“Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together & motivating them, the teacher is the most important” – Bill Gates

Do you find it difficult to grab your students’ attention? Are you looking for ways to engage with them and get them to score better on assessments? Well, technology is the solution here. In today’s technology-led world, you would become obsolete if you did not figure ways to include technology inside, and outside the classroom. Let’s dedicate 2019 to just doing that – in 5 simple steps.

The beginning of a new year is a good time to set objectives. This year, let’s focus on using technology to enhance ourselves.

• Learn technology – become the expert at education technology

The internet has multiple tools that you can use as an educator. Begin your journey with Google’s tools such as Drive, Gmail, Docs, etc. Once you have the hang of it, you should move to more e-learning focused technologies such as Canva, Course Lab, QuoDeck, etc.

These tools are simple to use and can catapult your classes into the next level on engagement. You can use these for free.

•      Get on Social Media – tweet your thoughts away

Social Media is the most important piece of the pie, with Twitter being on the top of the list, currently being used by more than 335 million users on monthly basis. Why not put it to use? Connect with people worldwide and share your experiences. Know what’s happening and what’s trending in the field of education technology. Be seen by your students as someone who understands them and believes in technology.

• Pedagogy – brush up on your teaching techniques

There’s always room for pedagogical improvement – be it theory, getting back to basics, or just adding a new technique to your arsenal. Bringing changes to the way they teach should be a recurring feature in every teacher’s to-do list. Introduce game-based learning in your classroom, bolster text books with educational videos, gamified assessments etc. Make sure that when you plan on using learning games, you plan for rewards as well.

• Adjust your mindset

If you wish you see the change in the way you teach, you need to first change the way you think about it. To keep up your exposure up to date, you must read books, blogs and articles on methods to transform your teaching and you will start noticing a difference in the way you process the daily challenges of teaching. Connect with other teachers, make groups and share knowledge of the changes that have been made. Practice this in your routine.

• Bring freshness to your content

Most teachers are comfortable using PowerPoint or Keynotes for their presentations. But what we forget is that all of it doesn’t appeal to the students. What they would be really interested in are games and entertainment. Choose interactive slide presentations along with game-based learning to get your students to learn what you want them to learn. There are simple tools to help you do this. This will result in academic accomplishment along with you becoming a better educator in your students’ eyes.

Ask yourself – How are you growing as a teacher? Have you given a thought to this? If not, now is the right time to do so. These 5 goals are just a starting point.

Do you have your own strategy that has brought changes in you and your students? Tell us all about it. Talk about the kind of tech-related professional development that has been most valuable for you, and why. We would love to hear from you.

 By  Vinaya Souz, Head – Marketing at QuoDeck