Technology Tips for New Teachers

Technology is a part of everything, including teaching. New teachers must learn how to incorporate technology into their jobs. This can include using technology to make their lives easier to and to help children understand concepts better. These technology tips for new teachers will help new teachers get started with some of the most useful technology currently available.

Stay Connected

Twitter may seem like a joke to many, but teachers often use the popular Twitter platform to keep connected with teachers around the world. By creating a Twitter account, new teachers can connect with other teachers, even teachers in their own subject area. Twitter allows you to create profiles related to your interest. Be sure to create your profile with education interests. To help you find teachers in the same subject areas, visit Twitter 4 Teachers.

Stay Up to Date

Learn about any technology your school uses. Take time to research and learn all you can about it. This will help you make the most out of it. Also, stay abreast of any new developments in technology, including relevant software and hardware. You can do this by listening to news stories, reading your local newspaper's technology section, talking with other teachers and even listening to students. Staying up to date on the latest technology will help you be just as tech savvy as your students.

On top of technology, take advantage of technology to update teaching skills. Learn how to write better lesson plans or how to engage students more effectively. Thousands of resources are available to help teachers continuously develop their skill sets. A few websites to try include Learner and Teacher Tap.

Connect With Parents and Students

Create a way to connect with both parents and your students outside the classroom. New teachers can either create their own website or use their school's network. Some schools have an online system with separate portals for each teacher or class. If this isn't available, create a free website on any free web host. One of the easiest to set up is Weebly. You can post study guides, homework assignments and even password protected pages to list student grades. Another option to a website is to create a blog. Wordpress or Blogger work perfectly for creating a teaching blog.

Use Online Organizers

Many applications are available to help new teachers stay organized. One of the most important things for a new teacher is to learn how to organize. This includes grades, important dates, notes and lesson plans. Check out the links below for organizers and other tools to help both new and experienced teachers. Most of the tools are free to use.

Tools for Teachers by Sue LeBeau

Cybrary Man's Educational Websites

Free Technology for Teachers

Help with Lesson Plans

Many teachers place their lesson plans online to help other teachers. Take advantage of the help. You can download lesson plans and change them to meet your needs. This can be incredibly helpful to new teachers in learning to create lesson plans. Use the sites below for thousands of lesson plans categorized by subject.

Lesson Plans 4 Teachers - Free Lesson Plans

A to Z Teacher Stuff - More Lesson Plans

New teachers can take advantage of technology to make their job easier. New teachers can use the tips above to stay connected with their students, stay organized and get help from other educators.