ICT in the classroom

Using ICT in the classroom is not new. It's been used for a while now in other countries. There a a lot of reports that proof it's benefits in education.

In Suriname some teachers and students already start to use ICT for their lessons. But for some reasons it stil can't be implemented nation wide yet.

Here are some benefits of why we should still use ICT in the classroom.

Flip the classroom.

With the technology students can learn at home and prepare for class.
When students enter their class they already know about topics and teachers can be more effective in using their time to focus on areas that are not wel understood.

Teachers and students can save a lot of time from not doing lectures in class. This time can be used for (quality talks) one on one conversations. Each student will receive more attention and teachers will get to know their students better.

Collaborations

Collaborating is very important and is also an required 21st skill. It brings different minds together and new ideas come to life.

Teachers or students can use technology to collaborate in or outside the classroom. One great tool we use very often is Google Docs. It allows working instantly or at one's own pace in one document.
This can be very efficient and help save time and money.

Personalized learning

Students might have different needs and interests and these have impact on their learning.
To meet these various needs to students, teacher can use ICT tools.
For example:
Teachers can use communication tools to communicate with students after school hours and guide them towards their own learning goals.
Customized and relative content ( video's, games etc) can be chosen to engage students in learning.
On higher educations students can choose on learning platforms specific what they need or are interested in. Some of these platforms are www.coursera.org , KhanAcademy.org etc.

Assessments

Assessments can provide teachers with very useful information about students learning. ICT tools can be very effective in taking pre, post or formative assessments.
With the use of ICT teachers can get instant results. Students can immediately know if answers are wrong or correct. Some great tools to take assessments are Kahoot.it , Socrative, KhanAcademy etc..

Save $$$

Using ICT can help save a lot of money. Instead of printing books and creating expensive materials, we can use digital content such as websites, images, video's , simulation-games etc.
These content can be shared or updated easily.

Quality Education For All

ICT can help us achieve one of our sustainable goals "Quality Education for All".

With ICT we can reach students everywhere in Suriname with same quality contents.