Teaching in the 21st century is a challenging task. National and state education agencies demand that educators ensure student growth. Fortunately, schools can partner with firms like Akins IT to integrate technology into the classroom. This enables student-centered learning.
Customized instruction using modern technology is a trademark of quality education. For example, playing Motion Math for 20 minutes per day for five days increased fifth graders’ fractions test scores by more than 15%, according to a study by GaneDesk. Additionally, medical students from the University of California Irvine who are equipped with iPads scored 23% higher on national tests than previous classes that had no iPads, according to MobiHealthNews.
Clearly, the numbers are in favor of using technology for student-centered learning. But there are lots of emerging technologies out there today. What should you use to inspire learning in your classroom?
VIRTUAL MAPS
Using the Flat Stanley project to improve reading and writing skills can become more exciting with the help of online maps like Google Earth or Quick Maps. A more advanced method of learning about places can be done through the use of Augmented Reality. Discovery Education, for example, provides Virtual Field Trips where students can explore an egg farm or NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Virtual Field Trips may also be used to teach Introductory Geology Laboratory. Using VFT, students are able to have an in-depth understanding of volcanic hazards, plate tectonics, and other geothermal activities, according to a ScienceDirect article by Stephen D. Hurst of the University Of Illinois Department Of Geology.
CLOUD COMPUTING
With cloud computing, students can access their homework through an electronic device connected to the Internet. They will no longer need to carry heavy textbooks to school. They will have access to educational materials as long as they have access to the Internet.
This also provides students the freedom to work on their class requirements whenever and wherever they desire. A school can be of better service to students through a digital library that is accessible day in and day out.
This also means that students won’t need to miss a class, even when they are sick or during inclement weather. You can set up an online learning platform where students can attend a virtual class. This has been done before by Dr. Anne Spence of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She used Blackboard Collaborate to demonstrate MATLAB to her freshman engineering students when snow canceled three morning classes.
VIDEO GAMES
Video games are traditionally considered as a distraction from learning. However, Friedrich Frobel created Kindergarten, which uses play as a means of learning. Today, there is a wide array of video games that inspire student learning.
KindectEducation, for example, provides educators and students a chance to use Microsoft Kinect for learning and teaching purposes. Kinect Math allows teachers to better explain abstract concepts to students. Students can easily visualize these mathematical concepts through real-time display.
Integrating technology in the classroom may require a fair amount of time to get used to them and to plan the right course of action to implement them as effectively as possible.
Akins IT can help you choose and implement the correct technology to support your school’s learning objectives. For a more engaged classroom and student-centered learning,
