Blog Post #13

Top Ten Tips For Using Technology in the Classroom

In Jose Picardo's video he gives his Top Ten Tips For Using Technology in the Classroom.  His first tip is to make use of streaming videos.  Students watch YouTube videos all the time, and by implementing them into your classroom they instantly become more interested.  His second tip is to use music more often.  Most likely, your students will already have an iTunes account, and you should get one as well.  We should find out what kinds of music they like to listen to and use it to our advantage.  Jose's third tip is to use teleconferencing tools.  Teachers can take advantage of this by getting their children to communicate with students from other schools and other countries.  This is a great opportunity for them.  His fourth tip is to create your own interactive exercises.  No one knows the students better than the teacher.  By creating your own exercises, by using web-sites like Content Generator or Languages Online, you can base your lessons personally around your students strengths and weaknesses.  Picardo's tip number five is to use your interactive white board more effectively.  A little goes a long way and the students will benefit from, and appreciate it.  His tip number six is to create your own podcast.  You can make and edit sound recordings that will help engage your students in the classroom activities.  His seventh tip is to start a blog or a wiki.  These are good tools to use because you can showcase your students work and achievements.  If will give the teacher an extra dimension for teaching and it will provide a focus for your students efforts. Jose's eighth tip is to use social networks.  As  a teacher this can give you so many new ideas for your classroom, and you can also create closed groups for you and your students.  His ninth tip is to use internet tools to motivate the students.  They are always on the internet anyway, so you could incorporate some lessons into their daily internet use.  His last tip is to make the most of your students gadgets.  They all have cell phones and most of them have iPods or mp3 players.  Instead of taking these away from the students show them the educational activities they can do with these devices.  When you show students that you are working to bring things they like into the classroom, this will make them want to learn more and hear what you have to say.  I think all of these tips would make a classroom more interactive and creative.  Students would not be bored and they would want to learn instead of dreading it.