Technology has changed the way we travel, work, interact, meet friends and romantic relationships, order food, shop, share experiences…and so much more. It has also changed the way we get new information, the way we learn and teach. If you’re a teacher in 2017, you shouldn’t use the tools and methods we used 50 years ago. However, this doesn’t mean you need to be tech savvy person, IT expert or a robot enthusiast! Quite contrary. If you know how to login to Facebook or e-mail, you’re already skillful enough to bring your classroom to 2017, be more productive and motivate your students!
Here are some tips that will help you do more using technology and available tools.
Give Feedback
Remember that you can ask for student’s assignments in electronical form, and that you also can give feedback this way. This doesn’t mean just sending an e-mail with corrected assignments and grades. You can actually share files and comment in a shared online spaces (see how CollaboraZon features can help you do this).
Make Homework More Fun
Homework doesn’t need to be boring old write this, write that, draw this, draw that over and over again! How about having students make online albums of pictures related to a subject (e.g. 10 endangered animal species today, 5 interesting elements or noble gasses)? How about making videos or vlogs on a certain topic? Or a podcast?
There is literally no boundaries here – just creativity in finding different ways to do things!
Create Events
Instead of inviting students for a certain activity old-fashion way or even sending out an e-mail, why not create an event? This is more practical way of doing it, and you can have overview over who is coming and so on.
Organise Group Projects
It is always great to have different group projects, as it is a way to teach students both the lessons and the importance of collaborating and working together. Here are tips on how to make students work better in groups.
Keep the Track Over Everything and Anything
Technology is a great resource when it comes to documenting, planning and giving feedback as well. In your own space, that is not shared with everyone, you can keep track over individual and group progress, your plans for the semester and more. In the space shared with individual students, you can share personal feedback, grades and so on. In the open space, you can share class material, suggestions and let students give feedback as well.
CollaboraZon Is a Turn-Key All-in-One Solution to Effective Online Collaboration!
If you don’t want to get lost in 10 different accounts and platforms for different segments of online work with your students, like comments and file sharing, messaging, albums, events and so on, CollaboraZon is a great solution!
It lets you share files with everyone in the group, or just students you choose. It gives you opportunity to comment, discuss and exchange messages, and it event let’s you create events!
You can try CollaboraZon for free for a month, to see if it works for you and your students, and if you like it – and we’re sure you will! – you can choose one of the affordable pricing packages that fits best with your needs.