Benefits of integrating technology for French teachers and students

As an avid technology user, I am always on the look-out for digital tools that may be integrated into my teaching practices, in hopes to enhance student learning. In today’s digital world, technology is embedded in almost everything we do. As adults, we rely on technology for many different reasons: Business, education, communication, and for entertainment. Therefore, it is no surprise that technology is embedded in our children/students’ lives too. Although I value technology greatly, I have always made a strong effort to promote technology in moderation for my students. By doing this, I am establishing a more balanced approach to technology, demonstrating that technology should be an “add-on or an enhancement”, not a replacement.

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But, establishing a balanced approach to technology can be a difficult process for educators who do not consider themselves to be “technologically-savvy”, due to a lack of experience with technology use. Therefore, integrating technology into subjects such as Core French may not occur, resulting in the language to be taught in a more traditional fashion. However, it is important to note that there are some benefits to French teachers who do decide to branch out of their comfort zones and incorporate technology into their teaching practices. These benefits include:

New teaching experience. Apps are revolutionizing the classroom, and for the right reasons. Teachers now have tools to stay on top of their students, keeping records of students’ behaviour and progress, organized all in one place.

Convenience. Mobility means that you can literally take your devices anywhere and still have access to content. Gone are the days when you (and students!) had to carry heavy bags filled with various books. Having an iPad or a smartphone means that we can all make do with a single, weightless device. And unlike websites, apps don’t always require Internet connection.

Variety of content. Apps are a great way to keep your students engaged. They never know what’s coming! Lessons are progressive, interactive and highly visual, and allow you to bring a wide range of content to your students, from audio and video to quizzes and games.

Parent engagement. Apps can greatly improve your students’ progress by allowing you to build a relationship with their parents. Communication between teacher and family can greatly increase the chances that a student will effectively do their homework.

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Like Core French teachers, there are benefits for students who possess the ability to engage in different forms of technology use, within the classroom. Why? Well, since students are already interested and actively engaged in technology, why not harness this natural fluency and attention for educational purposes? Furthermore, when teachers integrate technology into Core French it puts students at the centre of their learning. Specifically, it provides students with the opportunity to be actively engaged and practice the language in realistic situations. According to Pano Savvidis, here are some of the main benefits of integrating technology use in the classroom:

Improves engagement. When technology is integrated into lessons, students are expected to be more interested in the subjects they are studying. Technology provides different opportunities to make learning more fun and enjoyable in terms of teaching same things in new ways. For instance, delivering teaching through gamification, taking students on virtual field trips and using other online learning resources. What is more, technology can encourage a more active participation in the learning process which can be hard to achieve through a traditional lecture environment.

Improves knowledge retention. Students who are engaged and interested in things they are studying, are expected to have a better knowledge retention. As mentioned before, technology can help to encourage active participation in the classroom which also is a very important factor for increased knowledge retention. Different forms of technology can be used to experiment with and decide what works best for students in terms of retaining their knowledge.

Encourages individual learning. No one learns in the same way because of different learning styles and different abilities. Technology provides great opportunities for making learning more effective for everyone with different needs. For example, students can learn at their own speed, review difficult concepts or skip ahead if they need to. What is more, technology can provide more opportunities for struggling students. Access to the Internet gives students access to a broad range of resources to conduct research in different ways, which in turn can increase the engagement.

Encourages collaboration. Students can practice collaboration skills by getting involved in different online activities. For instance, working on different projects by collaborating with others on forums or by sharing documents on their virtual learning environments. Technology can encourage collaboration with students in the same classroom, same school and even with other classrooms around the world.

Students can learn useful life skills through technology. By using technology in the classroom, both teachers and students can develop skills essential for the 21st century. Students can gain the skills they will need to be successful in the future. Modern learning is about collaborating with others, solving complex problems, critical thinking, developing different forms of communication and leadership skills, and improving motivation and productivity. What is more, technology can help develop many practical skills, including creating presentations, learning to differentiate reliable from unreliable sources on the Internet, maintaining proper online etiquette, and writing emails. These are very important skills that can be developed in the classroom.

Therefore, with all of the advantages that integrating technology has to offer for both teachers and students, perhaps they will serve as motivation to “spice up your French teaching” and persuade students that learning a foreign language can be fun and engaging, but also an important life skill.

Until next time…Thanks for stopping by!