“The technology has taken education to a deeper level”- Digital Tools
Tech giants have led the way with connectivity products like Zoom, Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Google Classroom, all of which powered remote learning in the early days of the pandemic. But it doesn’t stop there: Apps like Quizlet (a web-based tool that delivers flashcards and study aids) “smart board” interactive displays and learning systems like Canvas are changing the way the classroom operates.
“Teachers are much more tech-savvy now than they’ve ever been before. They’ve received a lot more professional development around technology,” says Adam Garry, Dell senior director of education strategy. “The pandemic probably accelerated this more than any other thing that we’ve ever tried in education.”
Using Chromebooks and Google Classroom(Digital Tools)
Kerrest McGraw, a first-grade teacher in Montgomery, Alabama, public schools, every student has been issued a Chromebook. McGraw leverages an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Amira, to teach reading. Amira recommends stories, listens to kids read aloud, assesses progress and offers helpful interventions. “Kids at this age are very hands-on. With the Chromebooks, they are able to click on sounds, to click on vocabulary words to get the meaning, instead of just sitting there listening to me lecture,” McGraw says.
“The technology gives them a chance to move around. They come up to the smartboard and write down letters and sounds. All of that helps to keep them engaged,” he says. “With the AI, Amira helps them to build comprehension and vocabulary, and it gives me ways to monitor their progress.”
In Reitz’s school, all teachers use Google Classroom, which allows educators to make assignments and grade students’ work.
Thanks to technology, “We’re able to provide various resources to our students in such a different way,” she says. “We have students that learn in every different way — from verbal to auditory, to kinesthetic and everything in between — and edtech helps us to meet all those different needs.”
