Technology motivates students

A great way to motivate students is to provide them an alternative to traditional means of recording their knowledge. Using a technology tool can allow a student to show creativity and interest in an otherwise "boring" assignment. For examples think about how technology can improve these traditional assignments:

1. Book report - create a multimedia presentation instead.
2. English writing assignment- why not pre-write, draft, revise, edit, and publish with the same document saved and created with a word processor.
3. Collage- using a digital camera and a printer makes the collage more personal because students are taking the pictures themselves instead of cutting them out of a magazine. (an image search and print on a search engine will help students find photos for this assignment if a digital camera is not available)
4. Use a drawing program to illustrate a photograph. Label the anatomy of a frog for biology. Draw a diagram of a cell and label the parts. Illustrate a heart and label the chambers. Use arrows to indicate the flow of blood.
5. Create a commercial to promote a school activity or club with digital video instead of a poster for the hallways.
6. More to come...

Someone brought it to my attention that the latest generation of students is the first to be experts at something that their parents know nothing about. Now, this is an exaggeration of course but concerning technology, our kids are the whizzes. Parents go to their children to learn how to use a computer or even worse to find out what it is for! It is not technology to children, it is just there. They have always had it as they have always had clothes, food, friends, and school. They don't look at technology as new and revolutionary, but simply as a way of life. So why not let them use that with which they are most comfortable? Technology in our schools puts students at ease, and anything that lets them feel comfortable will allow them freedom to think.