subject: Interactive Technology – A Common Sight In Schools [print this page] What did your classroom look like when you were at school? Depending on how long it has been since you left your school uniform and school books behind, it could be very different from what they are like now.
Most people, regardless of whether they have children of school age or not, will have realised that today's classrooms are far more reliant on technology than they have ever been before. In fact we are gradually finding more and more ways of using technology in teaching, and it certainly has a lot to offer us.
It probably won't amaze you to know that there are conventions and other major events now where teachers can see the tools of the future they could well be using very soon. Interactive technology seems to be quite prevalent at these events and for good reason too.
The very word interactive promises a lot for the future of teaching. Sometimes it can be a battle to engage pupils and get them really involved in lessons. By giving them access to various types of technology during lessons, they can take a more active role that is encouraging for the teachers to see.
Interactive doesn't have to mean every pupil in the classroom having access to a control pad of some kind. If the teacher has access to the best technology, such as whiteboard technology for example, there is no doubt of the effect this will have on the quality of teaching they can offer. Just imagine, if you were offered a lesson where notes were written on a normal chalk board or one where interactive technology was used, which one would you pick?
The strength of this technology tells us the story of why more and more schools are introducing it. Many more pupils respond to technology than to so called normal teaching'. Since it can provide a more in depth and involved lesson, it isn't hard to see why it is becoming the preferred method of teaching.
It will be interesting to see how these methods develop still further in the future too. New methods and inventions are reaching the classroom all the time. Furthermore there seems to be a trend for teachers to have better results and responses from their students whenever modern technology is introduced into lessons. If this continues it can only bode well for the future of teaching.
Of course some tools are better than others and more popular than others. A good example of this is the interactive whiteboards that are gradually finding their way into more classrooms as time goes on. As more pupils get a look at how lessons can be so much more exciting with these tools, they may even start to look forward to their school days no matter what lessons they might have.
