“The Secret of Change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building on the new.” – Socrates
What technology should be used in a TEFL classroom?
There is no doubt that teaching in a classroom without the use of technology nowadays is fighting the old and not focusing on the new!
The teaching market is one that is full of great opportunities that can be truly rewarding for those that put the effort into it. Our job as teachers and trainers is to prepare the students for the future and create lifelong experiences to be utilized for new endeavors, studies, and workforce. We make learning fun and creative through the use of technology in all our classrooms.
The list is endless, smart boards, smartphones, computers, laptops, tablets, social media, projectors, digital cameras, audiovisual media, e-books, e-learning, and online courses are some of the many forms of technology.
So by spawning fun, educational lessons for our students with the use of technology we help them develop language skills and interpersonal growth.
Teachers that have gone on to achieving success have loved the flexibility to work either online, at the comfort of their own homes, or even at language centers which allow them to work and travel the world at the same time while making enough money to take care of their everyday needs.
Why and how often should technology be used in the classroom?
From the very first day expose your students to technology, google classroom, and online classes, such as ZOOM, Teams, or any other network you are familiar with. Reading blogs that explain how online tools can be utilized for a lesson can also be of great interest to your students. Have a discussion about their likes and dislikes which will create a bond between teachers and students.
You may begin with your very own PowerPoint presentation about yourself as an icebreaker and ask them to do the same through a platform you decide to work on. Set up a daily meeting time on google calendar to follow up on assignments or sign them up to a language forum such as https://testyourlanguage.com/forum/ and expose them to an international level of questions and answers network. Show a funny online video associated with language learning that will catch their attention and motivate them to learn. Ask your class to find similar videos to share with the classroom and have a discussion about them.
Students are always in need of motivation and inspiration, especially by their teachers!
As a TEFL teacher, your job will be to facilitate your students to be independent linguists and the best way to do it is by exposing them to a plethora of topics and ideas they can do research on and develop their minds. In addition to all, there are many applications that may download which will be fun and useful throughout their learning such as games, dictionaries, thesaurus, and e-books. Surprisingly but true, online games such as crosswords and word searches can be more educational than one hour of teacher talk time.
Some Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Cudoo.com also offer phrasebooks and online language courses that can be a great addition to your classroom learning. Online courses are also a great way for students to attain and increase their future potentials in education by being awarded certificates with the CPD logo which provides great recognition while applying for work. Visit cudoo.com for a search on the variety of online courses offered that will assist students to develop their skills in personal and professional development. Listening to songs and reading the lyrics is also a great way to improve all four skills for language development.
Nonetheless, music has always been used to teach a number of language level courses. Students of all ages truly love learning with music as it is fun and familiar to them. Moreover, lyrics can be a whole new educational and cultural experience for some that live in different parts of the world.
Music also builds self-confidence while simultaneously creating a warm and friendly classroom environment either online or in face-to-face teaching. Preparation is the key factor and one needs to keep up to date with information and the use of technology in the classroom.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that nowadays, young children are exposed to technology from their cradles with the use of toy cellular phones, laptops, or even personalized tablets to use while watching cartoons or listening to music.
You will see young toddlers sitting at restaurants with a phone screen in front of them instead of a traditional dish or simply a crepe with ice-cream and chocolate which was a pleasure for some many years ago. Last but not least the latest university research has published that 85% of the students developed new skills, improved their retention rate and their mind broadened simply by the use of technology.
So what are you waiting for?
Incorporate technology into your classrooms and create fun, innovative, and memorable lessons that will give students language learning experiences to last a lifetime!
Andrie Steliou
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