A purposeful approach to technology integration

Key points:

technology and education go hand in hand today, which means it is more important than ever to ensure that technology is used with purpose in the classroom. With students and educators each tech-use/685995/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>accessing more than 40 technological tools Every year, there is a real risk of getting lost in technology at the expense of developing critical soft skills like communication and collaboration.

The amount of time we spend in front of devices outside of the classroom further exacerbates this challenge. Students between 8 and 12 years old are already dedicate an average of 5.5 hours a day on screens (excluding classroom time).

Fortunately, there are several ways educators can use technology to foster a sense of community and help keep students engaged with each other and their lessons. As a former teacher who went on to work in technology, I have seen a number of opportunities for educators to create bridges between screen time and developing collaboration, communication, and content creation skills.

Promoting communication

With so much screen time, it's no wonder we spend less time talking to each other. Texting and messaging have replaced face-to-face conversations and phone calls, and the result is poor communication skills. In fact, less than half of employers considered that graduates are very prepared in oral communication. But today there are several classroom technologies that help boost in-person conversations.

By using whole-class solutions such as interactive flat panels (IFPs) and video conferencing, educators can inspire students to interact with each other, both in the physical classroom and outside of it. Whether it's bringing together small groups of students to solve problems or play an educational game, inviting a subject matter expert to remotely join a video class, or taking a virtual excursionThese tech tools are sure to drive engagement and inspire conversations.

Fortunately, most educational technology solutions are plug-and-play, but I also want to emphasize how important professional development is when using these tools, especially IFPs. In my own experience, they often end up being underused, but with training in place, they can lead to highly interactive learning moments. Knowing how to use classroom technology to the fullest will lead to optimal learning outcomes.

Driving collaboration

Collaborative learning is a powerful tool to improve student engagement, motivation, and overall learning outcomes. There are a number of technologies available today designed with classrooms in mind and that can generate collaboration between students and their teachers. These tools can be used to help ensure that technology enables collaboration rather than hinders it.

Christie Elementary School in Plano, Texas, has done remarkable work in this regard. They use an app called Us, which supports real-time collaboration with annotation tools. With the app, students can draw pictures of their learning while reading a poem or designing a science project, and they can collaborate with their classmates to demonstrate mastery of the content.

Using the app only with a Google Chromebook, students had trouble making mistakes and making illegible marks, which caused frustration because they couldn't easily express their ideas to each other. Once educators equipped students with styluses, the learning experience was transformed. Students were able to be more precise in showing their ideas to others compared to just using their finger on the screen, and they were able to collaborate seamlessly on each other's devices to share ideas. With the right mix of technology for collaboration, educators found that students retained more information and were more excited to work together.

Boost content creation

Content creation exercises also provide innovative ways to boost the communication, collaboration, and technology skills students need to succeed in school and beyond. Considering that a survey conducted by The Harris and Lego Poll revealed that out of 3,000 children in the US and UK, nearly 30 percent ranked YouTuber as their top career choice, and teaching by allowing students to be creators is also in line with their preferences.

I have worked with districts that are creating complete studios for both their staff and students using plug-and-play technology (e.g., USB-connected webcams, content cameras, key lights, and microphones) that ensures more time to create, with less time needed for problem resolution. A Georgia school district is creating podcast stations for its students. Next, educators are incorporating podcasting into their lessons. This approach not only ensures that students learn the topic at hand, but also helps them develop technical and communication skills, with the potential to inspire students to start their own podcast stations outside of school.

The bottom line

technology in the classroom can inspire learning or create challenges, depending on how it is used and whether it leads to better learning outcomes. Fortunately, with a thoughtful approach, screen time can easily be transformed into opportunities for communication, collaboration, and creativity.