It’s not enough to fill classrooms with technology and hope that teachers will embrace the new tools and integrate them into their daily lessons. In fact, if there’s one thing that districts have learned during this information age it’s this: Without adequate support and motivation educators will retreat to their old ways of teaching.
When deploying technology in the classroom, it’s important to understand the distinction between training teachers how to use the technology and how to incorporate the technology effectively.
Some instructors are happy to learn to use the tools themselves, while others need help with integrating technology into their lessons.
Our educators and parents did not grow up with computers and have not been schooled in their use. If we are to gain the many benefits technology offers our children in learning and their futures, our teachers must be provided with ongoing opportunities to develop their understanding of the value of technology to themselves personally and professionally and effective uses in the classroom.
According to Candice Du Preez, Chief Operating Officer at Vastratech, “Professional development is an important part of any new educational program, especially in one-to-one settings where teachers need to use the classroom technology to its full potential. This becomes even more essential when introducing new technology, as every new product has a learning curve and can add more to the teaching process than traditional methods with which teachers may be more comfortable”.
VastraTech makes learning and training easier for teachers, through the use of interactive whiteboards and displays that will help Fast track the future of education everywhere. These technologies encourage student collaborations and heighten group activities within all teaching spaces
VastraTech’s largest initiative in professional development is the VastraTech Teachers for Change programme, done in partnership with the GDE & Mathew Goniwe, which aims train teachers to ensure true transformation in the classroom.
If technology integration in the classroom is seamless and thoughtful, students not only become more engaged, they begin to take more control over their own learning, too. Effective tech integration changes classroom dynamics, encouraging student-centered project-based learning.
