Creating an Interactive Classroom Through TechnologyBy Maureen Simao

The generation of students that teachers now teach has grown up surrounded by technology. These students are adept at and prefer acquiring information online rather than through books.

Textbooks, which are the tools that traditionally have been at our disposal, now are being accompanied by things like interactive CDs, websites, animations, and simulated lab experiments. Taking advantage of this and other easily accessible material on the Internet can make classroom learning more dynamic.

Rather than lecturing to the students and telling them the outcomes of experiments, students can pose hypotheses and conduct the experiments themselves. Through the power of technology, students can do this regardless of whether teachers have access to the materials needed for the experiments. Learning in this way, students draw their own conclusions, and are more likely to retain the information.

About the Author

Maureen Simao has been a sixth grade science teacher for the past 15 years, teaching earth and space science to her students. In curriculum development, she believes that technology can play an important role in the creation of a fun and interactive classroom environment.