I remember unboxing my brand-new iPhone 13 pro max. This, at the time, was the time, was the latest phone out and had all the newest bells and whistles. My 5-year son grabbed the phone and started using it like he had been using it all his life. This piece of technology for a five-year may be outdated when he becomes an adult. Technology is everywhere. In many places you go, you see advancements in tech. You now have automated cashiers, phone services, car washes; you name it. As the world embraces technology, the field of education needs to embrace technology to prepare students for the world, they will be in when they finally graduate and have to go out into the real world. For a world with technology front and center, it has yet to be embraced much by the field of education. “..less than one-third of teachers are using technology in their daily instruction, yet the underperforming “iGeneration” can be highly motivated by the digital tools that they are already using for social purposes.” (Ferriter & Garry, 2010, pp. 6-7)
Technology is a big part of a student’s life. As educators, if we want to engage students in learning, we need to use technology to reach the students. Technology is a big part of a student’s life. They can access many different technology and social media from waking up to sleep. Our students interact with the world in ways that education struggles to keep pace with. “Today’s classroom learners are no longer interested in the old lecture format and are tuning out the teachers who simply stand and deliver their lectures.” (Schrum & Levin, 2009). Mobile devices and laptops are tools educators can use to engage the students if done effectively. A phrase that is often said by students today is, “I learn more on social media than I do in school.” As educators, it is our job to change that thinking in our students. That starts with revamping how we use technology in the classroom and re-evaluating our relationship with it.
Many new tools are at the educator’s disposal. Students are now tuning out teachers that stand and deliver during their instructional time. It is on the schools to find different ways to engage these students. One tool that can be used is called Nearpod. This program takes Google slides which many are familiar with and gives you the tools to turn a PowerPoint slide you have probably been using for many years and turns them into an interactive lesson for the students. At your fingertips, you can add videos for that students to watch at their desks, interactive tours, and have students collab using Jam Board, where you can ask open-ended questions. Students can answer at their desks and see other students’ answers, take real-time polls mid-lesson, and even make the lesson fun and competitive with live games for the student to play. Technology can engage students like never before. Leaders need to be able to provide educators with professional development and resources to reach today’s students. Any teacher can learn a tool like Nearpod. It does not take a tech-savvy educator.
Technology is now a part of everyday life, and it is essential as educators to use it to reach and engage students. To prepare the students for tomorrow’s world, we need to change and teach the students to what is going out outside the school walls. “Understanding how today’s children learn, think, work, and live in a digital world is critical if a digital learning culture is to become a part of the fabric of school life.” (Preparing School Administrators for a Digital Age, Taylor & Francis Group, 2013. pp.14) If students are to be ready for the world tomorrow, technology needs to be a part of learning today.