Integrating new technologies into traditional and online teaching

​In the past years, traditional education has had to make way for virtual lessons and online classes. This shift forced us to adapt and develop new methods for remote teaching and learning. In this context, the use of new technologies, digital tools, and interactive learning platforms has proven to be a highly effective strategy. These technologies made it possible for teachers worldwide to maintain an engaging and dynamic classroom environment, even in virtual settings. They also demonstrated their value in real classrooms, particularly in encouraging student attention and enthusiasm.

​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 Palermo from 17/11/2024 to 23/11/2024. The participants of our group came from two different European countries, with Anna from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in Poland and Izla from Källvindsskolan, Norrköping in Sweden.

​The aim of this course was learning how to use a large range of technological tools and to put them into use by integrating them into their teaching methods. In order to teach easily and more effectively the goal was to apply these new technologies into both real and virtual classrooms.

​First of all, the course was introduced by having a look at simple and easy tools to facilitate digital communication between students and teachers that are very effective, engaging and fun. Such tools can be used in fact for a variety of purposes such as collecting and sharing resources and content. 

​Moreover they were learning about platforms that allowed them to collect and enrich videos, images, texts, pdf, and other materials, and sharing all this content with their students in just a simple click. In order to describe different parts of a picture, especially in scientific subjects, and to provide a deeper context for a richer learning experience when approaching a new topic, for example in foreign language studies, these tools can be very useful. Furthermore participants practiced tools that function as collaborative walls, where every user is encouraged to contribute in building a more exhaustive collection of information by posting content.

​Another topic explored was how to use social media in an educational context, which can serve multiple options of use in today´s learning. This way the participants learned that setting up accounts on different applications and enriching them with contents can help them to keep in touch with their students in a way that’s part of their everyday life. 

​In addition to the various tools they explored, they also discovered interactive presentation features that allows the teacher to see the opinion of the class by submitting polls, generating word clouds, or collecting questions and feedback on the topic being discussed. They also learned about apps related to AI, which have proven to be effective especially in today's digital age, as well as online learning quizzes that are valuable for assessing student progress.

​Leaving with new knowledge of interactive learning and new technologies and a new set of tools, the participants were ready to use them in their real and online lessons. In order to help transform learning into a fun and dynamic activity, there is no doubt that this strategy will increase the students´ creativity, engagement, attention and motivation. 

Discover more about this course here.
​