If you’ve found yourself debating why you are using tech, or more essentially, how you are using tech to better education in your classroom, then you are not alone. As tech continues to make its way into the classroom, educators worldwide are questioning its effectiveness. 

To ensure that you are using tech to its full potential, you must start with “why.” If your learners understand your tech use, your class will have a goal, and you can work through any technological issues. 

In this piece, we will examine 7 ways to implement tech in your classroom for a goal. 

Real-Time Collaboration

When Google Docs was released, it was like magic. Learners were writing and sharing in real-time and could see what other learners were saying and working on, while still making progress with their own projects. 

Now, real-time collaboration is essential for most online apps. You can use Google products to collaborate with your learners in real-time or plan with your fellow staff members. 

Sharing and Reflecting

Although having your learners journal in a physical notebook can be useful, the great thing about having them journal online and share via the cloud is that their classmates can see what they’re saying. This enables collaboration and facilitates the sharing of opinions amongst your learners. 

Better Research

Tech has made research time-efficient. We don’t just mean typing a phrase into Google’s search bar, but searching through journal databases. Useful phrases will bring up hundreds of results, neatly sorted. 

Writing and Rewriting

Using a tool like Google Docs, your learners can write and edit on the move. They can receive feedback from their educators and peers and then decide whether they want to implement that feedback or not. The writing process has been changed by tech in much the same way as the research process. 

Meaningful Creation

With tech, learners can now make music, films, games and much more. We often don’t use this potential to its fullest, and we ask learners to make things that matter. Instead, you should challenge yourself and your learners to use tech to foster creativity, like creating digital artwork or making a short movie to upload to YouTube. 

Keeping a Digital Record

These days, digital portfolios are essential. Colleges will need them in the future, not because they show off what has been done in class, but because they convey learning growth. Learners and educators can look back at what has been made and achieved throughout the year by keeping digital portfolios.

Assessing Mastery

No matter how well you prepare your learners for assessments, there will usually be a few that still struggle. You can allow them to retake the assessment or give them another one. You could assess them digitally, which allows you to see exactly where the struggle areas are, as well as how much time they spent on certain questions. This allows for more personalized learning. 

Conclusion

Tech in the classroom does not have to be flashy. It can be used in simple ways to benefit the learning process and help your learners navigate their education more effectively.