As technology continues to transform our world, it has new and differing impacts upon different industries at different times.
This is something I’ve already noticed in the workplace, and something that businesses especially are paying attention to. One example of this can be seen in this TED article.
These “8 Tips for Virtual Collaboration” include:
- Review Your Tools
- Invest In Videoconferencing
- Get Together In-Person When You Can
- Replicate The Elements Of A Normal Office
- Have A Standing Meeting
- Get A Room (For Everyone)
- Set Expectations For Teleconference Behavior
- Everyone Gets A Hotspot
Although these tips are referring to an office setting, I think there are some similar ideas that can be applied to high school teaching settings. Incorporating technology into the classroom and assigning virtual homework can apply to these ideas.
In doing a pre-assessment of your students during the beginning of the year, you can also assess the level of technological knowledge your students have achieved. This can be used as a good baseline for you as the teacher to introduce new technologies and build upon your students’ previous knowledge.
Incorporating your students’ previous technology knowledge with some at-home assignments or out-of-class projects can even develop into new technological advances. Today, working virtually is becoming a more broadly-accepted method of collaboration within the workforce; this means that it is likely that our students today will be working virtually once they enter the workforce themselves. If we can introduce this idea to them while in high school, we can better prepare our students for entering the workforce.
Maeve A. Olson 