Teaching and learning made "Fun, Effective and Simple" (FES) using Tech.

For the past few years, online learning tools have altered the way educators teach.
Not only do these tools make simple lesson plan creation, 
but they also ease communication and social interaction between teacher and students.

Distance learning technology continues to grow at a rapid rate and helps teachers
teach online effectively. Some tools make it easy for the teacher and the students
to stay connected, fun and create interactive .   However, for today, let me focus 
on one such tool. 

Quizziz

Ankit Gupta and Deepak Joy Cheenath are the founders of the company Quizizz.

Quizizz is a creative software company and is also considered to be the world's most engaging learning platform. The platform allows the users to create as well as find gamified quizzes. The Quizzes are simple and an old concept but Quizizz have made this more interesting therefore by gamifying it.

Quizizz logo

The application is mostly used in classes, group works, examinations, and tests. This allows both parties - the teachers as well as the students to stay online at the same time. Presentations can also be made with the help of Quizizz. Therefore, Quizizz is a user-friendly application not only for the students but also for the working professionals like teachers.  Below, are some videos that will help you utilize this very interactive tool in the classroom.

Technology integrated into any lesson will make it fun and easy to teach and learn, and this is just one of the many.Would you give it a try and do you have any favorite you'd like to share?

The current use of technology in the Jamaican classrooms

 In this 21st century, technology has become a fundamental part of our daily lives, transforming the way we work, communicate, and learn. Jamaica, like the rest of the world, has experienced remarkable progress in technology, presenting both opportunities and challenges for education in our country. 

Therefore, the Ministry of Education acknowledges the role that technology plays in education and training and has been taking steps to ensure its integration in the teaching and learning process, especially after the COVID 19 pandemic. For example,

•  Our numeracy and literacy programmes and activities make use of technology and tools to enrich aspects of the learning environment.
• they have ensured that all our primary-school teachers have laptops so that things can be downloaded and brought to the classroom.
•  Also currently providing our secondary-school teachers with laptops; and ensuring that ICT labs in our secondary schools are upgraded.
• half the nation’s schools have now been equipped with broadband connectivity, with plans to have Wi-Fi across all “primary, secondary, tertiary and early-childhood institutions, so that it is available in classrooms in our schools

However, based on rising views and concerns among educators, parents and other stakeholders, do you think that all the schools are up to par with the current technologies available? and is equitability visible among the schools?

Availability of technology in teaching and learning

 

The availability of technology in the teaching and learning process is extremely important, especially in this age and time.  Incorporating technology in lessons for teaching in the classrooms can help increase the engagement and interest of the students in a variety of ways and also help teachers improve their lesson plans as well as cater to personalized learning.  It helps to cater to different learning styles e.g. student engagement for visual and auditory learners. Believe it or not, integrating simple technologies e.g. games, Power Points, internet homework, or online grading systems can be game changers in student's growth in the classroom.

Added to that, technology decreases behavioral and classroom management problems due to the fact that students are eager to learn and explore the technology. Furthermore, based on experience, it increases the children's ability to communicate, express their thoughts, beliefs and stories. For example, students can nowadays use blogs, or discussion boards to voice their opinions about a topic, they are able to research and use social media to express their knowledge and converse daily. It's definitely, a game changer in the teaching and learning, and this is much grounds for the Education Ministry to make available and provide all the schools with more technological equipped classrooms or stations, where the students can be better catered for to be ready for the current world we are living in.  Therefore, teachers need to be trained and be given the necessary tools to work with to facilitate the use of these technology in their classrooms on a daily basis. In my view, just providing a laptop and or tablet for the teacher is not enough, that's just a start. With all this, I ask, What about setting up at least 3 smart classrooms equipped with smart boards and other Technolgies in the schools, for teachers to use daily.