5 Ways a Tutor Can Effectively Use Technology in Class -

Tutor Resources | October 7, 2019

5 Ways a Tutor Can Effectively Use Technology in Class

Technology is a great enabler IF used effectively and smartly. For a tutor, it is a not-very-often discussed subject. That’s because technology is not very intuitive as an enabler in classical education systems, especially in the case of tutors.

But, here are some interesting facts on how the use of technology is welcomed by students and teachers alike. A survey showed that:

77% of teachers say technology use in the classroom motivates students to learn
76% of teachers say technology allows them to respond to a variety of learning styles
74% of administrators say digital content in schools increases student engagement

Is technology useful for tutors as well?

These were the findings of a rather old survey. The numbers you can imagine, have only gone up from here to this date. In fact, with more and more students and schools embracing technology, it is time you too make the best out of it. Yes, tutors too can use technology to make their sessions more fun, engaging and effective. There are multiple, easy-to-use technological tools that can help you connect better with your student(s).

Now, all you need to know is how to use technology BUT without getting used to it.

But, you must remember a few things:

Technology for you should always be an enabler and not an essential need
Your core teaching skills and subject matter knowledge are irreplaceable with technology
It can only augment your prowess as a tutor and help you in being more organized

Also read: A step by step guide to ensure an effective first tutoring session

The use of technology is NOT daunting a task if you know the best practices. Talentnook.com is one place where we try to bring to you all the best practices related to tutoring in one place. And in the same vein, we bring to you 5 ways in which you can use technology effectively in your class:

1. Make your classes interactive and fun – use videos, 3D models, games, etc.!

As a tutor, this will probably be the most relevant use of technology for you and your student(s). Make your otherwise routine classes fun by switching to different teaching modes. For example, you can prevent the dozing-off phenomenon by doing the following (and it’s all tech-enabled).

Here are some VERY easy ways to harness the power of technology for your sessions:

Use video lectures to make your session more engaging
Use animated videos for explaining concepts that require visualization
Try buzzers, quizzing apps and puzzles for making sessions interactive and lively
Use 3D models and animations (they’re widely available for most topics)
Engage students by playing interactive quizzes online with them
If you have 3 or more students at a time, you can also use educational gaming apps to promote engagement

2. Use technology for systematic assessments and tracking the overall progress

There are plenty of assessment tools available online. Use popular websites to curate fun and interesting question papers. You can also ask your students to take tests online on their personal devices. This will reduce their distraction and will optimally make use of their habit of checking phones/laptops.

Tracking a student’s performance is also way easier with technology. Here are some more ways in which you can use technology for assessment and performance tracking purposes:

Use graphs or other graphical representations to showcase progress to the student in periodic assessments
Ask students to fill out their feedback online (it makes the process easier and more streamlined)
Use objective type assessments that can be completed on phones (toggling between options is easier than marking answers on paper
You can also use Talentnook’s lesson page to maintain a performance record for each student

Also read: Ace private tutoring – 9 useful tips to help you teach better

3. Create tutorials, subject matter cheat sheets, and other resources using technology

As a talentmaster, you no more need to write out notes or spend money and time taking printouts of cheatsheets. All you need is to create a pdf or a PowerPoint file for your study notes – be it math or piano or painting techniques! Creating study resources using technology has many advantages, viz.:

Such resources can be accessed by the student anytime and anywhere
There is no risk of spoilage or misplacement like in the case of hard copies
You can make changes to the resources in real-time without having to re-write or re-print the whole thing
Creating resources as soft copies makes them more legible and human-error proof (e.g. there are no more chances of wrong spellings if you create study material using MS Office or Google Sheets or any other platform)
You can play around with colors, graphics, presentation, etc. – all of it makes the subject matter much more consumable for the student
Your video lectures can help multiple students at the same time (you can even monetize them on platforms like Udemy)

Also read: Qualities of an effective tutor – check your efficacy!

4. Use technology for collaboration – timetables, project work, assignments, discussions, etc.

Tools like Trello or Google Sheets or Talentnook’s lesson plan page, can all be used to collaboratively design and plan with the student.

You can do the following to use technology to collaborate more effectively with your student(s):

Project timelines can be added and tracked in real-time
You can assign tasks and ask a student to mark them as done (this removes the possibility of you forgetting an assigned task/homework to the student)
You can also assign homework online (e.g. on Google docs) and check it on the go, without a day’s delay
Sharing feedback on homework can become much more systematic if you in any way can maintain a tech-enabled record
You can also invite parents to view daily homework if you track each day’s session practice and homework on an online platform

Also read: The 5 most important qualities of an effective tutor

5. Communicate effectively using technology – stay in touch with the student (and with the parents too!)

Exchanging feedback, communicating changes in schedule, emergencies, plans, etc. is all extremely easy with technology today. It removes all kinds of communication gaps and leaves no room for miscommunication.

Here’s how you can use technology to ace your active communication game with the students (and their parents):

Use messaging services or emails to promptly inform changes in your schedule (no more reliance on the traditional phone call systems)
Use Talentnook’s platform to communicate with the parents on a regular basis
Schedule automatic emails for sending periodic performance reports to parents
Stay in touch with the parents using emails or messaging services
Keep all key communications well documented (helps in the case of any conflict with the student or the parents)
Billing reminders can be sent electronically to the parents without waiting for an in-person interaction

Also read: Make Money as a private tutor – here’s how!

Using technology wherever possible can make your tutoring journey holistic and more rewarding. If you are at all considering becoming a tutor or if you’re already one, here’s the first step – use Talentnook’s technologically enabled platform to find students in your vicinity. Talentnook is the world’s first neighborhood learning community for kids and the only place where you can find your prospective students without any search hassle.

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