Technology can enhance learning, engagement, and creativity in your classroom, but how do you integrate it effectively and meaningfully? Here are some best practices to help you make the most of the tools and resources available to you.
Before you dive into the world of educational technology, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how technology can support it. Think about your curriculum, your students, your pedagogy, and your challenges. What are the learning outcomes you want to reach? What are the skills and competencies you want to develop? What are the gaps and opportunities you want to address? How can technology help you do that?
Many students resort to the resources, habits, and technologies that feel most comfortable. To move them out of their comfort zone, and to get them to adopt new educational technologies, provide peer-reviewed evidence that demonstrates the efficacy of the solution that you're proposing. This can be as simple as reviewing a few papers on the first day of class.
My high school students LOVE interacting with one another and gaming. Years ago, I found multiple online gamification platforms, Quizizz, Blooket, and Quizalize that will turn my normal review quizzes into fun digital games! Now, review days are some of my loudest and most engaging days!
Technology is not the almighty solution to learning, it is simply a tool and there are several of them currently, and many more still being developed. So the first place to begin is to start by asking “What exactly do I want to accomplish?” A definite description of the goal will determine how to approach the integration. So as I work with teachers, I begin by trying to find out what they want to teach and what their objectives are. Then I choose the best approach to take and then select the right tool to integrate. The WHY first, then the HOW next, before the WHAT! WHY - Goal and Objective HOW - Pedagogy & Approach WHAT - Technology Tool
It is important to understand the needs of the students and their weaknesses and choose the tools accordingly to reinforce their skills and have fun at the same time. I would go for group games/quizzes to include both education and fun at the same time. Also, games that could differentiate and cater to various abilities are highly recommended.
Learning technology is a little like learning a new language. Fortunately, teachers only need to choose a few apps and get to know them well. Know the vocabulary and layout. Then, as students engage with the tools in class, teachers need to teach the skills necessary to complete the activities as assigned keeping in mind that just because a few students know the lingo and can manipulate technology well, doesn't necessarily mean that all students know. I have noticed over time that students will spend so much time trying to figure out how to use the tool that the core learning becomes secondary. Choosing and teaching only a few tools will increase predictability and capability so that students can focus on what matters most.
There is a plethora of technology options for educators, from apps and websites to software and hardware. However, not all of them are suitable for your context, your content, or your learners. You need to evaluate the tools and platforms you want to use based on criteria such as: alignment with your goals and standards, ease of use and access, compatibility and integration, reliability and security, cost and sustainability, and feedback and support.
These cannot be overemphasized, a square peg cannot fit in a round hole. Not all technology is suitable for all purposes. Hence having taken the first step which is a need analysis having a stated goal, the data from step one will help in informed decision guiding you towards the right tool to use to achieve maximum results.
En mi experiencia lo más importante es probar las herramientas digitales. Eso ayuda a familiarizarse con su uso, experimentar cómo funcionará la propuesta, ver si se ajusta a nuestros objetivos y necesidades. Nada como la práctica. Varias veces me atrajeron herramientas realmente interesantes, pero no resultaban prácticas en la realidad. Lo aprendí con el tiempo, simplemente estaba complicando mi propio trabajo. Por supuesto que es importante considerar los recursos con que contamos, la accesibilidad del sistema y la practicidad en el uso. Es tan amplia la oferta de herramientas educativas como los criterios para elegirlas.
Consider what you have available in school already and capitalise on these first to get comfortable using digital media in the classroom. stick to the simple routines and practices first, entry and exit style learning first, before jumping in with entire lesson and topics worth of activities.
Choosing the best tools for your classes will depend on how you plan them, and how meaningful the use of these tools will be, for example my students love quizzes (Kahoot, wordwall, quizlet, etc.), there are tools that are amazing for reading activities like Epic, or Math like Splash Learn. The most important thing is to make them meaningful to the students whichever tool you choose.
Definido seus objetivos, assim assim, é fácil nos perdermos em meio a um "oceano" de possibilidades tecnológicas. Por isso, escolha a ferramenta que você domine e, caso n?o tenha domínio, estude, conhe?a e se aproprie dela antes de levá-la para a sala de aula.
You can't expect your students to use technology effectively and responsibly without guidance and support. You need to model and scaffold how to use the tools and platforms you introduce, how to troubleshoot and solve problems, how to communicate and collaborate online, how to search and evaluate information, how to create and share digital products, and how to practice digital citizenship and safety. You also need to provide opportunities for practice, feedback, and reflection.
In my classroom, I use Microsoft's "Flip" to engage with my students. The non-English speaking and bi-literate students especially need to apply the features of the "Immersive Reader." Students engage more when they are empowered to have video, audio, or both to record their questions and responses.
Siempre debemos tener en cuenta la edad de los alumnos y la complejidad de la tecnología seleccionada para trabajar con ellos en el aula. En ocasiones puede ser necesario elaborar guías sencillas, en las que un paso a paso muestre la tarea que deben desarrollar. También es interesante establecer el uso de tecnología de forma progresiva en el centro escolar, de manera que cada a?o los alumnos vayan adquiriendo nuevas habilidades y mejorando en su uso.
