How can technology make the work of teachers easier?

The development of technology is present everywhere around us and makes people’s lives easier every day. Universal access to information in every corner of the world, fast internet payments or tools for instant communication are just a few examples of modern technologies in the immediate environment.

Technology is also actively used to improve the education system. The events of recent years have forced teachers and students to use alternative teaching methods, which has allowed them both to notice existing shortcomings and see the huge potential of interactive tools. Technology make the work of teachers easier. Below we present the numerous benefits that technology brings to teachers in everyday work as well as the possibilities of interactive textbooks: e-coursebooks and the e-school.eu platform – a modern teaching tool.

Remote lessons during the pandemic – what have we learned?

The use of technology in the process of transferring knowledge has recently been talked about more often. The outbreak of the pandemic also contributed to this.  Overnight, millions of pupils and teachers had to adapt to the new reality, and it turned out that education systems in many countries were not well prepared for it. Existing solutions from the EdTech industry have become an invaluable help in remote learning.

Remote lessons have forced teachers to take advantage of new, unconventional solutions. Many educators have found that the use of diverse forms of communication can have a positive impact on student interest in the lessons. It turns out that websites such as YouTube, Kahoot, Quizzlet are not necessarily a threat and distraction for children and may actually become a great way to introduce new information.

On the other hand, it can be stated that remote teaching failed on many levels and was sometimes burdensome for both students and teachers. Why? Because it was largely done by trial and error, as the teachers did not have adequate preparation or knowledge of the available tools. The time of the pandemic revealed the full scale of shortcomings in the education systems in many countries. It made it clear how important it is to know the wide range of commonly available online learning aids. Solutions such as e-coursebook are not just additional applications enriching lessons – these are tools that are really needed and necessary here and now. And we aren’t just talking about the pandemic period – the education system should keep up with the rapid changes in the world.

Technological development and the associated inevitable changes in education

Children and young people are growing up in an environment characterised by the most remarkable technological development in the history of the world and require equally advanced education methods. At a time when unlimited access to knowledge is available at our fingertips, and more and more professions are confronted with automation and support through intelligence, learning rules or dates by heart is no longer of paramount importance. Soft skills, that is, ones the machines do not have – critical thinking, imagination and interpersonal skills, are becoming more important. This is another argument for the need to introduce changes in the way teaching is done. Changes that will enable us to meet the current needs of students.

A modern teaching tool

The answer to this demand is an e-coursebook integrated with the e-school environment. These tools allow you to conduct engaging online lessons based on interactive exercises and multimedia materials as part of the Virtual Classroom. The teacher has the ability to use such functions as:

• Searching for and accessing a huge number of publications of renowned publishers in an interactive form;
• easy creation and implementation of own materials into the course of the lesson;
• conducting online lessons and recording their course;
• creating and making available to students tests, tasks and exercises with a set completion deadline;
• facilitated tracking of the learning progress.

It is, therefore, a solution that greatly facilitates teaching. Both teachers and students use the e-coursebook. Many publishers offer two versions of each interactive textbook – one intended for the student and the other dedicated to the teacher.

This tool is designed for all modes of conducting lessons: in-person, hybrid and fully remote. It is handy for teachers of various subjects and adapted to the changing conditions and needs of teaching.

Saving valuable class time

A lesson only lasts 45 minutes – in this short time, the teacher has to check the homework, introduce new material and verify the students’ knowledge. When working with an e-coursebook, the same teacher will immediately see the results of the automatically checked exercises, and will devote the saved time to working directly with the student.

Personalisation of the teaching methods

A personalised teaching mode opens up new opportunities for teachers. The e-coursebook technology allows you to use a variety of channels for knowledge transfer. These can be videos, interactive games or webizzes – interactive group quizzes, as well as individual consultations with the student. Thanks to this, it is possible to adjust the way of teaching to a specific group and to the current needs.

Everything in one program

The e-coursebook itself is easy and convenient to use because everything you need is available in one place. There is no need to switch between browser windows or to use external applications. In addition, the e-coursebook adapts to the device on which it is displayed, whether that is a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Because information is collected in one place, users (both teachers and students) can return to the already covered material at any time, browse it after the lesson and use it to prepare for further classes or for self-study.

Creative ways of motivating students

Students’ motivation is an extremely important factor influencing the process of acquiring knowledge. An attractive form of classes not only stimulates students to work but also facilitates and accelerates the acquisition of new content. By using an e-coursebook on the interactive board or in the Virtual Classroom, the teacher can incorporate various types of interactive games in the classes, engaging students and – thanks to healthy competition – stimulating them to work more effectively. Moreover, using interactive quizzes to verify knowledge often proves to be more effective than traditional tests. In addition, while conducting classes in the Virtual Classroom, the teacher can divide students into smaller project groups and differentiate the tasks assigned to them.

No more need to carry teaching materials for lessons

In addition to numerous facilitations in conducting lessons, the e-coursebook is also a way to literally ease the teacher’s physical burden. Because all materials are in a virtual form, the teacher does not have to carry discs, photocopied sheets, or several textbooks to the lessons. The teacher can combine selected e-coursebook pages and self-created interactive exercises, recordings and videos created into an aesthetic lesson and then work with it on an interactive whiteboard or print it out if necessary. Thanks to this, students also don’t have to deal with stacks of copied materials and additionally, have access to every conducted lesson at the e-school.eu archive.

Conclusion

It is undeniable that technology makes life easier in many areas. Therefore, it should be used to improve the teaching system so that this process becomes more effective and, at the same time, attractive for students. It is precisely the e-coursebook that opens the door to a new era of education due to its broad functionalities and intuitive operation.