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Tools make teachers better
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Many people may not think of a teacher supervising students working on a 3D model of the human body on an iPad. They may imagine a professor in a tweed jacket in front of a class spouting wisdom like Socrates to his apprentices. The former may seem like playtime while the latter visibly pedagogical.
However, times have changed. Students spend more time online and as educators, we need to catch up before our students leave us in their dust. Many educators will say, “But I use PowerPoint everyday!” Let’s be honest, PowerPoint is an advanced chalkboard. When students spend multiple hours behind an iPad shooting zombies and aliens, star swipe transitions on Microsoft PowerPoint aren’t going to keep their attention.
This is our chance to engage and inspire. We get to rewrite the rulebook on teaching. Research shows that students with hands-on experience have higher retention rates, which leads to greater test scores. Passive learning is a thing of the past and we must break the stigma that technology is a pacifier.
There are valid concerns. Some fear that educators will use technology as a crutch. But it is our job to ensure we meet the needs of individual learners.
Technology helps us as teachers move from the role of an authoritarian figure to that of a facilitator of knowledge. We become a mentor, challenging students to take responsibility for their education. As technology improves, we can spend less time at lecterns and more with our sleeves rolled up working hand in hand with our students instilling a passion for knowledge.
(Jorge Castellanos is an SUIS Pudong teacher.)
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