I want our students to practice. I know that they can access an app for translating their words into another language. Students already have all the shortcuts. There’s an app for everything, it seems. They are incredibly resourceful when it comes to dodging the hard work it takes to learn a language from beginner to intermediate. And I know teachers will not give in to that behavior. So…

An app like no other!

There is an app that can be downloaded for your students. One that makes each student accountable for his/her work. An app created to help students practice speaking more without the crowd of a classroom or a teacher intensely observing. An app that was created to help students practice privately and record themselves with immediate feedback using the pronunciation activities. This app is controlled by the teacher, and students seem to enjoy using it, all in the name of learning – I might add.

A teacher is irreplaceable.

Technology is not all 1’s and 0’s… say it like it is… teachers do not like technology when the technology lies in the hands of a student in the classroom not paying attention. The right technology can help teachers and students alike. It is timesaving, it can auto-grade for you and create a designed teaching lesson for you in just minutes. One thing it cannot do is replace YOU. A teacher is an integral part of the classroom. Teachers set the tone, the environment, and the pace. You pull together numerous resources because no one textbook seems to be good enough. You make lesson plans, differentiate for struggling or advanced students, take extra time to recreate an activity that wasn’t quite good enough, and help guide students to getting outside of their comfort zones to grow. To help develop their talents an app cannot do those things on its own.

A real game-changer.

But, the right kind of technology can truly be life-changing for any teacher. For those that have a plan and do not know how to engage their students. Those that want their students to be accountable for their work. Teachers who want to save some time. Teachers who are overwhelmed from having too many resources in too many different places. This technology is teacher-led and student-approved. There are many testimonials from teachers who did not like the idea of having technology in the classroom and within a short time, embraced it and say it was a “game-changer” in the way they teach. It is called SmartClass.

Using technology in teaching.

How do you reach the millennial student that walks around with more technology than C-3PO, in their pocket, or on their wrists? (Please tell me most of you got the Star Wars reference.)

We can either choose to embrace the good things that come from technological advances or continue to resist. BUT, there is one thing we will not be able to change…. the love our students have for technology. Students love their portable informational hub, their do-it-for-me apparatus, their precious devices. We need to hone in on that love and use it for an even greater purpose, increasing student language retention and active language usage. SmartClass will help students practice speaking and listening – guaranteed. It’s the good kind of technology that you want in and out of the classroom. Take the plunge!