Teach English in XiyuzhuAng Jiedao - Tianjin

New Technology in the ClassroomI chose this topic because I think it is important to expose students to as many different technology outputs as possible before they enter the workforce. Depending on where they live, and what they will use their english for, the students will probably be exposed to some sort of technology. I also think that using technology in the classroom is highly motivating. When you bring in something different like a movie clip or a radio clip, it brings in a new element of excitement. There are many different technologies available to use in the classroom. Some of them include: cassette players, DVD players, TV, recorders (camcorder and voice), computers, and smart boards. I think that the newest technology available is the smart board. I have had some personal experience with using smart boards. The motivation I have seen with the students when they get to interact with the board is inspiring. These technologies have very important uses. Cassette players are great for listening to books on tape. The students can hear correct prosody and are exposed to real literature. TV and video players are great for showing movie clips or commercials that pertain to certain lessons you are teaching in your classroom. Recorders are an excellent way to record students reading or talking, and then playing it back to them so that they can hear their own pronunciation. This can be very eye opening to some students. It is also good to use for pronunciation drills. Computers are also a great resource to use in the classroom. If you had access to a computer in the classroom or a computer lab, the possibilities are endless. The students could use an online dictionary to look up words, they could practice their writing skills, they could look up movie clips that will help them with certain concepts. There are many programs available to help english learners as well. If the teacher could get funding they could have students work on the programs for part of the class. A lot of these programs cover a variety of topics such as, conversations, grammar, vocabulary etc. Smart boards also have an endless use in the classroom. If the teacher has access to a computer for use in the classroom then she could hook up the smart board to her computer and display what is on the computer on the smart board so that everyone could see it. This would be particularly useful if you didn?t have enough computers for all the students to use. The teacher could also create lesson flipcharts that the students can interact with on the board. This would be somewhat like a power point slide show but created on an interactive program. Of course this is all the latest technology and it would have to be funded by the institute you teach for. There are many pros and cons to using technology in the classroom. Of course if you are using technology in the classroom it is important to do a run through to make sure everything is working properly. Technology can also be intimidating for some students who have not been exposed to it. New technology especially needs to be constantly updated which can cost many and time for the teacher. However, if the teacher can get it funded the rewards of using this technology in the classroom are big. I have seen firsthand what using technology can do for the students and for motivation in the classroom. I have been able to find very fun and useful games for EFL students to use on the computer and/or the smart board. There are many free resources available for the teacher if they have access to these technologies. In my classroom in the future I will hopefully be able to use a wide range of useful technologies. I would most like to see a smart board and student computers. I think that with these two things you wouldn?t need much else. I think that the use of technology in the classroom isn?t going away and is actually only increasing. So, it is important to stay up to date on the latest technology.