How Classroom Technology Benefits Students and Their Instructors

The following information is used for educational purposes only.

How Classroom Technology Benefits Students and Their Instructors


By:Jose McIntyre



The use of classroom technology has the benefit of making learning fun and in this way; students do not feel coaxed to learn material. The instructors also benefit for they do not have to do a lot of explaining. Examples of this technology include PowerPoint presentation, proximas, interactive DVDs, MySpace and scavenger hunts among others. In order to benefit the students, the instructor should use this technology in a manner that allows the student to actively interact with it and set goals that are achievable.

Looking at Microsoft PowerPoint as a form of classroom technology, you can see the benefits that it offers. The PowerPoint software program enables users to create presentations that may involve text or images and move them in slides. This will assist the instructor to convey information in a step by step form that is easily understood by students. The presentations allow the students to actively engage in the lesson in an enjoyable manner. Learning ideas by doing is more effective than only listening to information.

Proximas work by displaying information from a computer on a wide screen and are therefore good forms of classroom technology for instructors can use them to display PowerPoint presentations or information from websites. Using such technology also makes the students more likely to engage in meaningful discussions and this will lead to a higher understanding of lessons.

Instructors may be apprehensive about using classroom technology for reasons such as the time required to prepare a presentation but they should know that their time is well spent. It is far much better to teach lessons in a way that students will grasp most of the ideas than using the quick lecture method which research shows that most students retain ten percent of what they note down. An example to illustrate this is that it is far much easier to retain the information covered in the news if you watched it on television.

The other benefit offered by using technology in the classroom is that it prepares students to use the technology in the workplace. This is of advantage to society for advancements in technology mean increased development and more job opportunities. For example, by using PowerPoint presentations in class, the student gets more knowledgeable in computer use and this will assist the student when finding employment. Getting more knowledgeable in the use websites in research will enable the student to get access to lots of information that could be of assistance after school.

The use of technology in the classroom can also help the students prepare for jobs that do not exist at the time. For example a job such as webmaster came up very recently and most webmasters got the training by themselves. Some websites also offer online degrees and it is very necessary for students to know how to use technology for them to learn by correspondence. It is therefore a good thing for instructors to use technology in the classroom for the benefits of using it outweigh the costs and preparations required.

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Source: www.eslteachersboard.com