During our school days the only technology I knew was our small great wall television which produced black and white pictures. We used to fight to sit next to the TV every day after school. When I got to high school, the mobile phones were introduced. Anyone who had a cellphone then was respected. We would queue all night just to make a call from the few phones available.
As a teacher, I can say that the impact technology has had is big. I can confidently say that, Technology Changes Teaching. Teachers no longer have to carry the weight of a large number of books everywhere, no more buying a dozen books and pens and spend sleepless nights taking down notes for the students. You can now do your research online, save a whole term’s lessons and activities, save lesson plans and schemes of work.
Apart from lifting the weight of the teaching materials, it also saves the energy and time spent on having to write and write lots of notes on the chalkboard. Thanks to being able to project notes (from the laptops and other devices). If that’s not a HUGE plus for you then it was for me. Who want to go home with a sore arm due to all the writing? Those days are gone when classroom teaching only meant blackboards, chalks, diagrams, maps and so on.
Not forgetting to mention how easy and fast communication to parents and students plus my colleagues has been made. I send the parents’ emails on meetings, their students’ performance and activities, newsletters, just to mention a few. I have improved my communication skills by using technology.
Talk of being a genius! Now teachers can access any information through the internet. No more trying to ignore student’s tough questions or throwing the questions back to them. We now have the solutions at our finger tips. Google should be any teacher’s best friend. It never fails you.
Technology and media have positively impacted the field of teaching. Use of animation, videos, multimedia aids has transformed traditional learning methods by making it more engaging, fun and entertaining. Combining various educational tools, audio/visual stimulus and animations, e-learning modules appeal to students with different learning styles. Some students do not respond to classroom learning which has often been termed as ‘boring’. Such students are effectively lured into studying through digital tools which provide a perfect blend of fun and learning.
Most importantly, it is known that students with special needs do not respond to normal classroom environment. Keeping them in mind, a number of mobile applications have come up to facilitate and enable them with digital educational aids.
M-learning or mobile learning is another form of modern education. A large number of mobile applications have already become popular means of education because of their innovative take on traditional learning methods. For starters, sign in into our mwalimoo.m web up and experience education at a whole new level. You will get the advantage of live chatting with our teachers to assist you with educational problems. Go to this link http://www.mwalimoo.com/m/start to register.
If you are a teacher yet to experience the use of technology, you are being left out. Allowing yourself the opportunity to do something new and using technology as the tool can open up a cave of treasures that hooks the attention of your students and once you have that, it can lead them anywhere.
About the author
Carolyne Wanjiku is our marketing intern. She holds a Bachelor of Education, and has a background in teaching Maths and Science to primary school Students.