New Ideas for the School Classroom

I don’t know about you but every year around this time I’m wrapping up my thoughts and reflections from the previous school year and beginning to think about what might make this next year a little different. You know, how can I tweak the things I do well to make them better and what might I do to really engage students in their learning.

A few weeks ago we started thinking about the 21st century teacher, and I’d like to take that thought process a step further. What if integrating technology into education was not about being good with computers, but was about providing opportunities for students to use technology to learn. Most of our students use the internet, and their smart phones for entertainment and social networking. What if we can bring these into the classroom to help students expand their knowledge?

Some teachers I know hesitate to use technology for their lessons because they are not comfortable with it. If you are in that category, let me suggest that you take one step at a time. As you plan your lessons, look at the possibility of integrating any one software or web service to help promote learning. If you’re a teacher who is more comfortable with technology, think about new ideas and ways you can integrate technology into classroom activities.

We as teachers must be constantly learning ourselves and adapting to the changes in our students and the environment. As we look forward to another year, let’s take something new into the classroom with us.

My question for you this week:

• What new idea or strategy are you going to use during this next school year?