GM5…
Ways to use TECHNOLOGY as a motivational tool for adolescents
Mix up classroom activities by adding technology, this makes lessons engaging and motivating. Play to your audience, technology is their thing!
Blogs/ Text Messages
1. Students can type daily journal/blog responses to warm-up prompts.
2. Use blogs as a way to reflect on a Performance Assessment (final project) or assigned classroom activity.
Blogs foster personal writing and reflection.
3. Text message format can be used to uncover or describe the main idea of a lesson, novel, story, historical time period, etc.
After all, 160 characters do not demand much detail, thus allowing students to keep responses clear and to the point.
Skype/ Video Chats
1. Students can learn about different cultures and peoples around the world through virtual pen pals! This allows students to exercise tolerance of other cultures, while learning valuable interview and communication skills.
Note: Teachers must pair-up with a school abroad or in a different state.
2. Students can watch and interact with guest speakers or authors that may not be able to visit the classroom in person.
Podcasts
3. Students can create their own podcasts as means of illustrating knowledge.
This promotes group work and eases the anxiety that shier students may feel when speaking about a certain topic; podcasts can be previously recorded and edited.
4. Teachers can create podcasts for subs so that daily tasks can be explained to students even in your absence.
Video Production
1. Video productions lend themselves to peer collaboration and school-community synthesis.
Students can use artistic skills (i.e. drama, etc) to display knowledge.
Inspiration©/ Computerized Graphic Organizers
1. Students can complete outlines for papers/ speeches, summaries of stories/ novels, etc.
These are tremendously helpful for visual learners!
Citation: Vacca, J., Vacca, R. (2009). Approaches to reading instruction. In Reading and learning to read(pp. 47). Boston, MA: Pearson.
