How My Teaching Has Transformed: From chalkboards to tech tools

It’s hard to believe that just over 20 years ago I started my first job as a classroom teacher. I was in a room by myself (with 10-20 students) and relying on a chalkboard, overhead projector and what I could find in books (and early internet sites).

The change from a simple teaching environment to one rich with technology is astounding. Today, I'm reflecting on my journey through the significant transformations I've witnessed in the teaching landscape and how these changes have shaped our educational practices and interactions with students.

The Rise of Technology in the Classroom

Twenty years ago, my main tools were chalkboards and overhead projectors.

Now, smartboards, tablets, and computers fill our classrooms. This means lessons are faster to find or create, and it's easier to differentiate. We can incorporate audio and video resources much more seamlessly. Teachers and students can access more diverse or niche perspectives and teaching styles than any one person in a room can provide.

The Influence of Social Media

When I started teaching, social media was just on the horizon. Today, platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become pervasive. It's amazing to be able to connect with teachers across Australia and worldwide through online communities. We can share lesson plans, innovative teaching strategies and success stories, which help me to feel less alone and inspire creativity.

The flip side of social media and our interconnected world, though, is the mental and emotional toll that constant notifications, instant responses and trolling have on teachers and students. We're all learning the importance of responsible and ethical digital citizenship — a topic that was rarely discussed 20 years ago.

Learn more about the right to disconnect and its impact on teachers on Edutopia here or in this blog post.

Navigating the Challenges of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its rise in online learning and asynchronous study options, was another unforeseen transformation. We mostly managed to adapt overnight. In this challenging period, I quickly learned to use various online platforms, using them to teach and stay connected to colleagues.

One piece of advice that I got when I was training to be a teacher kept coming back to me during COVID: sometimes you just need to throw out the lesson plan and use the time to make sure everyone is ok. One of my professors told us this on 11 September 2001 when we turned up for her tutorial. She was ahead of her time in affirming the importance of people in what we do.

Mental Health Awareness in Education

Over the last two decades, I’ve seen a shift towards prioritising mental health in education. In my early years, teachers rarely talked about the emotional load of caring for young people. I remember being given a statistic about the high percentage of new teachers who leave in the first five years. But we weren't presented with any tools for resilience or teacher well-being. Today, we are slowly gaining an understanding that teachers' and students' mental, emotional, and social health are crucial for their success.

Tell us what you think:

How do you keep up with the changes that impact your teaching?