Technology is a driving force in education, helping to prepare students to make their own way in the world. Whatever career path they’ll take, you can guarantee that they will need to use a fair amount of technology along the way.
Today’s schools are changing and the introduction of digital advances into the classroom is inevitable and necessary. To prepare students for their future, it means that not only do schools need to source the latest tech, but teachers also need to know how to use it within the classroom environment.
But cramming classrooms with tech isn’t the answer to everything. Dynamic learning experiences aren’t achieved just because there are tons of tech in school – it also has to be the right tech! We’ve put together a list of tech items which are proving to be extremely popular with teachers and students. Hopefully you’ll find a little bit of inspiration from it. Some are the latest tech releases, some are a little more surprising…
Projectors
These devices have been around for decades now – and you’ll probably even remember them from when you were at school, with teachers trying to get everything in focus, and the experience generally being a little bit disappointing! But times have changed. A seemingly simple technology has now become a brilliant way to engage students as projectors can do so much more than before.
BenQ’s ‘Interactive WXGA’ projector displays interactive images on almost any flat surface. This flexible projector can be connected to a wide range of devices allowing maximum versatility. Check out Ebuyer’s range here.
Colour Changing LED Lights
This string of lights comes with a clicker which means that you can change the colour of the lights whenever you wish. OK, these aren’t high-tech, but they can really add something to classes where the students are in year one, two or three. If a student has a birthday for example, you could let them choose a colour for the day. You could even use these lights in a strategic way – assigning a voice level to each colour of the light. Green = group work voices. Yellow = whisper. Red = silent. So, you can see how a simple idea can help with classroom management in a creative way.
Document Camera
There will be times when you need to display a document, drawing or non-digital piece of content to the entire class. Printing out 20 or 30 copies is not only time consuming, but also a waste of paper – especially when you can easily project it on screen with a document camera.
What exactly is a document camera? It’s like a standard camera but it enables you to display a physical piece of content on a screen without any fuss or hassle. The camera provides wide-angle viewing and lets you clearly capture your entire paper or work area. Document cameras also enable you to record and stream lesson content. This is a brilliant piece of tech, which is a must-have in the classroom in 2022!
Visual Timer for Students
Timers are useful for teachers (and students) as they keep lessons on track. And for younger children in particular, they are a useful tool for ensuring they get used to time limits and deadlines in the classroom. The great thing about visual timers is that they can be big enough to see from right across the classroom.
Smart tables
These are the sturdier cousins to the smartboard, and they are becoming really popular in schools around the world. They take digital displays from the wall, and put them onto tables, where students can gather round to get an immersive experience. These displays are sturdier than their wall-mounted cousins and support more simultaneous interactions. These smart tables can handle more than 40 unique touch points at the same time. For a class full of eager young students, smart tables are fun and exciting and the layout of smart tables makes them more accessible to people of all ages and physical abilities than smartboards.
Extra Sets of Headphones
Depending on the age of the students in class, many will probably have their own set of headphones, but it is always advisable for teachers to plan for students who forget to bring the right equipment. You can pretty much guarantee that someone will forget something, which can delay the class.
Wireless Teacher Microphone
Sometimes, especially in large classrooms with ultra-thin walls, noises can be a distraction and it can be difficult for students to hear you. You can beat those poor acoustics with a wireless microphone and receiver. Now everyone in class will hear you crystal clear. It’s a hands-free unit giving you complete mobility to teach as normal without distractions. The receiver can easily connect to existing devices and speaker systems in class; and with 8 hours of battery life and quick-charge capabilities, you can rest easy knowing that you will always be heard.
Smartboards
A step beyond interactive projectors are smartboards which are very popular in classrooms around the UK. Some smartboards operate just like a whiteboard, allowing a person to write on them with real or digital markers. Smartboards then surpass their simple whiteboard ancestors because they can record what is written and can also turn a digital marker line into a tangible visual element. When you write or draw in an application or on the desktop, the digital ink becomes an object that you can erase, move and manipulate however you wish.
In addition to writing or drawing in various types of digital ink, you can write or draw in disappearing digital ink and draw spotlights, magnifiers and shapes.
Other versions, like the Promethean board, are effectively touch-enabled giant digital computer screens. Students can manipulate images, guide an online exploration, or control a camera in the arctic circle. What you can do is only limited by your imagination. Additionally, they can be mirrored through the internet, opening up engagement to students anywhere who have access to the signal.
Portable Battery
With so many gadgets and various pieces of tech required in a typical day of teaching, a portable battery is always handy to have around. What if you’re on a field trip and your mobile runs out of power? Once your phone has died, you’ll feel pretty helpless. Help yourself and never be without this little lifeline! OK this is not strictly a piece of tech, but it’s worth its weight in gold!
The Einstein Clock
Another new piece of tech specifically aimed at teachers – and maths teachers in particular – is the fabulous Einstein Clock. As classes come towards the end students’ eyes often drift to the clock (or their mobiles) to see how much time is left. The Einstein Clock can turn this into an educational moment for your students.
The clock innovatively forces students to calculate the hours and minutes to find out the exact time using different levels of difficulty – working to a classes’ grade level. This is a great way to keep your students engaged right to the end of class.
Laminator
The humble laminator! If you’re teaching students in their early years, can you teach effectively without the use of one? This is a teachers’ best friend and always useful to have around. They’re cheap, reliable and have lots of uses.
So, that’s some of the latest and most useful tech for teachers. At Ebuyer we have lots of useful tech ideas too. Take a look here.