How technology is changing the classroom

Many schools are now incorporating laptops and even tablet computers to help their students learn new skills but to aid in providing them with up to date information, right at their fingertips. Some schools actually assign a laptop to their students, allowing them to use it and take it home with them to aid in their learning. Many colleges are now including laptops to students that sign up for graphic design courses and the students are able to keep the laptop if they graduate. It is a great incentive for many students but it makes it nice to have the laptop available at all time to help them practice and further their skills.

What makes using technology in the classroom so beneficial is due to the fact that the teacher no longer is the center of attention as they become the role of the transmitter. They are there to offer the information to the students but they are there to help the students actively think for themselves and to give them additional teaching options. This way all the lessons are designed to support the students in their education by helping them to define goals and to get them to focus on using other devices besides only the teacher to help them learn.

Project work like designing things such as homes and buildings can easily be done with computers and programs that they include. These new tools help each student to learn independent from one another and it really does help to stimulate mental work for each student. The teacher then can aid by sitting down with the students and having a system to track their progress and help them to understand where they may need to focus more energy on learning the program. The teachers must be proficient in the programs in order to teach them to the students.

Turning to iPads and laptops in the classroom does help to get the students motivated and excited about learning. Many students are able to accomplish more because of the technology devices simply because they are excited to learn. Schools that have implemented these devices have all reported less initiative or facility involvement in the students learning and an increase in motivation for students. Students have immediate results, which really helps them to become motivated and to focus on trying harder and to immediately see where they went wrong.

With these devices children are challenged in several different ways, not just multiple choice tests and verbal education. It really places an emphasis on getting the children to demonstrate what they have been able to learn. Many teachers are also reporting an increase in their self-esteem as well because students have instant gratification when they accomplish a task.

Students often like having knowledge over the same programs that their parents often use in the work field. It is a great way for parents to connect with their children as well because they do understand the programs and can easily work with their students as they try to master programs and increase their knowledge.

Another way technology is changing the classroom is in the way students interact with one another. Since these programs can be used together, many teachers are encouraging their students to work in groups where they are able to tutor each other and to learn from the program. Students helping one another helps to develop stronger social skills and brings about stronger self-esteem and friendships.
Keeping the attention of students can often be challenging. Using technology it is easy to maintain the attention of students as the multimedia devices do help to give students several platforms of learning. Text, video, and animation all help to captivate the attention of students and present it differently from a whiteboard and teacher-led discussions.