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Save up to 13 hours a week AND increase student engagement? 🤔
Today’s best classroom technology applications, simplified
Paige Peterson
September 12, 2024
Read time: 2 minutes and 50 seconds
Technology in the classroom?
It’s a hot topic, and many educators are divided.
Wherever you stand, there’s no denying there are tools to help you transform your teaching so you can focus on what matters most — your students.
The right technology paired with the right strategies can enhance teaching, increase student engagement, and streamline classroom management while simultaneously addressing challenges that come with digital integration.
But how can you effectively integrate technology into your classroom, and what technology should you be using anyway?
Transforming your classroom through technology integration
Teaching can be, for lack of a better word, chaotic. Teachers have a lot to think about and manage at once, from providing instruction to managing classrooms and building relationships to grading assignments and beyond.
Good technology and strong strategies can help teachers tame this chaos and transform their classrooms into more effective and organized learning environments.
Here are four key ways technology can help transform your classroom:
Saving time — Whether you’re a first-year teacher or a veteran, classroom technology options with customizable, bite-sized content can help you save time (up to 13 hours a week) prepping and planning for class and make it easier for you to flex and adapt as needed on the fly.
Differentiating instruction — Computer adaptive learning programs help teachers customize lessons to students’ individual needs and learning levels and allow teachers to more easily group students based on knowledge and skill. This helps create a more inclusive classroom.
Increasing student engagement — Interactive learning technology increases student engagement by gamifying content review and test preparation and providing increased opportunities for student collaboration.
Streamlining classroom management — Visual aids and timekeeping technology help teachers easily communicate daily assignments and expectations to students while keeping everyone on track and moving at a unified pace.
BONUS: Technology for curriculum is updated in real-time, as historical events happen.
With technology for curriculum, there’s no more waiting seven years for the most updated textbook. Students and teachers can access the latest information and updates to better relate instructional concepts to the real world, thus increasing student engagement and understanding.
Finding the right technology to transform your teaching
Access to certain technologies and platforms is likely dependent on your school and district, but rest assured there are a wide range of educational technologies available to choose from.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your classroom management or increase student engagement, consider integrating one or more of the following resources:
Visual aids and timers
Simple technology like PowerPoint or Google slides paired with digital timers can be a classroom game changer, allowing teachers to easily communicate daily expectations and activities and stay on track with upcoming transitions between activities, subjects, and classes. Online alternatives like classroomscreen.com offer additional widgets for timekeeping, managing noise levels, and more. Not sure where to start? Guess what — we might have your solution.
Microlearning tools
Microlearning platforms like Kahoot, Gimkit, and Blookit offer both pre-made and create-your-own study tools, such as competitive review games, that will encourage your students to become more passionate about and engaged in their learning process.
Collaboration aids
Cloud-based technology like Google Docs, Google Slides, and Canva provide user-friendly and intuitive options to increase student collaboration in the classroom. Whether students are at school or at home, they can share access to assignments, projects, and notes and add audio, visual, or text components in real-time.
Computer adaptive learning programs
Programs like IXL Learning and Lexia help teachers customize instruction based on each students’ individual needs, saving them time when differentiating instruction or grouping students by skill level for new instruction or review.
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