Technology in the English Classroom
There are many ways to use technology to enhance literature and English lessons.
By Amy Wilding
Posted April 22, 2010
Times have changed, and the role of teachers in the classroom has
too. No longer can teachers be effective without incorporating
technology into their lessons. For some, the thought of using computers,
WebQuests, or Promethean Boards is a daunting proposition. However, there are some easy ways to use technology.
If you are looking for a way to introduce your students to multimedia projects, try using Power Point. It
is a very easy program to teach and learn. Students can practice
copying and pasting pictures and text from the Internet, and experiment
with colors and text effects. Once they have completed their project,
students can present their finished work by showing their
work slide-by-slide or having the PowerPoint
presentation run like a movie. I have used Power Points to have
students complete debates, book reports and multi-step projects. Before
students begin work on these projects, I create a rubric that requires a
specific number of slides, pictures, music etc . . . so that students
know what I am expecting. I also evaluate how well the student used the
available special effects.
There is a new program called "Lit Trips" that is great for
practically any content area. The specific topic is created by fellow
teachers. Each trip contains numerous activities, discussion questions,
pictures and even music. My “trip” was with "The Kite Runner." Using
Google Earth, the trip mapped out the entire book chapter-by-chapter.
Within the trip, students were able to listen to music, take 3-D tours
of historical buildings, and see up to date pictures of the cities. The
“Lit Trip” is a fun and interactive way for students to learn about the
text and go beyond classroom discussion. Depending on the age of your
students, you may be able to let them explore the trip on their
own. Otherwise, you could create a specific list of questions they have
to answer, or places they have to visit.
Another easy way to prepare your students for using technology is to start a blog. Blogs
are an interactive way for students to communicate their ideas. The
blog can be used for regular classroom assignments. After students have
read a piece of literature or completed an assignment, they can comment
on the classroom blog. This was a particular success with students who
were afraid to share ideas in class. Using the blog, these
students could communicate in a more comfortable environment. Once a
week we would review the comments and questions in class. An additional
benefit to using the blog format is that the same one can be used for
several classes so that students can share ideas with students who
aren't in their class.
Some interesting tools mentioned in this article:
- PowerPoint presentations: they had really worked for me during my teaching practises. My students told their unusual experiences in one of this presentations and, as I´ve already told you, they designed their own digital yearbook in the same format.
- Blogs: through this subject, I discovered the actual benefits of using blogs: sharing your experiences with your classmates and being able to "go back" to your own thoughts by revising and editing your posts and comments.
I would like to find more information about Lit trip. Can you help me?
