How technology is helping bridge the gap between teachers and students

Have you ever had a student in class that you’ve struggled connecting with? Or maybe you want to build closer ties with a class that seems distant or disengaged? Several technological advances have been developed to help you with those concerns, and we’ve listed some here.

One of the best ways to maintain positive interaction with a student using technology, in my opinion, is Google Doc editing. When students submit drafts of work or a final product to Google Drive, the teacher can interact with the work throughout the process and leave encouraging remarks or suggestions. This is much less confrontational than a face to face conversation or even peer editing and the students can make changes when they feel comfortable.

Using technology can show that teachers truly care about the realistic nature of education. Our students’ future job success depends on their ability to interact with a high-tech world – the more quickly we realize and act upon that, the more in tune with reality we are as educators. When students see the time it takes to put projects together over time, it helps them realize the strenuous work that is involved in being a teacher, giving them more appreciation for the people in charge.

Technology can be challenging, and it has a steep learning curve at first. Teachers and students can struggle through this experience together, teaching each other and putting them on the same level playing field. Humility is crucial for any successful teacher, and having students feel confident enough to help you solve technical difficulties can be refreshing and beautiful.

When lecturing, if students are provided with the notes and Power Point electronically before class, it allows them to listen more closely to what the teacher is actually saying during the class. They can absorb the information that is not on the slide and can interact with the teacher in class instead of constantly being focused on writing down important details. With more time created on both sides, for the teacher and the student, there is more room to build and maintain personal relationships. Teachers can personalize material based on previous knowledge of students, as well as cater future projects to what students need. When teachers understand their students on a personal level, they are much more likely to make a lasting impact. If you are a psychology teacher, you can provide psychology homework help to students based on their level of understanding and this is possible only when you know the students on a personal level.

Of course, technology can fail and technology is not available to everyone in every school, but the more we work toward making it available, the better prepared our students will be not only to interact with each other, but to interact with their future superiors. Prepare your students for a changing and interactive world by implementing personalized technological advances into your teaching.