Financing
- Review and validate the contracted materials with Richmond Solution.
EN
Richmond
May 04, 2023
Then came 2020 and the world dumped us all, teachers and students, into the deep end of this pool called educational technology. We all struggle to adjust to online classes. We all learned what synchronous and asynchronous resources were and discovered many applications and platforms that we never thought we would be able to use with our students on a regular basis. Platforms were nothing new at the beginning of 2020, they had been around for a long time. However, we needed to integrate them as a fundamental tool to consolidate learning.
While there are many platforms like Google Classroom (for assigning homework and uploading resources) or Flipgrid (for uploading videos) available for free, the book's companion platforms turned out to be lifesavers, as they include many ready-to-use practice activities that accompany the topics we study in class. They allow us to track progress, do homework, and even assign tests.
The pandemic brought with it the integration of new technologies, and now that we are back in our classrooms, it is imperative that we remember what we learned and make platforms part of our everyday teaching and learning tools.
Let's take as an example how we can integrate learning platforms to help our students develop reading skills, specifically extensive reading. Having short reading comprehension activities is quite simple. The big challenge is to encourage students to choose a book or magazine in their own time. Suppose we manage to persuade them to read outside the classroom, how can we be sure that they are reading without having to take a test? In this situation, we can see the perfect opportunity for technology to rescue us.
To talk about the use of platforms we will focus on extensive reading. We will do this because although extensive reading is what will bring the most benefits in the long run, the other reading skills receive more attention in class and in the activities that we regularly find on the platforms. To apply the following ideas in your classes, you need a learning platform that provides a library where you can find various topics, levels, and types of texts.
When we offer our students a platform that combines texts and audio, we give them an outstanding tool. Several studies have found that when students listen to what they read, their reading fluency can increase. The audio provides models for fluent reading. It has also been observed that this activity allows dyslexic students to immerse themselves in the meaning of the text since we de-emphasize the printed word.
Working on a platform requires learners to work more independently than usual. The platforms can provide the necessary tools to make this independent work more effective. These tools include access to a dictionary, pronunciation, and sections to monitor your reading comprehension.