On Wednesday 10 May BTEC Level 2 students held the event “Techshop” to encourage the teaching staff to use more technology in the classroom. The students showcased a variety of apps aimed at bringing teaching into the modern technological age. They have been working on this project since Christmas, and undertook all aspects of it, including planning it and even creating global emails. After the students have received their feedback, they will undertake the evaluation of their project.
The students were extremely passionate about how effective a more technology based approach would be in the classroom and how valuable these apps would be in helping them learn. Many of them commented that it would be nice for the teaching staff to use the apps for a variety of reasons, and they all enthused that it would make learning a more enjoyable task for them. The overall consensus was that awareness needed to be raised so that technology could have a welcome place in the classroom.
Lois Neale Learning Manager forHair & Beauty, Travel & Tourism and Catering & Hospitality agreed with the sentiment that technology could be less of a hindrance in the classroom than previously seen, and she’d enjoy seeing phones make a positive impact in the classroom. She also commented how engaging the students were, and she was pleased to see the students keen to have an input on the way they’re taught.
Some very valuable feedback was gained on behalf of the students as well, Sky Purchase, Paige Mulvy and Liv Balingall were adamant that apps like the ones presented were the way forward in teaching. They commented that it could make revising for exams easier due to information always being accessible on the app, and there was less of a chance of any of the information getting lost.
Paige Greenslade, Connor Goble and Lizzie Kettlewell were keen to agree, they believe that they’re in a generation where you need technology and it makes the lesson more interesting, as well as helping them to enjoy College more.