Literacy and Technology in the Classroom

One of the best ways to motivate and engage kids in the classroom is with technology. Kids love gadgets and they don’t even realise they are learning at the same time. Technology is one of the top ways to create engaging learning content by incorporating games with technology.

iPad’s are a super easy way to introduce technology and the possibilities for education is endless. Technology supports inquiry with students and helps them to develop their curiosities about the world with answers to their questions at their fingertips.

One activity students love is using the camera app. Scanning QR codes, taking photos of their schoolwork and videos of their work with an explanation of their thinking and though processes around their work. It is such a magnificent tool that can be so diversely utilised.

More and more educators are utilising technology in the classroom and it is becoming a term dubbed “the paperless classroom”. Teachers are actually seeing amazing results and success from this extended use of technology. Students are increasingly motivated, they are more focused and productive. The integration of technology into a daily classroom routine has become a fabulous avenue for engaging their learning. Undoubtedly there will always be a place or pencils and paper, however technology starts to increase a sustainable culture amongst classrooms by using less paper. There are some other fantastic resources and avenues for integrating technology in the classroom.

Collage and picture apps, digital student portfolios, reading apps, interactive games digital flashcards and digital notebooks are just a few other ways you can incorporate technology in the classroom. Reading apps like reading eggs have been fabulous for phonics recognition in the early years of learning.

Of course, digital based learning and technology in the classroom must all be used in moderation for the development of young minds. But technology in the classroom is quickly becoming a way that teachers can streamline learning and class activities, become more sustainable in their practices, introduce new and creative ways of initiating guided learning, create fun activities that keep children focused and engaged in their tasks and often learning without even realising.

Technology is highly interactive, and many students are auditory and visual learners and by integrating this aspect of their education into their daily classroom activity can foster a more collaborative approach to their learning. Technology allows teachers to incorporate an array of learning styles more easily into a class routine and modify tasks to fit each student, ultimately creating and encouraging active participation.