Deepika is currently working as an Academic Program Manager at 21K School. She switched careers from being a Senior Risk and Regulatory Affairs Analyst at Deloitte to the field of education as a senior school educator with an aim to magnify sustainable education. Being a digitally certified educator by organizations like National Geographic, UNESCO MGIEP, Google and many more she believes in encompassing progressive teaching and learning techniques in classrooms for a quality education.
Off late, we have been experiencing a massive traffic in the professional world due to rapid changes in the economy. One of the results is a surge in demand for various skills in tech, logical reasoning, communication and many more. These changes have caused education to rethink the ways to educate young minds taking into consideration the new era of career development.
Especially, when we talk about technology, it has entered every nook and corner of our lives. From paying for vegetables to switching off your air conditioner requires usage of technology. Well, the quicker we adapt to the changes the easier it gets us going in terms of this competitive world. Where does it all start from?
Education. It all starts from schools and colleges. Core responsibility of educators is to provide knowledge and train students based on present requirements. Technology has changed the nature of education and careers of educators. 21st century learning is demanding for 21st century teaching as well.
How can we bring the tech into teaching?
If you are an educator, get yourself equipped with digital skills and tools:
Before we teach, we learn. There are multiple tools and courses on the web, which gives us access to digital education. Many of them are for free too. Invest some of your time learning how to teach online and how to become a digital teacher with these courses. They help you to understand the importance of learning with technology and be on par with the changes. Some of the platforms that provide opportunities to learn technology in education and worth spending time include but are not restricted to are:
- UNESCO MGIEP The Digital Teacher Course
- LinkedIn Learning
- National Geographic Certified Educator
- The Apple Teacher
- The Google Certified Educator
- Coursera
Create your own teaching materials:
Before entering your classroom, invest some of your time in homework! When I am saying homework, it doesn’t mean you will have to sit and write down questions and answers, it means to do what needs to be done and why it needs to be done. Sit for sometime and make your own notes of different mindsets and their learning skills. Based on learning outcomes of a particular topic, create your own teaching material which includes digital techniques to grasp students’ attention and interest. Some of the tools can include but are not restricted to are:
- Padlet- For a session feedback and topic discussions.
- Audacity- To create interesting audio files
- Kahoot- To create interactive questionnaires, discussions, or surveys that complement academic lessons.
- Animoto- To create high quality videos from any mobile device to make lessons more fun and interesting.
- TED-Ed- To get easy access to information. Understanding concepts is made visually appealing with TED-Ed.
- Quizlet- For flashcards and fun activities to remember the concepts and technical terms
- Canva- To create infographics and creatives for presentations
- Coggle- A mind mapping tool to encourage thinking
- Mentimeter- Allows students to vote for any question posted by a teacher which makes the classroom more responsive.
- Wordle- Generates word clouds that help students to learn and understand words in a playful manner.
Dedicate a session to imbibe digital literacy into the subject:
Digital literacy is an important element while dealing and developing with technology. Usage of technology also emphasizes learning how efficiently and effectively we can do it. Once in a while teach students the importance of finding, evaluating and communicating information through typing and various other media platforms. It is more about how well we use the right information and create accessible information for everyone everywhere. Getting digital literacy into the walls of education will make students future ready. It is always an add on to traditional education.
Include virtual activities into the mode of learning:
We do include a lot of fun activities in our classrooms however what about virtual activities. Virtual activities build a different perspective in understanding a curriculum and subjects. Something different is always a plus in teaching. Try to build virtual activities and virtual games which can ignite the child’s ability to learn better. Conduct 3D Cybermuseum competitions, play online scavenger hunts, Minecraft: Education Edition, Werewolf, virtual field trips and many more.
Conclusion:
Remote learning was an emergency during the pandemic, however, it is the new norm. Tech is taking a new shape in every field and this can be well taken care of starting from the field of education. All classrooms must be furnished with technology walls of learning to make students’ learning holistic and comprehensive. This is perhaps the updated version of educating to meet the present and future needs. The Metaverse era is now here and we are all in it. Let us together make a better tomorrow for our young minds and make a sustainable living through the right education. Happy teaching and learning.