4 ways technology can make teachers’ lives easier

Between marking, ordering equipment, completing risk assessment forms, planning lessons and monitoring students’ behaviour and academic progress, it’s a shock that teachers actually have time to teach! They have a lot on their plate, so it’s no surprise that they often turn to technology for support.

We’ve compiled a list of tech that can make teachers’ lives easier, and can be easily implemented in your school. Take a look:

1. Admin tools

Teachers have a lot of administration to oversee. From filling out the register, to collecting permission slips, the ‘paperwork’ can eat up a huge chunk of time each day. Luckily there are some tech options out there to bring these tasks into the 21st century:

• MyAt – This handy app is an attendance tracker. You’ll get an overview of which students were in each class, and it is automatically inputted into a database.
• ‘Google Apps for Education’ – Also known as the ‘G Suite’, these apps are designed specifically for educational admin. You’ll have the Gmail inbox, Calendar, Classroom, Contacts, Drive, Docs, Forms, Sheets, Slides and Vault at your fingertips. It’s easy to share with other teachers too.

2. Classroom communication

Communication between teachers, students and parents plays a big part in a successful learning environment. By using technology to communicate, teachers can ensure that everyone knows what’s going on – hopefully you’ll never hear that “I didn’t know about that piece of homework” excuse again!

• Google Classroom – G-suite isn’t just good for the teachers, the students can use it too! Create classes, distribute assignments and send feedback from the Google Classroom. Everything you need is all in one space.
• Remind – One of the leading communication tools for schools. There’s real-time messaging, you can schedule reminders ahead of time and even check who has read your messages!

Top tip: If your students have iPads, you can send reminders directly to them and talk to them through iMessage or another app.

3. Lesson planning

Lesson planning can be a gruelling task, especially if you’re a first year NQT – you don’t really have anything to go on. Here are a few options to help you get started:

• Teach Learn Lead – A network for teachers, you can meet like-minded colleagues from different schools and discuss your lesson plans or teaching tactics. A great tip for teachers with all levels of experience.
• Planboard – Accessible from anywhere, you can create lessons in the online editor, add attachments and go! Build lesson templates to cut down on prep time.

4. In the classroom

The classroom is a great place, and often full of surprises. So we’ve got some tech options to help you make it the best possible place for learning:

• Evernote – Get rid of paper handouts, share items through your shared notebooks and hand out assignments from a specific folder. No more excuses on the theme of “I didn’t get the worksheet, Sir”!
• TED-Ed – If you’re not using this, you should be! Build lessons around TED content or YouTube videos and see how much your students enjoy the lessons.

Top tip: An interactive screen is also a great way to get students involved in your lessons!

So, there it is. Four key ways technology can make teachers’ lives easier. Try them out in your classroom today!

To find out more ways to improve the classroom, get in touch with Utility Rentals today!