Remember Anything

In the past ten years, technology has revolutionized the classroom. Many teachers have been able to make use of amazing new devices that take their jobs to the next level. Unfortunately, some educators have had difficulty utilizing the new equipment available, due to either a rut they are in, or, more often, a lack of information. When no one explains to these teachers precisely what that new piece of metal and glass lurking in the corner does, it is extremely difficult and stressful for them to attempt to use it in front of students. This antagonism between teachers and technological innovations is a challenge many schools (elementary, middle, high, and even college) will have to address, simply because of the benefits offered by technology.

Projectors can allow students to view movies or the workings of the computer on the big screen and, in classrooms of older students, facilitate teaching library and online research methods as well as basic and advanced computer skills. Other machines can project non-transparent books and papers, and teachers can even electronically write on them to highlight specific passages or encourage note-taking in ways well beyond the now-antiquated overhead projector. And one of the most fascinating developments, Smart Boards not only instruct but engage even younger students by letting them write with electronic pens and use their fingers as the mouse. From Power Point to word processors, computers and technology are now essential parts of the new classroom, but if these options are not understood by the teacher, it is the student who is missing out on opportunities that might better prepare them for future challenges.

To counteract this, schools are going to have to step in to educate their instructors. This cannot be accomplished by sending out mass bulletins or having teachers initial forms that promise they will go to a course later. Learning technology requires hands-on experience and repeated practice. This can be best facilitated by group learning sessions held at the school, perhaps in a meeting room. Small groups of instructors are ideal, led by an experienced expert or, even better, knowledgeable member of the staff. In this low-pressure environment, educators can try out the equipment in front of their peers, see how it works, and be ready to take it back to their classrooms. In this way technology is changed from an intimidating gap in their own skills to a boon they are proud to see placed in their teaching spaces. Syllabuses and lesson plans will evolve along with this learning, and children will be exposed earlier and more often to the new tools they too will be expected to use in their professional lives. The school as a whole will improve, and technology and teachers will be on the same page.

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