In virtual teaching, I am the teacher who wants to use all the techie stuff. I love exploring new programs. This makes ME happy but I realize everyone is not like me. Some teachers may want to be as low tech as possible and that’s ok. If you are teaching online there are a few pieces of teaching you probably need to use. These could be things that make your job easier or that engage students. Whether you’re a techie like me or low tech there are a few things we need to keep in mind when teaching our students to use any new technology. See how I am helping teachers create amazing virtual classrooms.
Practice the tech before you teach it
One important factor to keep in mind is to make sure you can use the technology before you try to teach it to your students. I know this sounds silly when you are talking to a group of teachers!! Make sure you can use the tech, and know exactly how you want the students to use it.. Also be sure to look at the tech from the student view. The student view can look VERY different from the teacher view and it can be very confusing trying to help students navigate student view, when you have not seen or used it. Trust me you want to be familiar with the technology before you try to teach it to your students.
Teach the most necessary tech first
Teach the tech you will use on a regular basis first. This should include your LMS or learning management system like, google classroom or schoology. Your management system is going to be the most important tech piece you teach to your students.These will be the most important pieces for students to become fluent with.For example if you are using google classroom make sure you teach your students how to use that tech in the beginning. Make sure they can use every necessary part of the technology before you ask them to use it on their own.
Practice using the tech with your students
The more you practice the tech the easier it will be for students to interact with it. You can practice with students by asking them to perform simple tasks using the technology and gradually make the task more difficult.
Evaluate the value of the tech
Ask yourself “Is this tech valuable enough to teach it to my students?” Remember that every new piece of technology that you teach your student will come with bits of overload. This is why you should evaluate each piece of technology before you introduce it to your students.
These are just a few ways that you can teach your students how to use technology without overwhelming them. Always, practice the tech before you teach it,teach the most important tech first, practice using the tech with your students and evaluate the value of the technology.