“Innovation is the change
that unlocks new value”
Jamie Notter
There is so much going around with innovation and technology involvement in many spheres of our lives. This article is about technology in education.
Great things are happening like the online courses and management systems for schools. They save time and make them function efficiently. Even classroom has changed over centuries with projectors on the walls, flipcharts, makers and whiteboards (wow, almost no blackboards are used in schools anymore!). Obviously depends on the school budget and what they can afford. Important to say that it is definitely the future of the kids that is being shaped in the classroom, however, there are so many tools free to use out there for online collaboration, files transfer, e-learning, augmented reality, virtual reality.
The ability of a teacher to combine them for an efficient and educative atmosphere in the class creates also alignment with the new generation of students. Teachers’ skills are still the major asset however there are ways to power them with the newest technologies and bring new opportunities to learn and to engage students during classroom hours and, potentially, create extra motivation for the kids to study at home.
The question is: do teachers nowadays actually have the necessary tools to do this?
YES, if they have an open mind and are eager to try new things! When you teach, you open a new world of knowledge, skills and ideas for the kids so why would you make boarders and restrict to what you don’t know and don’t use yourself? Is it fear that a teacher may have? The point is that a teacher is an example of skills and knowledge for his students, the innovative point of open mind to learn.
Let us think from the point of view of a student that is more open to technology (like all kids are) and when they come to school they notice that their teacher is using old fashion methods to deliver the material. What would they think of you?
Why do people follow the progress? Maybe because progress creates new opportunities? Makes life efficient and comfortable?
Why use electricity if the light comes from an old-fashioned candle? Maybe it is connected with efficiency and better performance and better light?
Why use a mobile phone if there is a landline? Maybe because it is comfortable to have connectivity on the go?
Why use the car if there is a horse? Maybe because it is faster?
Why use technology at school if there is an old-fashioned way? Maybe because technology is the progress for education? It creates new opportunities to learn and teach!
So why would you resist accepting the fact that technology is changing the way we educate and learn if you accept and adopt in other spheres of your life? Maybe you are fighting with a windmill?
One this is inevitable is the technology of innovation. This is something even teachers can’t resist!