Technology has impacted learning since the invention of the chalk. Chalk has now evolved into electronic pens that write on Promethean Boards; but you get the idea. Education is directly impacted by technology in positive and negative ways. Educators have had to pivot at a moment's notice when the world was shut down during Covid. Suddenly, my class participation based learning collaborative turned into one zoom meeting from hell after another. I had to rely on technology in order to bridge the student to our learning objective.
Since actions (as Newton's third law of motion states) have an equal and opposite reaction, to every good, there is a bad. Such is true for the world of technology. What? Technology can have negative impacts on learning. Long ago are the days students are not tethered
to their devices like a life saver. Trying to get our student's attention has been one of the toughest hurdles teachers have to endure; ranking a close second to the last thirty minutes of school prior to winter and summer vacation. When students are bored, they begin to use their imagination and even dive deeper into their own thoughts. Technology breaks that boredom and now students feel uncomfortable being bored.
So what's the magic answer? Should I use technology or not? I've come to the understanding that we should be using technology when it is useful to our classes for the intention of learning or assisting the students with learning outcomes. Many educators, yours truly included, are evaluated on "technology" use in our classroom. Since that "technology" isn't defined and is not equal from class to class or school to school, we are granted the opportunity to see how our content pairs well with technology. Imagine yourself as a sommelier curating decadent technology to add to the understanding of the content. Romantic right?
Finding the right technology to positively impact your student's learning outcomes is the answer! Before you decide to fall down the possible educational technology apps rabbit hole, I have some ideas for you that can help. Let me be your sommelier! I have a pinterest board created to help you. These apps are diverse over content area as well as to your student's needs.
Want something you can use right away? Let me recommend BLOOKET! If you're like me you think, "here we go, another resource that is not adaptable to my classroom." I felt the same way. As a theatre and television production teacher, resources are limited! Since it seamlessly integrates with Quizlet, you can put all of those functioning questions to work! It has no become part of our initial bell work practices as soon as we begin class. I turn on the "anonymous" button so students who are not understanding concepts easily are not judged by their classmates.
With Blooket, students are able to communicate their understanding of the material, collaborate in teams if the teacher allows, think critically as they try to destroy their teammates or complete the task, and be creative by using their imagination and skills. This short tutorial explains how to dive right in.
This is also a blessing for those of us who have been covering classes for teachers who are out due to teacher and substitute shortages. I walked into an algebra class that was thirty seven freshman students deep. Chaos would have been welcomed with a warm embrace before teaching this class. There were no sub plans and with one look at their textbook, I realized I had a trick up my sleeve. I immediately went on Blooket and found a great game for us! It saved the class and my sanity. Let's play AND learn!
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