Tuesday, September 4, 2012

11 eTeaching Tips


Last year I was an eLearning coach responsible for integrating technology into the classroom.  It was an exciting job and an excellent way to enhance my own professional skills.  It’s amazing what a little time to think can do for an educator.  This year I took a job as a STEAM TAP Mentor.  My new position presents new and unique challenges.  These days I find ways to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math into everyday curriculum.

One of the reasons I took the new job was because I’ve always felt that STEAM areas are where all of the content of classes come together.  Additionally, last year I learned so much more about student engagement through the use of technology.  As far as STEAM goes, many of these areas come together in engineering, which I also get the opportunity to teach again.  I’ve had several students begin to understand the importance of math for reasoning and how vital science can be to answer the question, “Why?”  Technology is becoming easier for students to use and understand its implications for learning.  Students are even learning the importance of communication in language arts classes because of presentations they develop for products they make.

One concept not so commonly thought out is how the arts integrate into learning.  So many times these courses take a back seat.  Many don’t understand that artistic expression and architecture fit together perfectly.  Perhaps, students have never thought about the social implications delivered in social studies and how they can impact the outcome of a product they create.  These are the things that excite me most.  

At the bottom of this you will be able to find a link to a presentation I put together to help teachers enhance instruction via the use of technology.  These are all things I have tried myself and seem to really engage the learner.  I tried to word most of them so they would apply to all who read them.  However, some were more specific to the need of my staff.  Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a comment.