Students remember the teachers who made connections, the ones who took the time to know them as individuals outside of the class content. There’s a fear that technology will replace those human interactions. However, teachers have plenty of opportunities to use technology and build classroom relationships.
Enhancing teacher-student relationships with technology
As the saying goes, teachers should meet students where they are. Students are on devices. These digital natives have grown up using technology in the classroom and in their lives outside of school. They’re comfortable with education technology, so it’s an ideal place to transform classroom connections.
Many teachers use classroom relationship-building activities to begin community building. Start the new school year with a new version of show-and-tell using technology. Give students a chance to tell about themselves using a virtual platform. Encourage them to share photos of pets or graphics of favorite sports teams or musicians. Teachers should make one, too, and share it with the rest of the class.
How education technology can enhance classroom relationships
Relationship building in the classroom starts on the first day of school when the students walk through the doors and continues until they leave at the end of the year. Teacher-student relationships often last for years after they spend time together learning about math or science because efforts are made to have authentic connections. How does technology enhance classroom relationships? Take a look.
- Build Connection- Technology allows for a continuous and effective loop of communication between teachers and students, which helps build stronger connections.
- Instant Feedback- Because edtech tools provide instant feedback, students understand their progress and areas for improvement. When teachers leave comments for students with tips to improve their work, such as making suggestions on documents, students can continue working on their assignments.
- Communication Tool- Technology facilitates an open line of communication between teachers and students. When students are working on assignments, they can ask questions and receive feedback when teachers have a moment to respond. After they complete tasks, they can share their struggles with the teacher and request additional help with concepts. They may even want to share success stories.
- Encourage Independence- Working with technology increases student independence because it allows them to explore and learn at their own pace. Edtech resources give students ownership of their learning. They can try to solve problems before asking the teacher for help.
- Track Growth- Edtech resources are great ways to track real-time progress and growth. Teachers can identify spots for reteaching, and students can work through tasks with productive struggle. Celebrations for success are always a great idea!
- Collaboration- Edtech fosters collaboration among students through shared projects. This allows students to experience authentic teamwork, much like professionals in work environments who also use technology to work together.
Positive uses of technology in education
Edtech resources that are both engaging and effective make teaching and learning more enjoyable. Students are motivated to learn, and teachers see struggles and progress in the moment. Technology has a unique ability to provide personalized learning experiences.
Technology makes opportunities for feedback and individualized instruction easy. With data to review as students progress through the work, teachers have a solid understanding of the concepts students comprehend and those that are troublesome.
If the data shows that many students are stuck on the same questions, it’s time for some reteaching with the whole group. Or maybe just a couple of kids need some time to review. If certain students are moving quickly, there are ways to accelerate their learning as well.
Extending offline activities with technology
Using edtech resources doesn’t mean students spend their days at school on devices—quite the contrary. Technology extends and enhances lessons because there are no substitutes for teachers. When used in meaningful ways, technology has the power to transform classroom routines by infusing digital strategies into more traditional activities.
Edtech resources partnered with offline activities provide a well-rounded approach to teaching and learning. These can be extensions of the concepts for students who are ready for more or reteaching opportunities for those who need more support. Offline activities can be scaffolded to meet students' needs and used in small or whole group lessons or for independent work.
Utilizing S4U, Frax, and Gizmos for enhanced learning
Because educating the whole child means using a variety of strategies, ExploreLearning products include online and offline resources.
Science4Us has some effortless ways to explore all types of science with simple hands-on projects you can do with your students.
Science4Us Hands-On Projects
Students learn fraction concepts while playing in Frax, but there is still a need for classroom discussion and collaboration. Teachers can reinforce the learning with offline activities, including Mission Debrief Questions, Captain’s Checkpoints, and Quick Checks.
Gizmos make classroom implementation easy, no matter the instructional approach. Extensive lesson materials, like Student Exploration Sheets, are easy to prepare with detailed teacher guides. Teachers gauge understanding of adaptable inquiry-based activities with built-in assessments.
Gizmos Student Exploration Sheets
Embracing technology for better classroom relationships
Positive student-teacher relationships set the foundation for academic success. Students need to feel seen, heard, and valued throughout the learning process. They want to know that their teachers are there for the struggles and the celebrations. Technology is just another tool that teachers can use to connect with students. Incorporating edtech resources into the classroom also allows students to share their expertise with technology and teach the teacher a few tricks.
