The days when computers took up a whole room and cost tens of thousands are long gone. Technology is here to stay and since the younger generation can't remember not having computers, ipads, smart phones, laptops, and the like, teachers have to
incorporate multimedia and technology in the classroom.
Students have become addicted to technology and can barely get through a class without sneaking a peek at their smart phones. If you want to keep their attention,
you have to use technology. There are many ways you can use technology, even cell phones in class.
Try a typical pair activity where each person has different information. Instead of having them next to each other and be tempted to look at the other person's paper, send one of them outside. Have them talk to each other on the phone in order to get the information. It'll ensure they don't cheat (just make sure they don't text) and help them develop their phone skills. Most people will tell you it's a lot easy to speak a foreign language face to face than on the phone, so make them practice speaking on the phone.
Using blogs, wikis, webquests, as well as simply things like power point, are becoming the norm. If you're not up-to-date, try attending a workshop on technology or doing research.
The Consulants-E has a variety of courses such as the ICT (validated by Trinity College), mlearning, VLE, E-moderation, web quests, wikis, blogs, podcasts, and eNetworks.
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