Technology Skills: What They Are and How to Improve Them

For example, Ryan Greene, an MS in Instructional Design and Technology graduate, chose online learning to earn his degree at Walden, and now applies his knowledge on integrating technology to help improve his classroom. Whether you’re a learner, a teacher, or working in an IT job, improving technology skills can help you complete your job more efficiently and navigate this digital world we’re living in more effectively. ” Let’s take a closer look and investigate why technology skills are essential to develop within specific job fields. Educational apps in the classroom like Kahoot can be used to review information after a lesson or unit. Teachers can create and share Kahoots with one another while students can create anonymous user names to participate in the game. This allows for whole-class participation from students who may usually be reluctant to participate in class.

Familiarization with Microsoft Office and Google Drive teach students to make spreadsheets, slide show presentations, and share documents where they can receive fluid feedback on their work. Many careers use these elements of Microsoft and Google to organize information and collaborate between colleagues or clients. Communication is a key element in education that helps teachers, administrators, parents, and students recognize a student’s strengths and areas for improvement. Online grading systems such as PowerSchool open and facilitate lines of communication where teachers can post grades, analyze student attendance patterns, and manage transcript data.

Challenges of Technology in the Classroom

‡Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students, U.S. Department of Education, on the internet at /pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html. In the case of large lecture halls, however, flat-panel interactive whiteboards like the ViewBoard are probably not the best option to reach the entire class. A projector might not be as efficient – or provide as many features – but it does feature a more scalable display size. Make sure that whatever solutions you implement in your classroom are supported by your existing support structure.

• Even the evil smartphone can be a valuable bit of technology in the classroom when used correctly.
• Well-integrated use of technology resources by thoroughly trained teachers makes twenty-first-century learning possible.
• You may want to ask a potential employer about these things during an interview as well.
• Knowing how to navigate AV design software is crucial for jobs like web content analysis, AV engineering or architecture, or AV project management.

The ViewSonic Education Ecosystem blends hardware, software, and services to empower educators, enhance learning, and streamline operations. Discover how teacher communities provide opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow on an educational journey with like-minded peers. So you’ve decided to add some technology to your classroom (or upgrade what’s already there). You’ll need to implement the changes or find someone to implement the changes for you. Projectors have been used in classrooms in one form or another for well over 100 years.

Harnessing Technology for Engaging Learning Experiences

In today’s educational landscape, where technology plays such a pivotal role, integrating instructional strategies with technology is increasingly important. As an instructional technology resource teacher, I have a primary role of supporting teachers in effectively integrating technology into their classroom instruction. The shift to remote learning in 2020 necessitated a rapid and often uncomfortable adaptation to technology use in teaching. These apps use machine learning to analyze and assess answers based on the specifications of the assignment. Using these tools, especially for objective assignments like true/false or fill-in-the-blank assessments, frees up hours that teachers usually spend grading assignments. Extra free time for teachers provides more flexibility for less prep and one-on-one time with both struggling and gifted students.

As I listened to their episodes, it was great to hear their excitement, to see their confidence build during the experience, which allowed them to create, collaborate, problem-solve, and move through the classroom more. Students learned about each other and their teachers and developed their speaking skills and confidence. Students graduation ceremony in Baku developed skills in collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving that will benefit them in the future. Some students even decided to continue their podcasts after our work in class ended. At its most basic, a smartphone is a student’s portal to their community of peers for support and the Internet for research.

Education technology can expand classroom boundaries

Being able to modify how students are seated enables a greater variety of tech-based activities. Flexible seating also allows activities to include student choice, creativity, and collaboration. We created the Technoskepticism Iceberg as a framework to support teachers and students in conducting technological inquiries. The metaphor of an iceberg conveys how many important influences of technology lie beneath our conscious awareness. The framework also identifies three dimensions of technology that students can examine.

“It teaches geometry, problem solving and spatial reasoning in an interactive, responsive way,” she says. Though there are many benefits to technology in the classroom, here is a short list of reasons why you might want to add more digital tech to your classes. But despite the ever-growing list of features available for IWBs, there are still a few challenges ahead.

School of Education

We define technoskepticism as a critical disposition and practice of investigating the complex relationships between technologies and societies. A technoskeptical person is not necessarily anti-technology, but rather one who deeply examines technological issues from multiple dimensions and perspectives akin to an art critic. Ready to enroll in an accredited online university that supports your continued education?

Now, with a seemingly infinite number of gadgets and outside influences vying for a student’s attention, it’s imperative to craft lesson plans that are both gripping and educational. Students can share what they are learning with students in other classrooms in other states who are tracking the same expedition,” according to an article on technology in education by Purdue University. Ultimately, technology allows students to expand their horizons by extending learning beyond textbooks and lectures and connecting it to the real world. Open educational resources (OER) are teaching, research and learning resources that explicitly allow others to use, keep and distribute them. OER are teaching resources that have an open copyright license (such as Creative Commons), or they are part of the public domain and have no copyright.

The Common Sense Education K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum provides the foundation for a tech-rich classroom, where devices engage students academically and enhance their learning. By following these tips, teachers can effectively use technology to enhance student engagement and create a dynamic and interactive learning environment. By embracing the power of technology, teachers can help their students stay engaged, motivated, and connected to the learning process.

Using devices like a computer, tablet, or other type of technology in your classroom can help turn traditionally dull subjects into interactive and fun activities. If you hope to learn more about specific technology skills, consider a course in Key Technologies for Business Specialization or Communication for Tech Professionals. Expanding your understanding of technologies and how to use them can help you in any job field.

Whether it’s coding, graphic design, or video editing, you can rely on resources to help you develop the skills you desire. AI is a type of technology that completes tasks that are normally done by humans in an effort to increase efficiency, productivity, and overall success rates. It’s also worth noting that AI technologies like process automation and computer vision could add an estimated $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030 and create more than 90 million jobs by 2025 [1].