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Using the Tools of Success, Why Not?


There is a common saying that says, “work smarter, not harder.” I often find myself repeating this mantra to myself when I am spending too many hours on school work, whether planning or grading. Granted, I want others to think of me as a hard worker, who puts in many hours devoted to my teaching craft. However, it is so easy to go overboard because we associate long hours with hard work. What if we could do a simpler task or create a more efficient plan that would accomplish the same goal? I frequently find that the more simple lessons that I plan wind up being the most interactive, engaging, and thought-provoking, and it leaves me wondering why I spent so much mental energy and time planning a more complex lesson. This same idea applies to assistive technology in the classroom.

When it comes to reading, writing, grading, and editing there are many tools at our disposal. From Read and Write Gold to Speech to Text, we have so many valuable tools that would make our lives easier. I am willing to admit my stubbornness in taking the more difficult path, but I would love to see some students take on the challenge of working smart, not harder alongside me. There seems to be a resistance to using tools such as speech to text and Grammarly when it comes to written expression when in reality many of us speak to our phones on a daily basis to send a text or tell Siri to search for something. Then, when it comes to writing an essay, we forget that we have that tool available to us. Just like we can use an audiobook to build reading comprehension and “read” at a time when we don’t have time to pick up the book, we can dictate our thoughts to streamline the writing process. Using speech to text does not demonstrate a weakness, but rather illuminates our desire to work in a more efficient manner that would highlight our great ideas and allows us to succeed. Why would any of us NOT want to be more successful?

Students, please join me on this journey of working smarter and not harder. I pledge to streamline my grading and planning process, as well as use the assistive technology tools at my disposal. Who is with me? Please post a comment below. Thank you for reading.

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