Technology Staples in the Classroom

In today's classrooms, technology use has become instrumental to student success. The question is how to effectively use this technology to enhance the student experience and develop them as learners. There are new tools coming out every day for teachers to explore, which means that as facilitators of the pursuit of education, we teachers must stay vigilant in staying up to date with these tools. This task is not always simple, but can be necessary to reach our diverse students.

Like I said, there will always be new technology that cannot be integrated as the technology becomes available. There are, however, what I call "technology staples" that can be integrated into every classroom under any subject. These staples make sure to engage students at least on a minimal level through technology and I personally integrate these strategies into every seminar I facilitate.

The first of these staples is the use of blogging. This blog is even an example of this staple, as I am writing this for a class I am taking now! Giving students the freedom to blog about their experiences gives them a platform and an opportunity to reflect on their learning and be creative with it at the same time. As students become comfortable with their digital identity, their writing reflects their learning, their individuality, and their connection with content. Another benefit of blogging is peer review and feedback. Students enjoy reading peer blogs and writing back to them, which has benefits from increasing student collaboration to driving in-class discussions deeper.

The second staple is using videos in class or in homework to give students a second style of digesting information. The use of videos diversifies the student experience and offers a break from lecture-based lesson plans. Often times one can find another individual explaining the exact same concept in more exciting or dynamic ways online. Simple explanations of ideas can often be found on Youtube, a platform students are already familiar and comfortable with. More complex ideas may be found on Khan Academy, or other websites intended for academic use.

A third way is to have students make digital presentations.  Presentations can be made for individual projects or assignments, and they can be used in group tasks as well. Most times I will try to encourage collaboration during group projects and then have them present their findings to the class. Using digital presentations increases student interaction and again gives students flexibility to pursue more creative avenues. Many times students will choose to use a Powerpoint because they are familiar with using this program, though I have found that introducing more complex presentation styles like the use of Prezi gets them excited to try something new.

These are the most rudimentary uses of technology in the classroom, though I cannot stress how important taking into account three simple suggestions can be. The results can be staggering, and I truly believe that once all classrooms incorporate these simple ideas it can truly be the gateway to integrating technology on a more comprehensive and holistic level.