I recently read a post by Eric Patnoudes on Edudemic that explains how technology is causing student-teacher interactions to evolve. His commentary about teachers no longer being the "experts" in the classroom is very true. Before Smartphones, tablets and laptops students took what teachers said to be factual. Today, they can easily do a Google search to find whatever they need in probably less time than opening a book. We live in a world where standardized test have implanted themselves within the school curriculum, and feeding student endless facts no longer makes an impact. As Patnoudes points out, "it is no longer about what students know, it's about what they do with what they know and how they do it." Students need to question the answers they find in order to think critically, in order to create something new. So how do we get them to think outside the box? Well, by using the very same technologies they use on a daily basis.
Teachers no longer have to rely on textbooks as the only resource for lessons. A social media app like Pinterest, as well as reading educational blogs, can inspire new ideas for teachers to expand the classroom. For instance, this new Into the Outdoors lesson site presents an opportunity for teaching and learning with videos. In addition, students get the chance to learn outside. I think that's an element of teaching that also gets overlooked, and today's technology makes it simpler to accomplish. Students can investigate the outdoors and take notes and pictures on what they find with a tablet. The learning experience is different. In order to change student-teacher interactions into something more, teachers can't be afraid to use the plethora of tools available through new technologies. The entire classroom doesn't have to change. I think the key is to start small in order to see success.
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