Can teachers improve their work-life balance using technology?

You would think that with the increased use of technology in schools, teachers would be having it easy. Unfortunately, the saying no pain no gain can be used here, as there definitely is a phase when you start using new technology that makes you think - is it worth the effort? Well it is! as long as you take good advice and make use of the experience of other teachers that have already taken the plunge. 

​Here are a few suggestions:

• Only use your school email address for work and never check your emails when you’re not working.
• Make sure that your school has a robust set up in every classroom. This will vary from school to school, but the last thing you want is to be wasting your time setting things up at the beginning of a lesson.  I would still recommend having a pc directly cabled to an interactive whiteboard/Interactive display screen. This way you can freeze the screen the students see and prepare the next part of the lesson on your screen.  Alternatively, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices are becoming more robust and could be considered – but always test that the technology is working before you use it with a class.
• Throw away your USB stick and embrace “the cloud” (again this assumes that your school has sufficient Internet bandwidth). This really can be a game changer, improving your ability to share resources with your students and allowing you to collect students work in.  There are a number of clouds to choose from Microsoft’s Office 365 to Google Classroom with many other companies vying for your school’s business.  These services will streamline your classroom practice and allow you to concentrate on teaching.
• Take a look at YouTube videos to see what other schools have done.  Edulito plans to provide support to schools, encouraging them to make the right choices when it comes to technology.