primary school teacher, you already have quite a lot on your plate. It would be quite easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of tools at your disposal.
Instead of trying to take on multiple challenges at once, consider one or two tools that directly support your goals.
The key is to choose a tool that aligns well with your existing teaching strategy, so you can ease into the transition.
For example, an interactive whiteboard app isn’t a big step away from the traditional whiteboard you’re used to. It could help you make your lessons a lot more visual without pushing you too far out of your comfort zone.
7. Monitoring Engagement and Recalibrating
Your classroom is a lot like a highly technical system. Any weak links in the chain cause the entire system to weaken.
For example, introducing a new digital tool that doesn’t quite align with the learning preferences of the students in your classroom might have them struggling a lot more than before.
The best way to counter the negative effects as well as make your investments in EdTech more fruitful is to ask for feedback and keep recalibrating
. Consider your students’ opinions on the digital tools and if something needs to go, don’t hesitate to chuck it out the window. Remember, there’s always a newer and better tool on the horizon!
Don’t Shy Away from EdTech!
If you are a primary school teacher wondering how you can get started, don’t worry. You’re in the same boat as many other educators who struggle to figure out how to smoothly transition from their traditional teaching methods to updated EdTech integrated systems in the 21st century.
In fact, it is quite easy. All you need to do is trust the process and take the first leap. Try out the tech with a few small integrations. Consider teaching a concept purely through EdTech assistance. It won’t be long before you see rising levels of interaction and feel drawn to the tech that you once feared!
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