Non-Digital and Digital Skills and Tools in Delivering
Technology-Enhanced Lessons
Teaching becomes rewarding when learners get the most from instructions as manifested in their performance. An important element in engaging learners is when the strategy used in delivering the lessons uses an instructional material.When properly and appropriately used,it can spice up a classroom activity.These instructional materials may come in varied forms.One group refers to the conventional and non-digital tools.A classroom will always need a chalkboard or a writing board that may come in varied forms and shapes.Bulletin boards,flip charts,dioramas,puppets,terrarium,and the like,will always find their significance in any classrooms.However, nowadays,lessons can be made more relevant and engaging for learners as digital tools are integrated.
This Module presents both non-digital and digital tools.Explore the possibilities of learning about these tools and how to effectively integrate them in instruction.The teachers need instructional materials to enhance teaching and learning.Instructional materials are defined as print and non-print items that are rested to impact information to students into educational process (Effiong and Igiri,2015).Examples of instructional materials are drawings,kits texbooks,posters,magazines,flipchart,newspapers,diorama,pictures,recording videos and like.
Instructional materials have several roles in teaching and learning which include the following: (1) they promote meaningful communication and effective learning; (2) they ensure better retention, thus making learning more permanent; (3) they help to overcome the limited classroom by making the inaccessible accessible; (4) they provide a common experience upon which late learning can be developed; and (5) they encourage participation especially if students are allowed to manipulate materials used ( Brown et al.,2005; Effiong and Igiri, 2015). Instructional materials are the supplementary materials, which help the teacher to make his/her presentation concrete,effective,interesting,meaningful and aspiring.Instructional materials are a great help in stimulating and facilitating the learning of the learners.
According to Wright (1976:1) as cited in Cakir (2006) many media and many styles of visual presentation are useful to the language learner. All audio-visual materials have positive contributions to language learning as long as they are used at the right time, in tne right place.In the teaching and learning process, learners use their eyes as well as their ears; but their eyes are basic in learning.
1.DIORAMA
It will make the classroom to be creative and innovative.It is a fun way to build an exciting scene a small space.Dioramas are small scenes created of layers of materials,all depicting a similar concept or theme.They usually display a historical time period, a nature scene, or a fictional situation.
2.NATURE TABLE
This is a table that contains objects and/or scenes related to the current season, or upcoming festival or a symbol of an ecosystem.Children love to follow the natural changes that the world offers each month and classroom decorations reflect these.
3. WRITING BOARD
A writing board can display information written with chalk (chalkboard or blackboard) or special pens (whiteboard).Although there are usually more effective methods of transmitting information, the writing board is still the most commonly used visual aid.
4. FLIP CHART
It is a large tablet or pad of paper, usually on a tripod or a stand.
5.ZIGZAG BOARD
It is a multi-board series of three or four rectangular boards.They are joined together along the sides by hinges so that they can be easily folded up and carried.Each board can be of a different type,for example, a whiteboard, a chalkboard, a flannel board and so on.The size of the boards for the zigzag multi-board depends on what you want to use them for.
6.WALL DISPLAY
Displaying items on a classroom wall is a well-known, tried and tested educational method.A wall display is a collection of many different types of items and materials put up on a wall to make an interesting and informative display.In a classroom, the display can consist of the students' own work.In development work it can be used to convey information to the community.
7.ROPE and POLE display board
This board consist of two parallel, horizontal poles tied loosely together with rope.Visual aids such as posters can be pinned to the rope.This kind of display board is invaluable where there are few solid walls for displaying information.It has no solid backing and can be made quickly for teaching, training and when working with community.
GUIDLINES when designing conventional instructional materialss;
1. Unity - Use only one idea for each visual aid include a headline.
2. Simplicity - Make ideas and relationships simply and easy to recall.
3. Legibility - Make letters big and readable for all in the audience.
4. Consistency - Use the same type style and art style.
5. Clarity - Avoid type that is too small to read; avoid all caps.
Reflection
Non-Digital and Digital Skills and Tools in Delivering Technology-Enhanced Lessons serve as guide for every teachers on what to teach and how to teach. What to teach in the manner of what non-digital or digital tools you are going to use in an appropriate learning or topics. How to teach in where how can we integrate this following digital and non-digital tools to facilitate and enhance learning. It also gives us a strategies on how can we teach better in facing new generation in where advanced technology is commonly used. It sometime brought back my old memory when I was an elementary students, in where some of my teachers really have and presented the given non-digital tools in teaching. it helps us to enjoy learning with the flip chart, diorama, writing board and other non-digital tool. But nowadays we cannot deny the fact with the changes in behaviour and learning style of every students. Even to my self I am enjoying the class having a power point presentation, printed materials and many thing that advanced technology is presented, in short by the means of integrating and by the use of digital tools in teaching. How much more a little individuals in elementary, if at my age I am amazed of what digital tools bring inside the class how much more for them in where they are being exposed in the things that there generation known with. May be it could really enhance learning effectively, with the proper guidance and at the same time proper usage that it could not affect the behaviour of every students. For what I have observe, there are parents and other people blamed technology in the changes of the attitude of their children, they conclude that this technology only causes bad effect. But it really a great help for everyone, it is a big for every student. In where they can learn in a new and enjoyable way.
Application
As a 21st century educator how can we apply and at the same time integrate the use of Non-Digital and Digital Skills and Tools in Delivering Technology-Enhanced Lessons? How can we enhance learning using this digital and n0n-digital tools? Well it is our obligation to teach students and transform them with their true potentials, all we have to do in implementing the use of this tools is to facilitate if it is really helpful or appropriate to used in a certain topic. We must become a digital literate teachers for us to be connected with our own students. We mush be on trend, not only to be part of the group but at the same time to assure that we can impart knowledge to the students in a meaningful way. Of course we cannot just look forward and forget our non-digital tools in learning for it is still beneficial as a part of strategies in learning, some innovation to improve those things are needed sometimes. For us to teach better weather by the use of digital and non digital tools.
