Using new technology in the classroom

This year, the Nova Hreod maths department has undergone a complete overhaul of technology. Replacing the older interactive whiteboards is a cutting-edge system focusing around wireless projection of Microsoft Surface Pro tablets to modern projectors. Alongside this, high quality visualisers have been provided in every maths classroom, projecting on to large whiteboards at the front of each room. This revamp of technology has led me to reflect on my own use of technology within the classroom, and more importantly the purpose of this use.

During my training years of teaching, my idea of technology in the classroom was primarily focused around engagement. The flashier the resources the better. Instead of just setting some questions to assess learning, squeeze those same questions into a convoluted interactive game with the hope that the unusual context would trick students into thinking they were having “fun” in the lesson. Similarly, I would design tasks such as matchup activities where students could use the interactive whiteboard to drop answers into the appropriate boxes. Although this may have increased engagement and can still be useful, these were essentially gimmicks which had no positive effect on the actual learning. With the implementation of binary behaviour at Nova Hreod Academy a few years ago, it became clear that designing engaging lessons should come down to the subject matter and level of challenge, rather than the use of gimmicks in their delivery.

It seems almost paradoxical that this overhaul in technology has actually led me to a more “back to basics” approach to my teaching. Indeed, the key benefits of this new system are simplicity, mobility and versatility. In terms of simplicity, when modelling solutions to students, I now do this live using the Surface pen on the tablet. As I talk through what is happening, students can see the work appearing on the board as it is being explained. This has several advantages, the first being there is no teacher in the way of the board, impairing the view for the majority of the class. Another advantage is that students can see the process form exactly as it should, I am doing the question there and then and they can see how I am arriving at the solution. There is also the benefit that the visual quality of the new projectors is far superior to the old ones, so students can see a bigger screen which is much brighter, and can even be viewed with the blinds open on a sunny day!

When students are working, I can now circulate the class whilst carrying my full lesson in my hands. As I look at students' work, I can identify key misconceptions easily, jotting my notes on to the board for all students to see. At times in lessons, I am able to sit with small groups of students and run mini interventions, with the help being provided to a core group, but also wirelessly projecting for other students to benefit from. Similarly, students can provide their own modelled solutions in a stress-free environment, whilst still being able to celebrate their success as it appears on the screen. I can also teach from anywhere in the room, for example sometimes teaching from the back of the room means students are focused on the work that is being displayed, and not distracted by a third party to the mathematics. The key benefit of mobility means I can be where I need to be, with everything I need, at all points in the lesson.

Finally, I want to focus on versatility. Alongside main lesson PowerPoints, the new technology lends itself to improved methods for other aspects of teaching. For example, when going through answers to a test I now have multiple options. I can do a paper using the visualiser so that students can see exactly how the questions should be completed, or I could write directly on to the digital document thanks to the implementation of the Surface pen in all office applications. The visualiser has also provided several unexpected benefits, such as being able to display resources that are not linked to a computer. Following suggestions from other teachers, improvement in teaching calculator skills has been another benefit. Instead of having to use an emulated calculator on the computer, or pointing at one of the tiny calculator buttons from the front of a classroom, I can now show exactly how to use their own calculators in a way that all students can see. I have even found myself using the cameras of the Surface frequently in lessons. When students complete an exceptional piece of work, or if they come up with a particularly interesting question for the class, it is quick and simple to show this to the whole class at once.

In summary, the implementation of new technology has had a very positive impact on my classroom teaching, through its simplification, versatility and mobility. The key message really is about evaluating the learning benefits of any technology or technique, be it cutting edge technology, or something timeless such as the use of mini whiteboards. It is vital that it is the learning of the students which is considered, rather than just using things because it is fun or flashy. I look forward to further refining my teaching for the benefit of my students with the assistance of the new technology.

Toby Watkins