Creating a Digital Leader in your classroom can be a positive and rewarding experience, not only for the student (or students!) taking up the digital leader mantle, but for the class as a whole.
I don’t need to tell you that young people are a tech-savvy bunch, and as the new technology wagon rolls on it is these people who are in the driving seat, pushing things forward.
Digital Leaders are students that have a particular aptitude for ‘tech’; they have the latest phone, know an iPad inside and out and can fix a computer without blinking; so why not crack their heads open (not literally) and use their knowledge and passion to help others? Sounds simple enough, right? If you’re struggling to implement a digital leader in your classroom you’re probably asking one question…
“How do I go about acquiring these much sought after ‘chiefs of technology’?”
The best way, and possibly the scariest, is using digital technology extensively in your classroom; search out and find technologies that will be useful to the learning experience of your students, then identify the students who use it with creative efficiency.
Once they’re identified, let these students assist others in the use of the technology, give presentations or create user guides and share them amongst other students.
Those who prove to be good digital leaders can then be rewarded; introduce an award system or a ‘digital leader board’ in the classroom.
Employing a digital leader can give students a real sense of pride and empowerment, encouraging them to encourage others can only lead to a more engaged and efficient classroom.
Originally published at www.lumici.co.uk on July 14, 2015.
