Technology has become an essential part of education all over the world. Teaching and learning have changed amazingly with the inclusion of computers, tablets, and smartphones in almost every aspect of our classes. We use them in our classroom as well as for homework assignments.
It’s not all equal
However, we have to take into account that, very often, children don’t have access to a computer or printer at home to finish their assignments. That was the case with some of my students. It was not fair for them and their families. We had to find a solution to that if we wanted to have an equitable classroom in which all our students had the same opportunities.
Many children are unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have access to a computer or a printer. However, they can usually use their smartphones or iPads (or their parents’). We can help them by planning homework so that all the kids can do their assignments even if there is no printer at home.
There are benefits
One advantage of assigning homework to be done on a smartphone is that kids love using them—and are experts on that! Another benefit is that the possibility of finishing and submitting homework electronically lowers the chances of forgetting to submit or losing homework sheets.
Also, there are great online platforms and apps that kids will love using to do homework and, at the same time, will make our work easier. EZ Stickerbook, for example.
From a parent’s point of view, perhaps the best part is to know firsthand what’s going on in their kids’ world. For teachers, it’s ideal to issue assignments, reward achievement, and provide feedback. And the benefits for our kids—all of them—of completing and submitting homework using phones are unquestionable. Besides that, our students will love the animated stickers they will get as incentives or rewards for completing their assignments. Kids can finish up their assignments on their parents’ phones and don’t have to rely on having computers or printers at home. In this way, we can be fair to all our kids and their families.
And we will have an impartial classroom.
Analia Rossello
I’m an English teacher with many, many years enjoying classroom time with first-graders, as well as with high school students. I really love teaching; I love planning and creating the best content and activities for my students, those that will give them enjoyment and learning at the same time. However, what I love the most is watching them while that magic happens and after that, when they’re praised or rewarded for their achievements. That completely fills my heart!
