Benefits of Implementing Technology in the Classroom

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic.” This quote by Sir Arthur C. Clarke has been on my mind lately. Teachers of the 21^st century are facing considerable changes in society. Students cannot be taught in the same way as before. Schools need good technology in their classrooms, because it is the pen and paper of our time.

My journey into the technological classroom revolution started in 2007 when a SMART Board was put up in my classroom. A new way of teaching and learning saw daylight then. Last fall I started using SMART amp on iPads and PCs. At the beginning of this year my SMART Board got company, when a SMART kapp 84 was put up next to it! All these SMART tools are extremely important to my students and me.

After 20 years of teaching English and Finnish as foreign languages in Finland I know that students learn in different ways and that there in every group is one or a few students with special needs. I am a huge fan of SMART’s software, because I have so many times noticed how it helps my students to learn, stay motivated and grow as human beings. I also feel that I have become a better educator thanks to the tools I use.

SMART Notebook and LAB help me create engaging and interesting lessons. My students love to come and sit in a half circle around the SMART Board. All the game-based activities that are so easy to make and fun to use create a very positive atmosphere. When we do the activities together we get a “we-feeling” in the classroom. We have 70-minute lessons in my school, so for many students it is good that they can stretch their legs a little every time they come to the SMART Board and take part in the activities. I strongly believe that they learn better when they can use their whole body in their learning process. My favorite LAB activity is definitely Shout It Out where they can use their own mobile devices. Everybody is included in these activities, because even the quietest student is given a voice here.  

We do different kinds of projects with SMART amp. The latest one in the ninth grade has been about the 50 American states. My students love this cloudbased software, because it enables them to do research on their own, add text, pictures and videos into their workspaces and create the layout they prefer and also collaborate with others. I can sit at my computer and follow their progress and help them individually by sending messages to them. I know what every student is producing and I can also create assessments to get feedback about their learning. Several times my students have forgotten to look at the clock and not noticed that the lesson is over! Those moments are amazing for a teacher!

I could list lots of benefits for the kapp board, too. The possibility of real-time sharing of information is especially good for students with dyslexia. They can focus on listening and participating in discussions instead of copying notes. If a student is ill, I can send the link to him/her and that way share the content. My students love to come and write on the board and they think it is so cool that the text shows up on their mobile devices!

To me it is very important that the technology I use raises awareness in my students. I want them to start conversations with others, to find answers to their questions and to take action, but also to stay interested in learning new things and to get on well in school. I am so thankful that SMART Notebook, LAB, SMART amp and SMART kapp help me every schoolday with these things.