Teaching Young Learners with Technology

“Our ability to learn whatever we want, whenever we want, from whomever we want is rendering the linear, age-grouped, teacher-guided curriculum less and less relevant.”

Will Richardson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zitona/3368336791

Students changed but not the classrooms. We need to transition to this new world. They no longer need to memorize information and this does not mean that we will not continue to be great teachers. This is not about us but about our students. Teachers need to become learners once again and move away from their comfort zone.  If teachers start integrating technology there are many challenges and new tools that need to be integrated.

This year I am teaching English with technology. This means that as an EFL teacher I am in a position to kill two birds with one stone. Not only they learn English through games but they also learn how to use technology while having fun. Students are free to choose among the different Web 2.0 tools we have been working with in class.

I created a wiki www.web204digitalnatives.pbworks with a rich array of useful Internet addresses. One of the greatest criticisms of traditional coursebooks is their lack of authentic material. The Internet is a treasure of information that can provide teachers and students with up dated information .The Internet is our learning source alongside with other resources. Children must be educated to be what many people call “electronically literate”that can be translated as digital citizenship. As teachers we are not interested in the tools but what can these tools provide pedagogically.

The school project is divided into three different stages:

Stage 1: Learning English through games

Using games to learn English.

Stage 2: Using different Web 2.0 tools to create content

Autonomous learners

Stage 3: Project Based Learning

Opening our classroom door to the world.

Last month I had the pleasure to give a presentation based on what I am doing at school at 2010 Global Education Conference

Please click on the image below to see what my students think about their computer classes.