Technology can help you differentiate and personalize learning for your students, according to their needs, preferences, and interests. You can use technology to offer multiple modes of representation, expression, and engagement, to provide adaptive and flexible pathways, to enable self-paced and self-directed learning, to facilitate differentiation and grouping, to monitor and assess progress, and to tailor feedback and intervention.
One of the most powerful ways technology can serve as an ally in the classroom is through personalization. By leveraging digital tools to assess and understand each student's unique needs and learning gaps, educators can create meaningful, tailored learning experiences. Technology opens up creative opportunities to build knowledge, allowing students to engage with content in ways that resonate with their individual learning styles and interests. When used effectively, personalized learning through technology can lead to increased engagement, motivation, and ultimately, better educational outcomes.
Sharing assessment criteria from the beginning through the use of Rubrics and Success criteria helps motivate pupils in their learning, as they can be their own assessor. Using other tools to complete check ins throughout a topic can identify where additional resources and support may be needed and you can implement these easily. For example, using Google or MS Forms generated by the pupils helps them understand the success criteria and receive feedback from their peers in a quick manner (which can be monitored by you as the teacher). Google Keep will allow them to keep notes from feedback handy, along with resources pinned against each Keep item to help them improve at their own pace and challenge level.
As the instructor, I allow students to choose to work independently or in small, cooperative groups. I provide clear expectations, timelines, and a rubric to hold everyone accountable.
The main consideration in any teaching choice is student need. Don't add technology just for the sake of looking or sounding like you're doing new and interesting things. Technology adds a layer of complexity that can make learning the content one step harder for EL students or students from low-income families with less experience with technology. This is why it's important to use technology as a tool to address a specific student need. For example, online textbooks offer translations, speech-to-text, and lexile leveled versions or summaries which provide scaffolding and differentiation for multiple needs across the classroom. Websites like Newsela.com have similar features if your district hasn't adopted an online textbook.
I differentiate and personalize the learners so I can come up with the best plan for them. Technology help saving my time to differntiate and personalize them.
Integrating technology into your classroom is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of learning and improvement. You need to engage in professional learning to keep up with the latest trends and developments, to explore new ideas and strategies, to share and learn from others, and to reflect and evaluate your practice. You can use technology to access online courses, webinars, podcasts, blogs, social media, communities of practice, and other resources.
Refer to expert Andrew Marcinek to learn “effective way[s] for students to get their ‘digital driver’s license’ and manage these powerful” digital tools. He has authored two books one pre-pandemic “The 1:1 Roadmap: Setting the Course for Innovation in Education” and one post-pandemic “Teaching Digital Kindness”.
Finally, you need to evaluate and improve your practice based on data and evidence. You need to collect and analyze feedback from your students, peers, administrators, and yourself. You need to measure the impact of technology on learning outcomes, student engagement, teacher satisfaction, and other indicators. You need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your technology integration, the challenges and opportunities you face, and the areas for improvement and innovation.
The use of feedback during and at the end of the training can be a central tool in the evaluation of the advanced training tools and the advanced training means
Specific to secondary education, consider how learners use digital tools or technology to apply their learning in a real-world context. ????Create a video that promotes a Go-Fund-Me cause for ___ relevant to your content area. ??????Record an interview with an AI that pretends to be ___ type of person for a specific content area. ????Re-write lyrics of a song then record yourself performing it that answers one or two content-based questions. (Add images or video to complement the lyrics). ?? Leverage digital databases for students to conduct research as the foundation for projects.
First and foremost, it all comes down to intentionality. Integrating technology into your classroom should not be an end in itself but a means to enrich the learning experience, making it more interactive, engaging, and effective. It's about crafting an educational journey that is more interactive, personalized, and accessible. To do this effectively, educators should align technology with clear learning objectives, fostering a blended learning environment that incorporates interactive tools for engagement, encourages collaborative projects through digital platforms, and emphasizes the development of digital literacy skills.
1. Virtual Reality (VR) Expeditions: Take your students on virtual field trips using VR expeditions. Platforms like Google Expeditions allow students to explore historical landmarks, ecosystems, and cultural sites without leaving the classroom. 2. Interactive Quizzes with Gamification: Use gamified platforms for interactive quizzes and assessments. Platforms like Kahoot! or Quizizz allow students to compete against each other, turning assessments into engaging and competitive learning experiences. 3. Virtual Guest Speakers: Arrange virtual guest speakers to connect with your classroom. 4. Online Escape Room Challenges: Develop online escape room challenges related to your subject.
Eu vejo que integrar a tecnologia à sala de aula pode ser uma ótima maneira de tornar o aprendizado mais envolvente, interativo e eficaz para os alunos.
Siempre hay que fijar objetivos claros ? Para qué estoy utilizando esta u otra tecnología o aplicación? ?Lo podría hacer de forma analógica? ?Qué me aporta? Es importante realizar estas reflexiones y no caer en edutaintment. La aplicación o tecnología utilizada tiene que dar un valor agregado para justificar su uso.
Embracing the digital movement isn't an add on to the learning, it IS the learning and can vastly improve engagement in the classroom if used correctly and consistently. Be sure to observe others, undertake meaningful CLPL and don't be afraid to mix it up if something isn't working. Technology is here to stay so embrace it and don't use it as an add on or "extra" at the end of a lesson for some fun; make it wholeheartedly art of the learning and you will see the benefits in your own practice and the learning happening in your classroom.