There are so many different ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. From interactive software to online research and everything in between, today's students can learn so much about the world when their teachers use the correct combination of classroom design and tech-friendly school furniture to allow their students maximum opportunities to soak in information from all directions.
Videoconferencing is a great way to use technology in the classroom. This hi-tech option allows students to view and ask questions of an instructor that is situated in another location. More and more companies are offering videoconferencing options for schools. One of the most popular is the Virtual School at Vanderbilt University, which offers a variety of programs for K-12 classrooms, delivered through videoconferencing. This gives students access to speakers and information that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Some necessities for incorporating videoconferencing into your classroom include the right school furniture, such as an audio-visual cart, and of course the technical equipment such as a monitor or screen, a video camera or Web cam, and internet access.
There are many benefits to using technology in the classroom, these include:
Better understanding of subject matter. Subject-specific software often provides different visualizing and modeling capabilities, especially in science applications. This allows students to observe phenomenon and view graphic results in ways that aid their understanding of the subject matter.
New and different experiences. The use of the Internet allows students to travel to places associated with lessons they’re working on. For instance, students may visit a museum in Europe as part of an art class, go on a safari in Africa as part of a geography lesson, or visit Verona, Italy, when studying Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
Real-life drama. Students may participate in a discussion of the Holocaust with an actual Holocaust survivor or with students from other schools across the country through the use of videoconferencing.
Accompanied by the appropriate school furniture to facilitate optimal use of technology in the classroom, these experiences will reinforce the information being taught and give students a visual reference to help them remember the information later.
By embracing the use of technology in the classroom and incorporating it into their classroom design, teachers provide students with much more than just a lesson plan. They provide them with the key to open doors to worlds as yet unexplored. What could be more rewarding than that?