Teachers should turn to their students about use of technology - lecturer

Teachers should turn to their students when it comes to using technology in the classroom according to university lecturer Philip Bonanno. Addressing a group of education professionals at a day-long teaching skills seminar, Dr Bonanno pleaded with the teachers to use their students’ intuition on how to use technology during lessons. “The moment I got my tablet device my daughter hijacked it. Since then whenever I need to figure something out I just ask her and she knows. Children are incredibly intuitive,” he said. Dr Bonanno formed part of a panel of SMEs moderated by technology guru and Communications Authority board member Godfrey Vella. The panel discussed the central role technology has come to play in education and the obstacles facing older teachers. Asked how best to tackle the “technological generation divide” by the moderator, Dr Bonanno said teachers would not only have to apply the teaching methods they have learnt, but also break away from the established methodologies. “Teachers must stop looking at themselves as the source of information and rather as the source of guidance towards information,” he said. LACK OF TRAINING Members of the audience, however, raised...