Technology 12 Tips For Preparation Older Teachers To Purpose Technology

There is an supposition that persists inward the educational community that to a greater extent than mature teachers are much to a greater extent than hard too reluctant to live trained on the effective utilisation of educational technology. To some degree, I intend this supposition has been built on past times the digital native vs digital immigrant myth. But every bit mortal who has trained teachers of all ages all over the footing I would country that, from my ain experience, this hasn’t been the case.

What I guide maintain flora to live the instance is that to a greater extent than mature teachers are:

• Less probable to lured past times the shiny hardware too the seemingly wonderful claims made to proceed amongst it.
• More critical too sceptical nearly the agency engineering scientific discipline is used inward the classroom.
• Less confident when using diverse apps too websites too less probable to explore the unlike features.
• More easily discouraged past times failures.
• Less familiar amongst diverse tools, applications too services that guide maintain locomote utilisation of every-day life for younger users.
• More probable to live able to run across through “technology for technology’s sake” classroom applications.

So how should trainers approach the challenges of working amongst these teachers? Here are a few tips from my ain experience of preparation older teachers to utilisation technology.

Be certain of your footing pedagogically

So many edtech trainers are corking amongst technology, only much less versed inward educational theory too pedagogy. More mature teachers are to a greater extent than probable to guide maintain a stronger theoretical understanding, so live prepared to dorsum upwards your ideas amongst audio pedagogical insights too endeavour to relate your preparation dorsum to theories of learning too pedagogical approaches.

Make certain preparation is hands on

Running through a listing of tools too ideas inward a presentation may guide maintain some value, only it doesn’t come upwards anywhere approximately the ship on of giving teachers hands-on experience too the endangerment to genuinely locomote amongst the tech to do something.



Here is a collection of some of the activities I've used inward my preparation sessions: 20 Tech Enhanced Activities for the Language Classroom

Give corporation examples of what yous guide maintain done

Being able to speak from experience nearly how yous guide maintain used tech amongst your ain students volition guide maintain far to a greater extent than ship on than theoretical applications of “You could do blah blah blah amongst your students.” Sharing anecdotes of how yous guide maintain used engineering scientific discipline inward your ain classes, the challenges yous guide maintain faced too how yous guide maintain overcome or fifty-fifty been overcome past times them tin genuinely lend credibility to your training.

Manage expectations

A positive mental attitude is great, only live prepared to also indicate out weaknesses, potential pitfalls too speak nearly your ain failures. This powerfulness manage your trainees avoid the same mistakes too halt them from becoming disillusioned.

Make fourth dimension to experiment too explore

Don’t live tempted to cram inward every bit many tools, techniques too activities every bit possible. Incorporate projection fourth dimension into your preparation so that teachers guide maintain the endangerment to locomote away too explore the things that involvement them most too acquire their ain perspective on how they tin utilisation them amongst students.

Back upwards technical training

Learning to utilisation novel tools is getting easier all the time, peculiarly on mobile, only it’s silent quite slow for teachers to forget which push to press or which link to follow. So dorsum upwards whatever demonstrations amongst either an illustrated step-by-step guide or a video tutorial that teachers tin come upwards dorsum to later.

Make their lives easier

Using technologies that tin brand what they already do a fighting easier or a fighting quicker is a corking agency to start. For example, I guide maintain a link to a tool that genuinely rapidly creates a cloze seek activity. Sharing tools similar this that start from what teachers already do tin genuinely manage to acquire them on your side.

Do things that can’t live done

One of the most mutual remarks made past times to a greater extent than mature teachers nearly engineering scientific discipline is: “Well that’s fine, only yous tin do that without tech past times …” If yous tin present examples of engineering scientific discipline utilisation that locomote beyond what is already possible inward the classroom, too so yous are much to a greater extent than probable to acquire capture their enthusiasm. One illustration of this is the utilisation of collaborative writing tools similar PrimaryPad too its powerfulness to track, tape too present how students constructed text.

Solve classroom problems

Being able to location a genuine classroom occupation too present how engineering scientific discipline tin solve it tin live really persuasive. One illustration of this is gist reading which tin live really challenging to instruct because students tend to ignore fourth dimension limits. I present how using a gratis digital cue prompter tin give teachers command of the text too force students to gist read at the speed the instructor chooses. Problem solved.

Plan amongst long term too curt term goals

However inspiring your preparation session is, too nonetheless curt or long it is, yous should brand certain that teachers exit it amongst a plan. SMART plans are corking if yous guide maintain fourth dimension to hap them amongst the teachers. If yous don’t guide maintain fourth dimension to acquire them to do private SMART plans, at to the lowest degree acquire them to intend nearly the outset footstep or the outset engineering scientific discipline application they volition endeavour inward their classroom too what they volition do amongst it.

Tech tin live implemented inward CPD

One of the reasons many mature teachers experience less confident amongst tech is because they oftentimes exclusively utilisation it inward the classroom. Showing how engineering scientific discipline tin locomote utilisation of their ain self-guided CPD too professional person practice, too helping them to build their PLN tin genuinely manage to energise their engineering scientific discipline utilisation too brand their evolution much to a greater extent than autonomous too long lasting.

Make certain everything works

I can’t emphasise this enough. Make certain yous guide maintain updated all your plugins, browser versions, etc,and banking company jibe the network too connectivity too brand certain everything runs smoothly. Nothing puts teachers off to a greater extent than rapidly than seeing the trainer fail.

Having read this listing of tips yous are probable to live thinking: “But all engineering scientific discipline preparation should live similar that!” Yes, yous are correct it should, only the truth is nosotros are to a greater extent than probable to live able to acquire away amongst lower standards when working amongst teachers who are already to a greater extent than enthusiastic nearly tech. So the side past times side fourth dimension yous walk into a preparation room too run across a issue of older teachers there, don’t groan amongst disappointment, only welcome the chance to seek your skills too agreement amongst the most critical audience. If yous tin mail them away motivated to utilisation engineering scientific discipline too so yous know yous are on the correct track.

This article was outset published at: https://www.english.com/blog/training-older-teachers-to-use-technology

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• Digital Tools for Teachers 
• Thinking Critically through Digital Media
• Digital Video - Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Manual for Language Teachers 
• 10 Lessons inward Digital Literacy 

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Nik Peachey