Category Archives: Face 2 Face Sessions

Edutainment Versus Educative Technology in the Primary Classroom

Two weeks after my first Face 2 Face with Cohort 21 today, the biggest question in my mind is how to determine whether technology I might use in my teaching falls into the category of relatively meaningless entertainment (what I might call edutainment), or if it carries real educational value. By value, I mean: will it give my students an opportunity to learn a new skill or consolidate their learning?  I shamefully admit that my current use of the SmartBoard in the grade 1 classroom consists mainly of playing videos for body breaks, or sometimes putting up a math question for discussion.

So many of the apps that I have encountered seem like great ‘hooks’ for learning, but lack substance. On top of having to sift through this kind of content, I am also faced with the challenge of ensuring that apps and programs will be usable without needing to read a lot – as many of my students are in the very beginning stages of reading development. With screen time being a concern of parents and fellow teachers, it is important that I choose technology wisely. I am hoping to access more tools for teaching and to find ways for my students to not just use technology, but to manipulate and question it as well. images