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Common Mistakes by Tutors in Teaching with Technology
Technology has become quite a staple in our everyday lives. With its introduction and continuous development, it has changed the lives of everyone, whether they are aware of it or not. There have been many known benefits that we have reaped from the advancement of technology. It had made our lives easier from computers to smartphones, the web, and e-books, trains and cars, appliances at home and work, there are many things that technology has made possible.
Everyone has their experience with technology and even home tutors are also starting to lean more to it. With the events as the result of the global pandemic, home tutors are even more inclined to use technology in the form of online tuition. They meet with their students virtually for the students’ safety as well as theirs. The concept of online classes isn’t new however, it has become more mainstream since the beginning of the pandemic.
However, even with all the help of technology, it also has its downsides. One of them is that it can be distracting for students and affect their focus on learning. Additionally, when they rely solely on technology, they are constricting themselves from learning academic skills they can’t learn through it.
Because tutors are also using technology more now, we have gathered some common mistakes tutors make when they are teaching students with technology.
1. Choosing to use what you like
There is nothing wrong with using technology you are already familiar with. In fact, it can even be a good thing since, if you are using it always, that means you are comfortable and have a certain level of mastery to it. When people are tasked to do something, they usually rely on the methods and means they are already familiar with.
However, again, it restricts you from diving deeper using other forms of technology. There are many other tools that one can use other than those they are familiar with that offers more for their students. As such, with tutors using only those that they already like or are used to, they can miss out on using something that the students are also familiar with or that can teach students faster and easier. Some students may find it hard to grasp ideas and the lessons when tutors only use what they are already comfortable with.
At some point as a student, I was more comfortable learning through PowerPoint presentations, and as a result, I was also familiar with it. However, when I began teaching, I found out that presentations like that are distracting for some students and often, bore them. No matter what effects are used in the presentation, they are still not interested in the lesson. While it worked for others as it worked for me, I had to also find other means that can hold students’ attention such as videos and movies.
Remember that in using technology to teach, you are using them to teach students and not for yourself. This means, that if the technology used is not working for students, it’s better to think of other means that can ensure your students understand and retain the lessons.
2. Giving free rein over what they can use
While technology offers many benefits that make learning easier and more fun for students, it also poses certain risks that may result negatively. As technology makes everything convenient for students, it also means they can use materials that aren’t safe for them.
As the tutor, you have a say as to when and where the student can use technology during tuition sessions. This is very important to avoid misuse of technology, especially with regards to their studies. As such, since the tutor will have more control over the technology used, it’s important to note as well of the students’ readiness when it comes to using technology. This means tutors should consider the student’s grade level, which types can be useful and safe for them, and policies regarding the use of technology in relation to learning.
If the tutor and student decide to use technology in their tuition sessions, it’s important for the tutor to talk with the student to set rules when using technology. The tutor can set when the student can use technology, where they can use them, as well as list down some sites that can be accessed during sessions. If students get to use whatever sites they want during lessons or even when they are answering their homework, they wouldn’t bother to think of the answers to the questions posed as answers are already available on the web. This would hinder their development in critical thinking and creativity. As such, they wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the process and satisfaction of learning at all.
There is also the situation of students bringing their gadgets to tuition sessions when they aren’t needed. This is why it’s important for the tutor to establish the rules of when and where they can use technology. There are some cases wherein lessons don’t have to rely on technology and can be taught the old fashion way. In this circumstance, if students are allowed to use technology whenever they want, it will only result in technology being a means of distraction for students. They might lose their focus on their tasks and can even refuse to listen to their tutors. If the student continues, it may also be a good idea to ask help from their parents to help in restricting their use of their gadgets so they can focus on learning.
While technology can be a more fun way to teach and learn, it can also help if the tutor and student brainstorm some ways to use technology without relying on it too much.
3. Relying on technology
As mentioned, technology can make lessons more fun and engaging for students. With this, tutors can also develop lessons that today’s generation can relate to since they are more familiar with technology as well. However, as we’ve also mentioned, without proper usage and limitations, it can also be a form of distraction. And as a result, students and tutors may not be able to reach their goals and learning objectives because of the time they’ve spent on technology.
Tutors can check if they actually need to use technology in their lessons. If they have a way to make learning engaging without the use of technology, that can also be great. There are certain subjects and topics that technology wouldn’t be helpful in teaching with. for example, if the tutor is teaching about writing, the tutor can have the student read books more so they can grasp the flow of sentences that makes readability better other than the basics of grammar. If the student is learning another language, while language learning apps are available, it’s still not the same when they have someone who can correct and check their pronunciations. In cases like these, technology isn’t as important to be the means to keep students learning and motivated.
There are other ways to get student’s attention without the use of technology such as modeling the topics/application of the topic, experiments, and giving them the chance to experience the lessons first-hand.
It goes without saying that this wouldn’t be the case for online tuition, as that also is a topic on to itself. If you’re interested to learn more about online tuition, check out this article.
4. Not making use of cloud-based services
Tutors shouldn’t miss out on the wonders of using cloud-based services. Technology benefits students and teachers as it makes it easier for them. Using cloud-based services makes it even easier. Services such as iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox make sharing files between students and tutors easier. There are also services that allow tutors to send exams to their students that should be completed in a certain period of time as well as control which apps they can use during the sessions.
Conclusion
Technology has been developed to make everyone’s lives easier. However, with its development, it’s inevitable that there can be some downsides as well. There are parts of it that make the development not beneficial for the users. In education, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Using technology in education should be balanced. It can make teaching and learning easier, but there are also some topics and skills that technology can’t teach students. More importantly, home tutors shouldn’t forget their position. Technology isn’t a substitute to help students learn. They can be used to enrich learning but tutors should also keep the balance to avoid students losing their interest in learning.
If technology isn’t required to teach something, tutors can opt to find other means that can still make learning fun for the students and help them retain what they have learned. If it isn’t required, tutors shouldn’t also force themselves to use it. additionally, tutors shouldn’t also rely on technology all too much. It can help students, but then again, there are also other ways to emphasize lessons to students and help them reach their academic success.
Carelle
Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.
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