Technology and At Risk Students

Dr. Frank Smith's article "5 Strategies to Reach At Risk Students with Technology" shows that students do not all learn in the same way. Technology helped students that were in risk of failing by engaging them in ways that they had never been engaged before. Smith explains that availability of devices and a strong internet connection is important because those students who learn better with devices will need them to be available. Another strategy is to use the technology in a way that will use the students creativity and get them engaged instead of spouting out information. This was an important strategy in my opinion because I remember an online class I had that required us to sit and watch hour long lectures then answer questions about it. There was no time in the lecture for me to be involved or do an activity that would help me remember the information, therefore I hated the class. Another important strategy was to make sure the teacher is still involved and helpful while the students use the devices because this promote trust in teachers and makes the student know that the teacher is always there for questions or for synthesizing information that may not make a connection with the student simply through the device. Finally, Smith says that showing students how technology can create things will engage those learners who need hands on experience with materials. He references a study in which students grasped material better when creating a website about it as opposed to students who wrote a research paper about it.

Website Used: from Twitter http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/09/5-strategies-reach-risk-students-technology