Tools to Help Teachers Deliver Quality Education

Quality education for students in india

Quality education for students in India

Tools to Help Teachers Deliver Quality Education

Even though we are in the age of technology, shockingly enough only about 10% of teacher surveyed said they feel comfortable using technology in their classroom.  How can that be? We already know that the use of technology helps with student engagement, attendance, communication and learning.  It looks like we’ve got to teach the teachers how to utilize technology like Vclassrooming.com to help them facilitate fantastic lessons to eager students who really do want to learn.

It is time to overhaul teaching practices so that teachers aren’t only using technology to bridge the gap, but that they are actually viewing the way they teach and deliver information in a whole new light.  Even if a teacher isn’t totally comfortable with their technological abilities just yet, it’s not hard to learn and can improve their lesson plans ten fold once they implement the technology.

Not only will the use of technology help the students, but it’s also breaths some fresh air into the creative side of the teachers who have been stifled in their lesson planning for years.  Now, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them the freedom and creativity to put together lessons that not only engage the student, but also the teacher.  How much better will our students do if the teacher is actually engaged, interested, passionate and excited to be there teaching?  It’s a no-brainer.

There are a few things we can do to help our teachers embrace Vclassrooming.com and start to utilize it in their classrooms:

  • Let the teachers have some freedom.  Let them decide how they want to utilize the technology. If you can get the teachers engaged in their students learning in a meaningful way, only good will come of that.  They will have a huge impact on their students and will help the students become passionate and engaged as well.  Teachers are looking to be interested in what they are doing.  Give them some freedom to teach the way they want to teach and you’ll find in most cases they go above and beyond.  Many teachers have whole-heartedly embraced a blended learning environment (which is perfect with Vclassrooming.com) where they teach some things in-class in person and some things online.  You also don’t have to worry about a teacher going totally off track.  The technology we provide gives every teacher, in every classroom, on every campus the same framework and basic lesson structure to work from.  You can bet no matter what class you go into, if a teacher is using Vclassrooming.com, they are teaching similar lesson plans even if the execution varies from teacher to teacher.  This technology is a fantastic way to keep everyone on the same page to ensure students are getting consistent lessons.
  • Schools also need to invest in their teacher’s professional development.  Utilizing technology is a key way to do that.  If every school and administration team were as involved and invested in their teachers and staff’s professional development as they could be, you’d see the quality of teachers and staff rise substantially.
  • Make sure you understand what the end goal is and have a plan.  If every teacher understands what the plan and vision for the technology is, they will utilize their resources and time effectively.  If a school will take a standards-based approach, then they will be able to ensure that the teaching and learning structures in place represent the goals and mission of the school.  Technology will also help create the community between the administration, the parents, the students and the teachers to keep everyone on the same page and working towards the same goals.  If the technology is implemented in a sustainable way, then together, we can ensure that every student is getting a spectacular education that sets him or her up for long-term success.
  • Ensure that your live on-site trainings are engaging, informative and welcoming in order to capture the attention of the teachers and staff and get them excited about the coming technological initiatives.  Sometimes we have the attention span of a goldfish (which, let me tell you, is not much) so we need to breath some of the enthusiasm into our teachers and staff.
  • Development and training needs to be on going and not just yearly.  There is a lot to learn in one sitting if you try and pack it into one meeting, one time per year.  Not only that, but teachers won’t retain the information either.  Make your development tracks on going with consistent trainings, check-ins, meetings, or other ways to engaging with your staff and teachers.
  • Work together.  It’s not “me”.  It’s “we”.  It’s not “I do”.  Its “we do”.  After all, we are a team.  The more included and supported you can make your teachers feel, the better. 

It’s hard to feel like you have a team of teachers working together all year just to find out half of them aren’t going to come back next year.  Utilizing technology in an exciting and functional way is a great way to build enthusiasm and retain your teachers.  Not only are the students more likely to feel connected throughout the year, but the teachers will as well.  It also helps them with their lesson plans as it provides them reliable sources of content that will help them deliver better lessons.  It provides them a way to stay connected, check-in with others, follow up and build meaningful relationships.  Technology is allowing teachers to open doors that have been impossible up until now.  They are reaching and engaging with students in a whole new way that is bringing the lesson to life for all involved. 

Teachers are now interacting with their students in whole new ways.  They are also preparing for the advancements that are sure to come in the near future as well.  Teachers are using technology to unlock greater learning opportunities for their students.  It takes the same amount of time to research and plan the lessons, but now instead of assigning stale old book reports, teachers may be able to assign a video report that gives the student creativity in planning and creating.  It keeps them more engaged than some of the previous ways of learning.  No matter what comes in the future, you can guarantee it will have a place in our education system assuming we can teach our teachers now how to meaningfully utilize technology in the classroom. 

//]]>