These experiences helped me reflect on my teaching practice:
The mere inclusion of technological resources in the classroom creates new teaching and learning conditions, forcing students and teachers to see teaching and learning in a different way and assume new roles and responsibilities. However, the difference that technology makes relies on the teaching strategies used. Making students work as fast as they can and repeat information over and over again, even when using a cellphone or a computer, does not make a difference. On the other hand, inquiry-based learning definitely creates the best oppportunities for meaningful learning. The focus is on the student, and it creates a scenario where students can become active learners and helps them really understand the content in a meaningful way. We have to guide students so as to foster their critical thinking skills. They are not passive learners anymore: they are the main characters in their learning process. Genuine changes in teaching will come with new strategies that foster the development of intellectual skills, not with the implementation of the latest digital devices. Nevertheless, the use of these devices can greatly benefit our teaching and learning experience.
It is a well-known fact that one of the largest drawbacks when implementing technology is faulty Internet access and devices that do not work properly. It is truly frustrating for a teacher to find out that she cannot carry out the lesson as she planned to due to circumstances that she cannot actually control. It is important not to feel disheartened and to keep on looking for options to make it work. In my case, I decided to carry out activities that did not require internet access in the school or activities that could be completed ubiquitously. As Pablo Salomón (2011) says" there is no possible progress without allocating time for exploration, trial and error".
To sum up, I do not think that technology defines the success of lessons, but I believe that the willingness of the teachers to step out of their comfort zone, try new things and learn together with their students, while giving out clear instructions and goals, are essential in order to obtain great results in (and outside) the classroom.
The mere inclusion of technological resources in the classroom creates new teaching and learning conditions, forcing students and teachers to see teaching and learning in a different way and assume new roles and responsibilities. However, the difference that technology makes relies on the teaching strategies used. Making students work as fast as they can and repeat information over and over again, even when using a cellphone or a computer, does not make a difference. On the other hand, inquiry-based learning definitely creates the best oppportunities for meaningful learning. The focus is on the student, and it creates a scenario where students can become active learners and helps them really understand the content in a meaningful way. We have to guide students so as to foster their critical thinking skills. They are not passive learners anymore: they are the main characters in their learning process. Genuine changes in teaching will come with new strategies that foster the development of intellectual skills, not with the implementation of the latest digital devices. Nevertheless, the use of these devices can greatly benefit our teaching and learning experience.
It is a well-known fact that one of the largest drawbacks when implementing technology is faulty Internet access and devices that do not work properly. It is truly frustrating for a teacher to find out that she cannot carry out the lesson as she planned to due to circumstances that she cannot actually control. It is important not to feel disheartened and to keep on looking for options to make it work. In my case, I decided to carry out activities that did not require internet access in the school or activities that could be completed ubiquitously. As Pablo Salomón (2011) says" there is no possible progress without allocating time for exploration, trial and error".
To sum up, I do not think that technology defines the success of lessons, but I believe that the willingness of the teachers to step out of their comfort zone, try new things and learn together with their students, while giving out clear instructions and goals, are essential in order to obtain great results in (and outside) the classroom.