Digital Pirate Blog Post
The Digital PIRATE is a great guide that provides teachers with insightful tips for integrating technology into the classroom.
The author, Matt Miller, discusses several creative hook ideas and other methods to help make technology a part of learning.
One of the clever ways Miller suggests using technology in the classroom is to grab students’ attention with a poll activity. Teachers can create questions that their class can access through the website Poll Everywhere. Students can use their cell phones or other devices to give their answers and see live results as responses are submitted. This activity can be used as formative assessment of content knowledge or simply as an activity to get to know students better. Furthermore, by allowing students to use their devices in class, teachers can demonstrate that technology has an educational purpose in addition to a personal one. Thus, students will be more likely to use technology in ways that benefit them academically once they leave the classroom.
Another way to actively engage students in learning is to have them use the camera app on their phones or iPads. While it may seem as though using a camera is a basic way to use technology in the classroom, taking pictures can be very beneficial in helping students understand and remember information. For example, as a science teacher, I can create an activity in which students use their camera app to take pictures of science in the real world. I can either design it as in indoors activity so students are forced to discover science in the classroom, or I can take students outside and encourage them to find examples of science outdoors. By allowing students to use their devices to take pictures of scientific concepts and then compile the pictures into a single source, teachers can help students remember examples that relate to specific content.
Creating opportunities to Skype other professionals or chat with them via Google Hangout allows students to see their content being applied in the real world. While it may seem as though it would be difficult to contact authors, celebrities, or other knowledgeable individuals, sometimes they are eager and willing to speak to a classroom. Thus, it is important that teachers make an effort to reach out to professionals relevant to their subject. I experienced a professional interaction first-hand when my college class had the opportunity to Skype the author of the book we were reading. It was great to be able to hear from him personally as he spoke on topics that were not specifically stated in his book. As a future history teacher, I could invite someone who was alive during a major war or other event to speak to my class. Hearing a first-hand account of what life was like would grab students’ attention and intrigue them as they learned.
Lastly, Miller suggest using Pandora music as a way to keep students engaged and stimulate thought. If teachers select music that creates a peaceful learning environment, their students will be more relaxed and focused on the material. It is important that teachers do not create Pandora stations that will distract students from the lesson. Furthermore, teachers can design stations that are relevant to the topic they are teaching by playing music that connects to the content. For example, as a history teacher I can play music that was popular during the time period I will be discussing as students walk into the classroom. By creating a lively and diverse classroom that grabs students’ attention, I can be successful in teaching that lesson.
The author, Matt Miller, discusses several creative hook ideas and other methods to help make technology a part of learning.
One of the clever ways Miller suggests using technology in the classroom is to grab students’ attention with a poll activity. Teachers can create questions that their class can access through the website Poll Everywhere. Students can use their cell phones or other devices to give their answers and see live results as responses are submitted. This activity can be used as formative assessment of content knowledge or simply as an activity to get to know students better. Furthermore, by allowing students to use their devices in class, teachers can demonstrate that technology has an educational purpose in addition to a personal one. Thus, students will be more likely to use technology in ways that benefit them academically once they leave the classroom.
Another way to actively engage students in learning is to have them use the camera app on their phones or iPads. While it may seem as though using a camera is a basic way to use technology in the classroom, taking pictures can be very beneficial in helping students understand and remember information. For example, as a science teacher, I can create an activity in which students use their camera app to take pictures of science in the real world. I can either design it as in indoors activity so students are forced to discover science in the classroom, or I can take students outside and encourage them to find examples of science outdoors. By allowing students to use their devices to take pictures of scientific concepts and then compile the pictures into a single source, teachers can help students remember examples that relate to specific content.
Creating opportunities to Skype other professionals or chat with them via Google Hangout allows students to see their content being applied in the real world. While it may seem as though it would be difficult to contact authors, celebrities, or other knowledgeable individuals, sometimes they are eager and willing to speak to a classroom. Thus, it is important that teachers make an effort to reach out to professionals relevant to their subject. I experienced a professional interaction first-hand when my college class had the opportunity to Skype the author of the book we were reading. It was great to be able to hear from him personally as he spoke on topics that were not specifically stated in his book. As a future history teacher, I could invite someone who was alive during a major war or other event to speak to my class. Hearing a first-hand account of what life was like would grab students’ attention and intrigue them as they learned.
Lastly, Miller suggest using Pandora music as a way to keep students engaged and stimulate thought. If teachers select music that creates a peaceful learning environment, their students will be more relaxed and focused on the material. It is important that teachers do not create Pandora stations that will distract students from the lesson. Furthermore, teachers can design stations that are relevant to the topic they are teaching by playing music that connects to the content. For example, as a history teacher I can play music that was popular during the time period I will be discussing as students walk into the classroom. By creating a lively and diverse classroom that grabs students’ attention, I can be successful in teaching that lesson.