For most new parents in 2022, the internet had only just recently begun to make its way into the classroom when they left school. However, when their children go to school, they are walking into a very different classroom to the ones we left behind.
For us adults, the internet is now a presence in essentially every corner of our lives, serving as the platform where we stay connected, consume our entertainment, and purchase products of all kinds – and now, ever increasingly, is also a presence in our children’s lives too.
When the current generation of parents were growing up, the internet was a much less established, regulated, familiar, and understood place – and so its presence in their lives was reduced as much as possible.
While this is still the case to an extent, it is now a very different world, where professionals and enthusiasts alike upload a comprehensive range of educational content that parents could never have had access to.
That’s why it’s an invaluable resource for teachers – read on to find out more about the best ways that teachers can use the internet in their classrooms.
Video content
If there’s one type of content that the children of this generation are used to consuming, it’s video content – whether that is on their tv screens, on their games consoles, or ever-increasingly, on their mobile phones.
Using stimulating and bright imagery like that used in educational content has always been a way for teachers to try to engage their students, putting down the dull textbooks and trying something a bit more entertaining.
Such is the plethora of educational content now available on the internet, either for free through platforms such as YouTube, or a paid subscription service run by experts in the subject field. There is always something out there guaranteed to captivate their imaginations.
Share files
Another great thing about the presence of the internet in today’s classrooms is the ability to share files. Of course, parents of today will remember having paper files handed to them, but these could be easily lost or destroyed – which is a huge problem, especially if they were a part of a homework assignment.
As you can easily find suitable laptops for school or business purposes, teachers can ensure students always have access to learning files, which not only avoids situations like that above but means students can engage in related learning outside of class.
Invite guest speakers
Another way that teachers can use the internet in the classroom in 2022 is by inviting guest speakers.
While it might not always be possible to secure Professor Brian Cox for a physics lesson, children and adults alike are now firmly acquainted with video calling software such as Zoom, and having outside experts come to talk to the children can be a very exciting experience for them.
While you may still struggle to find a webcam that has a great quality picture, the ability to connect with others easily and quickly is a huge bonus to a child’s learning experience.
