Digital tools for innovative teachers

Digital tools bring innovation by encouraging dynamics and flexibility. When teachers use digital tools, learning becomes more interesting and interactive.

The OECD recently published a study on the potential of technology to transform education. According to the results, teachers who use digital professional development resources for teachers are more motivated, more eager to learn, and more willing to incorporate digital learning methods into their teaching.

The study shows that the use of digital resources in their learning processes familiarises teachers with a wide range of new learning solutions and methods so that they will also use digital tools in their classroom teaching.  

What is edtech?

The integration of technology into education to improve teaching includes the use of hardware - laptops, tablets, and other digital devices - and software - websites, programs, services, and digital tools specifically designed for teachers. No matter how much technology is used in the classroom, digital learning has come to play a crucial role in education. But digital education is not just about the one-sided process by which the teacher teaches and the student learns.

Digital resources for teachers can enhance teachers' opportunities to learn. They provide easy access to programs and materials and give them a faster way to connect. In a word, it gives them the space to collaborate. Online professional development programs can reach a large number of teachers at the same time. They diversify the design of traditional courses and open up new possibilities for collaborative teaching that validates the teacher and puts them back at the center of the educational process. 

Digital tools for teachers that create top teachers

The study shows that using digital tools for professional development gives teachers more than just the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and develop new skills. It has a profound impact on professional identity, social relationships and associates teaching with a sense of confidence and enthusiasm.

Technology can also transform the way teachers carry out their administrative tasks. Digital tools for teachers simplify their work, save them time and allow them to focus their energy on teaching. You can read more about how Kinderpedia helps teachers organize their daily work more efficiently here. 

The building blocks of connected education

Technology alone cannot fulfill the promise of a full education. It is teachers who facilitate its implementation. Firstly, by being open to innovation and anticipating the benefits that technology brings to teaching. Secondly, by having the digital skills to use it.

In addition to the digital literacy that teachers need to demonstrate, a good internet connection and access to digital devices - are prerequisites for reaping the benefits of digitization in education. Although the digital divide has narrowed in recent years, there are still areas in Romania without internet access, especially in rural areas.

Beyond external barriers, the congruence of internal factors such as the social context, the environment, and characteristics of schools, and the economic situation of the families involved, also influence the learning process.

World Vision Romania analyzed the impact of the pandemic on schooling in rural areas. The study found that over 40% of children did not participate in online schooling. This is primarily due to physiological shortcomings. These are caused by parents' diminishing income: more than 60% of parents did not work, and 40% of those surveyed failed to provide for their children at all or only partially provided for school supplies, food, medicine, and hygiene products.

The analysis revealed the conditions under which teaching took place this school year in the 313 villages in the study sample: 1 in 4 schools has no internet connection, and 9 out of 10 schools have no laptops or tablets for digital education.

Teachers are not the only key players in the education innovation process. Government education strategies are designed to facilitate the implementation of digital resources as learning methods for both students and teachers. Barriers related to internet connectivity or access to digital devices cannot be removed without sustained state support. Collaboration between education and innovation should also inspire cooperation between decision-makers in these two sectors.

A key element in transforming education with digital: time

The online sphere opens up access to a vast number of resources, articles, and courses. The abundance of possibilities can be overwhelming and teachers, like all of us, lack the time to navigate and choose from the myriad of options. If they are to overcome the digital skills barrier, teachers also need effective ways of selecting relevant resources that add value to their teaching.

The OECD study highlights the importance of online communities in which teachers organize themselves. They function as support groups where members' knowledge acts as a collective network of information and helps teachers to sort relevant resources and share them with colleagues to make learning processes more efficient with the support of digital resources.

The positive effects that digital tools for teachers have on education reverberate more deeply than just making learning more efficient. They bring the professional validation, motivation, and sense of value that teachers need to transform society.

In conclusion, digital tools for teachers help to innovate the teaching, learning, and assessment process by encouraging the introduction of new teaching methods, dynamics, and flexibility in the classroom.

Thus, digital tools are essential in the teaching-learning-assessment process because technology is part of the daily activity of adults and children. If we integrate it into the teaching process, it will bring motivation, curiosity, and interest from the children in the classroom.

How technology helps you cultivate a growth mindset and provide a healthy role model for students and for your own children

A growth mindset gives you a lifelong advantage because it is synonymous with professional and career development. As teachers and parents, we are the ones to provide our children with a model of continuous growth. One of the areas where our example can have an impact is the very relationship with technology. The way we use digital should be balanced, pragmatic, and free from pathos, fear, and anxiety.

At Kinderpedia, we've built a comprehensive and intuitive digital tool that helps teachers save between 6 and 9 hours a week of their administrative time. We allow them to channel their efforts where they matter most - towards the particular needs of each child. We help schools and kindergartens work smart and communicate efficiently with families. We support them in creating a dynamic and connected classroom and automating financial activity. 

Curious to see how it works? Watch our teacher tutorials and parent app tour below.

Want to experience Kinderpedia's features for yourself? Sign up for a free online demo today!