Whether they’ve been an educator for decades or this is their first year, every teacher has their own teaching style. Everything from the way an educator communicates with students to the subject matter being taught can impact an educator’s style.
Thanks to modern technology, there are a lot of resources now available to complement any style of teaching and allow teachers to work collaboratively with their students from anywhere. So how do educators find the right tech for their style? It’s important for teachers to know what’s available to them and then determine how it may benefit their classroom.
Digital Tools Built for Collaboration
It’s crucial that today’s students are well-versed in collaboration, especially given that educators predict that “the 2025 [higher education] learning model will be a hybrid one, combining online and in-person studies.” In order to prepare students for the future, it’s important to get them collaborating now.
Resources like Google are known for their digital tools, including tech like Sheets, Classroom, Forms, Assignments, and Slides. These Google for Education products can help teachers create classroom presentations, build surveys, manage coursework, and so much more.
And it’s not just students who benefit. Research suggests that “opportunities for teacher collaboration are a key feature of school environments where teachers have higher job satisfaction and continue to develop their effectiveness over time.”
Even more, these tools are collaborative and can be accessed from home or the classroom, making them ideal for today’s modern educational environment.
Choosing the Right Device for Teaching
Finding the perfect device that will help elevate the education experience for their students is an important task for educators. For teachers who prefer to work digitally, there are plenty of devices designed for high-performance tasks such as coding and creating content.
With many schools offering a hybrid learning environment or total remote learning, students (and teachers) are often being provided with devices by the school to ensure a cohesive learning experience. It’s important that these devices can be used both inside and outside of the classroom. This allows both students and teachers the flexibility of working when and where they want.
Online Training Opportunities for Educators
To help educators feel empowered, it’s imperative that they be fully trained on the technology being used inside the classroom. Fortunately, there are several training courses available online for learners of all levels that will help them make the most of their tech. From the basics of content creation to more detailed topics like cloud sharing, these courses were designed to support the work that educators are doing in the classroom and beyond.
Technology Training Session You Can Use Today
For teachers who are hoping to ease into introducing new technology to the classroom, there are a number of resources available that can be utilised today. These tools are meant to inspire creativity, encourage hands-on learning, and allow teachers to equip students with digital skills. From online lesson plans to an internet safety resource to apps that can be used with online products, teachers can immediately use these tools to get the most out of their technology.
Take Learning to the Next Level
If you learn best in a community environment, there are in-person groups where you meet with other educators looking to educate themselves on the right tech for their classrooms. In these groups, you can engage with fellow educators for no cost and share, collaborate, and support each other in using technology in impactful ways with students.
In the UK, educators can join GEG UK, which describes itself as “an all voluntary Google Educator Group (GEG) members helping to inspire educational communities and help young people develop vital digital skills, across the UK.”
Finding technology that complements your teaching style may feel like an overwhelming task, but there are many resources available to help. With the right tools in hand, it’s easy to elevate the education of your students and create a better learning experience for all.
