Learning + Teaching with Technology + Inspiring Teacher = Winning Combination

Globalization brings all people together: People who come from different parts of the world and people physically close to one another, but still, communicate better through technology. Technology is everywhere around us, and we all became used to it. The difference that I as a teacher can make is it in my students’ everyday life in which everyone can play with technology, but only those educated on how to use it to create will have the wings to fly farther and faster. The teacher using technology in their teaching practice to facilitate students’ learning could be an agent of change for their students. When students come to my classroom, I know that they feel comfortable using technology: some of them more some others less but still at an appropriate level. I use technology in my courses to be the agent of change for my students, to help them see the use of technology through different lenses; To help them learn how to use tech tools to learn and create so they will become able to fly farther and higher. The ways we experience and create the world are transforming, and this means that building skills is critical to find ways that we will use to interrogate how this changing world situates our students.

I welcome technology in my classroom. There are so many tech tools that can help me in my instruction and meeting student learning goals. However, we all have to use technology responsibly and not just because it is there. I care for my students to increase their digital literacy. I want them to learn how to use various tools appropriate for academic and professional purposes. Students will learn how to use technology to solve problems, analyze data and communicate with others while completing projects in my courses. Just-in-Time-Teaching (JiTT) strategy supports my techniques for the flipped classroom, based on the interaction between web-based assignments and active learners classroom. My students respond electronically to web-based assignments such as quizzes and reading guides created in Google Forms that will generate different questions with any additional attempt to answer them. All of these low-stakes assignments are due by a couple of hours before class, and I read their responses “just in time” to revise the lesson plan and its foci for that day. In order to engage my students in discussions, I use not only discussion boards and their alternative VoiceThread but also Padlets, EdPuzzles, Kahoots, blogs, and Google Docs, Slides, Sites. All of these tools help students become collaborative creators of digital projects and assignments, demonstrating competencies and sharing ideas through digital storytelling and data visualization. Therefore, I usually say that the new tools for communication that have become part of the 21^st century no doubt contribute to thinking. One of the most valuable skills-building strategies that tech tools enhance our students learning is the development of metacognitive skills, which refer to skills of selective monitoring, evaluating and adjusting their learning strategies.

Additionally, they will learn how to create videos (using Screen-Cast-O-Matic apart from the tools already included in their devices) and podcasts (using Audacity) to tell a story. Even more importantly, I teach my students how to use tech tools to find data to build on in their research projects, how to navigate online databases effectively and search for credible sources of information. Furthermore, I help them to engage in all stages of the research process: how the tech tools could help in generating keywords, keeping track of their sources, note-taking, creating citations accurately.

Being a digital citizen enables students to apply knowledge from the arts, humanities, computer science, business, math, etc, to gain a well-rounded view of the world and become well-equipped to enter discussions, debates and engage in decision-making. An interdisciplinary view of the world is crucial to our students and technology helps us make that happen for them. All this is made possible for teachers by the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines that thoroughly explain how to make our students expert learners, who are purposeful and motivated enough to become resourceful and knowledgeable because they have their teachers to facilitate their learning processes. Another important aspect of facilitating students’learning is to guide them to become strategic and goal-directed. All of these aspects are supported by the UDL guidelines for engagement, representation and action, and expression. In the same vein, it is my responsibility as a teacher who uses technology in the teaching practice to teach my students how to be a responsible digital citizen. I always teach students about safety and security on the internet and the possibilities of cyber-bullying. They will learn how to differentiate between information that is safe to publish and information, which is never safe to be made public.

The best way of assessment enhanced by the use of technology in my teaching practice is teaching students how to create, develop, and revise digital portfolios of their work. This kind of portfolio usually includes their pieces of writing, use of productivity software, video and photo projects and use of web applications. These collections of their polished work are convenient for students as well because they will have their creative work examples readily available.

It is an undeniable fact that technology gives us opportunities we never had in the past, opportunities to promote ourselves, to showcase our work, to learn, and to communicate, so it is essential to share these opportunities with our students. Therefore, I firmly believe that an inspiring teacher that facilitates students’ learning by the use of technology in their practice provides a winning combination for students to learn and to become responsible and successful professionals that have global perspectives.