From Screen to Skill: Encouraging Productive Tech Use in Middle School
Students are being raised in a technology focused world. Helping students navigate the use of technology and its benefits is a great need for middle school students. Promoting students to explore the positive impacts technology can have versus the negative will put students on a path to correctly using technology to benefit them in their young lives.
Why Is It Important for Middle Schoolers to Use Technology?
Statistics show that students are more engaged when using technology, benefiting them when working independently, at their own pace, or in a group setting. With students having different learning styles, technology allows teachers to differentiate lessons for these various learning styles while also allowing students the ability to get their work done efficiently. Technology has become a “language” to students and a necessity in life. Teaching students the technology life skills, such as email, budgets, creating presentations, benefits them later in life.
Giving students opportunities to use technology both in the classroom, as well as at home in a productive way, is a win for everyone. The following examples are ways we can ensure students are using technology productively.
1. Research: Giving students instant access leads them to many resources. For example, when conducting research, students can access online encyclopedias, databases, and scholarly articles without leaving their own home.
2. Study: Interactive games and apps allow students the ability to have a “game-like” way of studying. Competing with friends in games such as Kahoot, makes studying more fun. Study tools like Quizlet, assist students in making flashcards and practice quizzes to use for studying.
3. Participation: Participating in class makes for a better student. It shows teachers the student understands and the student retains information when interacting. Technology gives students access to new experiences, such as virtual field trips or college visits.
4. Collaboration: Students are given an opportunity through technology to collaborate with classmates. Not only can they work together in person, but they can also work together on the same document from two different locations. Students can post on online discussion boards, encouraging deeper conversations around a topic.
5. Creativity: Allowing students to be creative leads to innovative ways of learning. For example, with the opportunity to have a career in STEM, students experience hands on experiments as well as using technology to encounter and explore new ideas within the math and science world. Students can also use technology to creatively design a project using slides, templates, etc that wouldn’t be available if completing a poster for example.
Finding What is Best for Your Child
Technology is a gift for most students, giving them a different avenue academically to be successful. Research the right device for your family and its use for academic opportunities. Setting boundaries gives students accountability to be productive and use their time wisely while using technology.