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When you embark on international teaching jobs, you may see differences in the culture, lifestyle and customs of other countries. Another major eye opener is how other countries–and the students you teach, for example, at yourteaching job in Saudi Arabia–use technology. Technology has the power to connect people from all over the world. In the classroom, it can help students collaborate, connect and share ideas.
You may use technology when you start international teaching jobs to research your destination, connect with people back home through Skype or share your teaching experiences on a blog. Depending on where you teach, the students may have already embraced technology or perhaps they don’t have many resources available to them. As an international teacher–depending on the curriculum you are instructed to teach–you can provide great insight into the international world using technology.
In the education world, technology has helped dramatically with lesson planning, supplemental activities and personalized learning. Gone are the days when the sole use of technology in the classroom was turning on a movie and hoping students would listen. Now, in classrooms around the world and international teaching jobs, students are exposed to a world of free learning materials and information, interactive content instead of only textbooks and online evaluations and assessments that are easier for teachers to manage.
A study that looked at whether English teachers in Saudi Arabia are ready to integrate technology into their classrooms found that technology has become a helpful and important part of teaching students English, although funding and training is still an issue. In your quest to find teaching jobs in Saudi Arabia, it helps to know that teachers regularly use a variety of technologies to help motivate students.
As mobile phones and the internet become more affordable all over the world, more students are connected to each other, in the classroom and at home. Like anything, some people will see the downsides of encouraging more technology use to young students. Be mindful when you’re searching for international teaching jobs, like teaching jobs in Saudi Arabia; you should encourage students to use technology in a safe and secure way that does not conflict with traditional views. Some of the benefits of using tablets, computers and internet in the classroom are that it is becoming more affordable and accessible to everyone and lets students connect after school as well. For example, students can work on collaborative online documents together, chat about projects or create their own videos.
When teaching English as a Second Language, technology can help students hear native English speakers through YouTube or audio (e.g. movies), chat with people from around the world and experience other cultures for themselves. Technology and the internet is making students and teachers even more “international” while still maintaining the customs and values of their particular culture. As an international teacher, you are immersing yourself in another world, so let your students do the same with technology.