ICT in Your Class: From Frustration to Empowerment

From Frustration to Empowerment

Amid the constant change around us, there are still a few places where little or nothing has changed over the years — and schools have been one of them. In today's digital world it's difficult, almost impossible, to avoid technology, but unfortunately that is sometimes exactly what happens in schools and with teachers. Technology is reaching everywhere, and this could be either very bad or very good, depending on whether we manage to channel it in the right way. It has the potential to be very positive for both students and educators.

Let's start with the students. They live in the world of NOW, built on digital interaction, chasing instant rewards, exposed to a huge volume of information. This can turn them into experts on a wide range of subjects, but it happens without any guidance.

Now let's talk about teachers. Traditional education is built on the image of the Teacher as a source of knowledge, with authority resting on that. In reality, everything is changing, and information is available everywhere. These days, teaching isn't just about knowledge — it's about guidance, and about understanding the learning process students are going through.

Introducing ICT tools into teaching and into students' learning processes is essential for closing generational and educational gaps. I believe that with these tools, educators can become more relevant to the educational process, motivating students and making their own work far more productive.

Relevance — since students already live “there,” schools should aspire to be part of students' everyday reality. Educators need to connect the educational experience to life beyond the school walls.

Motivation — students walk into school feeling that what's being presented to them has nothing to do with their world. Introducing ICT is one way to change that. The goal is to use ICT tools not just as entertainment, but as a way to redesign the educational process and make the student the protagonist of their own education.

Productivity — educators don't have enough time to carry out all their tasks and meet all their goals, and unfortunately their context (the institutions they work for) can't always provide an answer to this. With the right use of technology, they can “do more with less time.” Today's technology can help the Educator organize processes in a way that helps them reach every student, and give each one what they need.

Explore free apps like Edmodo, ClassDojo or Wikis.

The reason I call bringing ICT tools into the classroom “From Frustration to Empowerment” is that teachers are often afraid to use them. Most teachers are afraid students will know how to use technology better than they do. So... to get this “white elephant” out of the room — in 99% of cases, students will know more about how to use technology, and will be better at it. But they don't know the pedagogy, nor the content being taught, as well as you do. What's more, you are the one who best knows and understands the educational paths they are going to walk.

Try everything you can, something new each time. Don't try to be a good teacher — try to be a good educator.

The real question is how to harness the power of technology to meet the challenges of the 21st century and make education relevant, responsive and effective for everyone, anywhere, at any time. — Haddad & Draxler, 2002.