Technology Transforms Teaching and Learning

• Makes learning more fun. An IT Trade Association Comp TIA study said students believe subjects, deemed challenging or boring, can become more interesting through its use.
• Prepares students for the future. Nine out of 10 students agree using technology in the classroom prepares them for the digital future by solving complex programs and being able to collaborate with others.
• Improves retention rate. The IT Trade Association Comp TIA study concluded that technology "helps students remember what they learn.
• Helps students learn at their own pace. Almost all "apps" allow for individual students to learn according to their abilities and needs.

At the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, CA, middle- and high-school boys use Chromebooks for quizzes, homework, research, presentations, sharing ideas, and collaborating with other Cadets via Google Classroom activities and Google Slide presentations. Classrooms have Promethean interactive digital white boards to make its college preparatory classes more dynamic through peer interactions and group collaboration learning.

What about social media? A University of Scranton website and weareteachers.com suggest how Instagram can enhance learning, including:

• Showing student work. Pictures of students' artwork and other projects can be shown on a private Instagram account.
• Featuring a Student of the Week. Students can take turns using the classroom Instagram account to talk about his or her daily routine and artistic vision with the class.
• Inviting a student to be the class "archivist" by taking photos on field trips or during a class.
• Imagining how a historical figure would use Instagram. Students can browse historical photos and create a bulletin board or poster display showing what a historical figure's Instagram feed might look like.
• Sharing reading recommendations. Students can snap photos of and review their favorite books to entice others to read them.
• Record steps in a science experiment. Monitor a plant unfurling or a chemical compound slowly changing colors.
• Discover ideas for writing. Take photos that could prompt the selection of a topic to write about.
• Document student progress. Teachers and parents can snap photos of examples of students' writing at the beginning and end of the school year.

SOURCE Army and Navy Academy

Related Links

http://www.armyandnavyacademy.org