Educational Technology Implementation

Technology usage is a great way to get students engaged in what they are learning, but is technology right for every classroom?  Some classes and teachers may work better with little or no technology usage.

So what is the best way to get the most out of your district’s technology even if you don’t use much of it in the classroom?

Many classrooms are discussion based, and technology is not necessarily a factor in a polite classroom debate.   For classrooms based on discussion, encourage teachers to implement technology for homework and after class discussions.

Students can have online discussions about topics that were not able to fully be debated in class.  It also gives students who did not necessarily have the chance to speak during a classroom discussion to voice their opinion.

It is also important to remember that teachers who have never used technology in their classrooms, should not be expected to become tech experts overnight.  Give teachers time to slowly implement new technologies in their classrooms instead of forcing technology use upon them.

For example, teachers could dedicate 5 minutes at the end of each class to a technology based reflection on the content covered in class.  Students could do more research or find articles or videos that support what was learned that day.

Every teacher and every classroom is different which means that their technology usage will be different too.  Make sure that your teachers feel comfortable with the amount of technology they are using and that it fits their teaching style.

Story via Edutopia