Touchscreen monitors in the classroom - Is it beneficial for students?

As a teacher, you may be wondering what the best methods are for engaging students in a lesson plan. Some get bored easily, others are distracted by outside movement or other students, and some simply don't care. But, what is you could incorporate technology alongside teaching in the classroom? Touchscreen monitors give you this option today, and are extremely beneficial in nearly any classroom setting, for students of all ages. 

Students are more engaged
With touchscreen monitors, students can draw on the screen, they can write, and they can add their own ideas. No more wait until you are called to answer a question. Students can engage, share ideas, and by simply writing or adding content to the touchscreen, they can engage in discussion with other students. The interactivity gets students more intrigued, keeps them focused, and makes them feel as if they are a part of the conversation and teaching you are doing in the classroom. 

They can be used for special needs students
If students have limitations, touchscreen monitors help gap different students in the classroom. Students don't have to walk up to the chalkboard as they can respond directly on the monitor. If students can't hear or have problems with auditory learning, they are also getting something more interactive in the visual category. Although not every school embraces them, if you do have special needs students, it will be easier for them to engage in a lesson plan with these monitors. 

More engagement
If students can see images, see video, and see the teacher make changes (using color, highlighting, etc), this will help keep them more engaged and focused. Isn't this the goal of teachers in the classroom? With the right technologies in place, the interactivity is going to make students feel as if they are a part of the teaching environment, and are more likely to engage and want to be involved in the classroom discussions which are taking place. 

They allow for more creativity
Maybe students are shy or don't know how to communicate verbally. With touchscreen monitors they have an opportunity to draw their idea or better display it to others, without feeling ashamed if the answer is incorrect. Students are more willing to engage, share, and discuss, rather than shy away from answering questions because they feel a gap between them and other students.

Change how kids learn -
Children today have shorter attention spans, aren't willing to sit down for as long, and won't focus on something they aren't interested in. Touchscreen monitors allow teachers to change the way in which kids are learning. Why not give them an audio tour of a lesson on their own tablet? Or, why not ask them to create fun video sharing projects, on different ideas or lessons you are teaching them? With the touchscreen, they can engage, easily share new ideas, and let creativity flow. 

With newer technologies today, teaching, interactivity, and getting students involved is possible today more than ever in the past. With touchscreen monitors in the classroom, these are some of the many benefits for both the teacher, and students in the environment.