Welcome to the digital era, where students are no longer bound to the books and desks in their classroom.  Instead, they now have new technologies that give them the opportunity to explore the world. Clearly, technology is transforming the way students learn. Educators are now faced with a big challenge: how to keep their students engaged and stimulated in the classroom.

There are many barriers that educators face every day in seeking to integrate technology in to their classes, such as lack of support, lack of computers, and no motivation.

Overcome Your Fear of Implementing Technology

We are all accustomed to the traditional ways of teaching and learning: a lecture, face-to-face questions, and tests. We can definitely agree that implementing new technologies in class can be very frightening and it is still considered the main obstacle for technology integration in schools. Educators who are unfamiliar with technology are afraid of the learning curve. Some are skeptical that technology can help improve their teachings while some are concerned about digital footprint, privacy, and cyber-bullying.

You don’t have to jump straight into using SMART boards or expect all your students to have a tablet. Start off by using something you already know! Which take us to our next point…

Keep it Simple

Like we said before, you don’t need to start off with some high-techie lesson! Comfortable with using PowerPoint? Using Google Docs with other teachers?  We are sure that you are already using some form of technology in class (like Voki)! Just start off with something that you are familiar (and comfortable) with and explore different technologies on your free time!

Use the Tools You Already Have

Have only five computers in class? Need to sign up for the computer lab? Some schools have a limited access to computers. But don’t worry, there are ways to overcome this issue. Have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) day in class! Or place them in group to help them learn about teamwork.

As an extra point:

Tip: Always Be Prepared!

There will ALWAYS be something wrong with the lesson that day. The school internet doesn’t work. Another class took the computer lab. The software “decided” to not function properly that day. Or maybe a major power outage in the area. (You might never know! It’s always a possibility!) So it’s up to you to always be prepared for anything that might happen during that lesson and always have a backup plan!

Until next time,

Eva D.

The Voki Team

Bio: Eva is the Community Manager for Voki and is part of the Marketing Team at Oddcast. She enjoys playing the piano and knitting on her free time. (She’s also a Rubik’s cube master!) She loves to hear your feedback and comments for Voki!