Teaching with Technology

The ongoing pandemic outbreak in India has stretched its wings swathing almost each and every sector within the Economy. More often people are talking about Industries, Global Market, Recession, but seldom one takes out time to crucially analyse the impact on Indian Education Sector. Although all Educational Institutes have declared closure since mid March 2020, the urge to provide quality education amidst any situation compels the educators to keep working 24*7. The entire Nation is witnessing a paradigm shift in terms of restructuring the Education system. Being an educator, I do keep a close eye on several platforms highlighting the new trend of online education. While the entire focus of majority of the discussion lies on whether this Online Education System is a boon or bane it is high time for us to know that the real fact is what we are referring as the “new normal” has been ruling the world since a decade. We just need time to soak in.

The key to implement Online Education System- “Teaching with Technology!!” is literally an entire universe of topics but here I will rather choose to discuss about a mini galaxy which is right there in your small pockets. Remember while getting started with technology, all of us might well know how to use different technologies but chances are most of us don’t know how to use that technology for learning.

Think of upgrading our mobiles! In today’s generation How about using a mobile with heavy weight, no touch pad and 2g connectivity, I know most of us will say “It is OUTDATED”. Nobody really likes to hold on to old technologies and the simple question here is “Who on earth is not attracted to new and exciting technologies?” The reason we constantly keep upgrading our smart-phones and even the software. We try exploring different apps and websites. It is the use of Technology which enables us to do things we couldn’t do before. Although some of us still don’t even want to get close to new technologies until we understand them better. Like few wait to upgrade their smart phones and software until they’re sure it won’t break anything or what they use don’t work anymore. The recognition and occurrence of online teaching with technology is the same.

It is well understood that implementing digital teaching methods practically opens up a platform to brainstorm on innovative ideas to choose a technology and use those technologies for teaching and learning. Educators across the Nation have been working day in and out to focus on certain crucial points to get ready before teaching with technology like rewriting the learning outcomes to include effective utilization of technology, align digital classroom resources, prepare activities, and assessments with entirely new or existing course outcome, explore universal design for learning principles are very few to be named.

Whatever phrase you come across “Instructional technology, academic technology, educational technology”, the word for teaching always comes first. Effective utilisation of Technology in teaching can play the key role in creating lucid pathways and guiding the young minds as they keep marching ahead. What Technology in Teaching offers?

• Teaching and learning needs drive our technology choices and once identified, one can easily find that there are usually several technology options to help.
• In terms of content sharing, technology makes it easier than ever to share content in different formats. A choice of the students creates a platform to support your current practices.
• It is well understood and experienced by all Teachers from own face-to-face classes that the usual suspects are often the only ones to answer questions or contribute ideas. Technology can help facilitate participation in different ways too. Technology makes it possible to continue activities or start new ones outside of the classroom if you want to advance what you and your students do.
• Speaking of engaging students, technology opens up new possibilities for learning activities. Flip your classroom or engage your students in content creation!
• When it comes to assessing student learning, technology supports a wide range of options as you’ll see in the chapter on technology-based assessment. For example, technology extends typical assessment strategies, like quizzes and exams, team projects or student while
  supporting more authentic assessment strategies.

Now, is it that technology can do everything? Of course not. And even if it has the capacity to do everything, it probably shouldn’t.

Integrating Technology allows making new choices about how teachers and learners spend their time. While the Educators creates a framework for making learning more inclusive, the student community must understand and see through the lines to understand the mantra of success.

“Take different paths to reach the same goal”.