How can teachers best use technology in the classroom?

Here are 10 ideas.

Using audio technology

Idea #1

Recorded material on CD can be played to the whole class through a laptop/PC and speakers.This kind of auditory learning has always been a feature of subjects such as foreign languages, as it was the only practical way for students to hear the voices of native speakers.It's much easier now because:

• the digital technology means the tapes or cassettes don't snap or wear out
• downloading material is much easier than recording manually used to be
• there is a wide range of professionally produced audio material on CD - although direct downloads are becoming more and more common
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Idea #2

Teachers can now record their own customised audio material for use in class.This is a major breakthrough that in my view is still much under-utilized by teachers.The availability of open source software such as Audacitiy makes it easy to produce audio files that can be saved and shared as MP 3 files, that all students can access, as they can be stored and played back on various devices such as CD, cell phone, iPOd, school intranet, Virtual Learning Environment [VLE].

Producing a targeted piece of audio is a good return on investment for teachers. The teacher can:- summarise the key information covered in a lesson so that any student who missed the lesson at least has a synopsis and a chance to keep in learning loop- record orally a complete set of revision notes for students, or create a series of 'audio worksheets': you can say anything in speech much quicker than you can write it

Idea #3

Get students to record their work in speech on MP3 files.Many students will be more prepared to spend a couple of minutes recording spoken answers to questions than having to spend a lot more time on producing the same answer in writing.They can record it on their cell phones or iPods and transfer to PC from where they can email it to you.

Teachers can record them talking in class by using a USB speech recorder - it records voices digitally and then plugs into a laptop or PC where you can store it on the hard drive to listen to later.

Using video technology

Using video can also be an effective way to use technology in the classroom.

In the same way that making audio recordings is now easier than it's ever been, making video recordings is an easy and viable use of classroom technology.

Idea #4

Use a camcorder to record the main points of a lesson. Students who miss the lesson will then be able to see[and hear] a summary of the information that was covered in the lesson.

Idea #5

Record very short snippets of a lesson.

You can use these short recordings:

• to review student performance and achievement
• to focus on specific points for feedback in a later lesson - eg a particularly good answer from a student, or a learning point that was generally misunderstood
• as a way of assessing progress - think of it as a test in which some students are interviewed to explain their answers.

Idea #6

Get students to record their own learning.

These may be short 'pieces to camera' in which individual students explain what they understand of the topic currently under study.

For example, you might give students the task of saying from memory 10 key facts about the American Civil War in 60 seconds. Students could work in pairs to share the answers and record each other. They then pass the camcorder on to the next pair of students, until every student has been recorded.

You can then upload the recording to a hard drive for you to assess later.

In a subsequent lesson you can show some parts of the recording back to the class to highlight key points and as a starting point for further improvement.

Idea #7

An excellent way to use technology in the classroom is to make use of a digital camera to record student work.

This is particularly useful in practical lessons where students actually create physical products, such as models, circuit boards, cakes, pottery, paintings etc. It's also useful in science lessons where students carry out experiments, the end product of the experiment can be photographed.

Idea #8

Use presentation software and a digital projector to display the content of the lesson.Many classrooms are now equipped with data projectors and this has revolutionized how teachers present the learning in class. It's possible to display anything that's relevant to the lesson, whether as text or images, through the projector and this has, in many cases, raised the quality of teacher presentations.

Idea #9

Use productivity software to produce stimulating classroom displays that promote and enhance learning.

Of course there is still a place for professionally produced posters in the classroom, but research does show that carefully targeted material that reinforces the learning that takes place in class really does have a positive effect on understanding and recall.

For example, key words from a particular topic or learning strand can be word processed on to cards that are then laminated and stuck on the wall. Refer to them frequently to reinforce the learning.

Software now allows teachers to produce very professional looking display material

Idea #10

Use your school's Virtual Learning Environment [VLE]

You can create learning packages that students can access online, in school or from home, particularly from home, so that you can 'bridge the gap' between lessons.

VLEs are still fairly new concepts, and many schools are not yet equipped with them, but it's worth investigating if your school has one, or plans to get one, and researching the many ways teachers can exploit VLEs. The concept of a unique learning platform that teachers can create and control is avery exciting development in using technology in the classroom,

Using technology in the classroom is often taken for granted - it's hard to imagine teachers not using it at least some of the time.

Yet its ready availability often leads to confusion. It seems that we are spoilt for choice when it comes to teacher software but it needs systematic research and 'road testing', and careful planning of how to use technology in the classroom.

And above all we need to remember that using technology in the classroom is a means to an end, not an end in itself.