Applying new technologies to traditional and online teaching

Over the past few years, traditional education has moved towards virtual lessons and online classes. This change forced us to find new ways to teach and learn from a distance. Using new technologies, digital tools, and interactive learning platforms turned out to be a successful strategy. These technologies helped teachers keep their virtual classes engaging and dynamic. These tools also showed their value in physical classrooms, particularly in keeping students attentive and excited about learning.
The new edition of the course “Making the most of new technologies, apps and social media in the classroom​” concentrated exactly on these matters. This session of the course took place in Tenerife from 07/04/2024 to 13/04/2024. The participants came from different part of Europe: Holger of the St. Ursula Schule Geisenheim from Germany, Brankica from the Osnovna škola Jordanovac of Zagreb, Croatia; Anette and Silje from Fagskolen i Viken of Norway, Alicja   Joanna Agnieszka from Zespół Poradni Psychologiczno Pedagogicznych w Bielsku-Białej  of Poland, Dražen and Mirta from Electromechanical school Varazdin    of Croatia, József and Péter from Lilla Téri Elementary School of Hungary and Tímea, Anita, Karola from Miskolci Szakképzési Centrum of Hungary. 

In this course, participants learned how to use many tech tools and incorporate them into their teaching methods. The aim was to use these new technologies to make teaching easier and more effective in both physical and online classrooms.
First, they started with simple tools for editing photos and videos, which are very helpful for teaching. These tools can be used for many purposes, like making multimedia content, introducing new topics, reviewing old ones, and encouraging students to be creative by making their own projects.
The course also taught participants how to create a website, which is especially useful for teaching online. They learned to set up various pages and add content, giving them the chance to customize their sites. They could create blogs to track project progress or build portfolios to display work.

In the course, participants also learned about tools for collecting and sharing different kinds of educational materials like videos, images, texts, and PDFs. They discovered platforms that let them gather these resources and share them with their students easily with just a click. For instance, these tools are great for explaining parts of an image in science classes or for adding context in foreign language studies, making learning more in-depth.
Additionally, they practiced using collaborative tools that work like digital walls, where everyone can post and help build a comprehensive collection of information.
They explored interactive presentation tools too. These allow teachers to engage students by conducting polls, creating word clouds, or collecting questions and feedback during lessons. They also learned about creating video lessons, which are particularly useful nowadays, and online quizzes to check students' progress.

By the end of the course, participants gained knowledge in interactive learning and new technologies. They left equipped with a new set of tools, ready to enhance both their physical and online lessons. This approach is sure to boost student creativity, engagement, and motivation, making learning a fun and dynamic experience!
Find out more about this course here.