5 inventive ways using edtech can revolutionize learning

Technology in the classroom was once as out of place as ink on a Scantron test. Cited as more of a distraction than a vehicle for learning, its use was severely limited, if allowed at all.

Today, most schools can’t function without it. Technology fuels the learning day and has transformed how students interact with and master material. What’s more, working with edtech in a classroom setting also prepares students for using different technologies in the workplace.

While there’s much less resistance to it than in years past, some educators are still figuring out how to best implement technology in the classroom. These innovative ideas are just the beginning.

Make your lessons interactive

The battle to keep students engaged in their coursework is never ending. Though technology is a helpful tool in that regard, it alone isn’t always enough. A good rule of thumb to remember: if something is tedious or uninteresting on paper, simply doing it on a computer won’t help.

Instead, look for ways you can encourage students to create and fully interact with content, not just rely on repetition or memorization.

Some effective options include:

• utilizing augmented reality to create immersive learning experiences
• building in project focused free time where students work on the subject or interest of their choice
• incorporating social media to discuss lessons or ask an expert
• asking students to create a podcast episode about a particular topic

Task students with teaching new tech

Teachers are spread thin as it is. Asking them to find and learn new apps and platforms on top of their day-to-day isn’t always realistic. Fortunately, they don’t always have to be the ones to master new tech tools.

Challenge the digital natives in your classroom to learn a new program or app, and then make it a teachable moment. Divide the class into teams, and have them give a presentation or instructional lesson on how to use a new tool. Encourage everyone to take notes and practice using the tool for a portion of the day. Including the teacher!

Digitize your field trips

Digital field trips aren’t necessarily new. However, during the pandemic, they became the go-to for cooped up classrooms and remote learners. Now they’re more popular than ever.

These cost-effective and educational digital excursions make it possible to go almost anywhere in the known universe, during any time period. Whether your students want to go “visit” one of Saturn’s moons, Ancient Rome or a local park, they’re free to explore without ever leaving the classroom.

Embrace technology students are using instead of banning it

If you can’t beat them, join them. Why not nix all the effort you would otherwise expend policing mobile devices and monitoring their social media usage and put them to work in the classroom? There are plenty of creative ways to utilize both in smart ways.

That includes YouTube. Behind its parent, Google, it’s the second most used search engine in the world. Numerous schools make the mistake of blocking this resource.

A better route? Make sure students know how to use it safely and effectively.

Encourage good digital etiquette and digital literacy

Incorporating more tech in the classroom and using it in inventive ways can revolutionize learning. That is, so long as students have the right parameters to keep them safe online.

Ensure students follow an agreed on set of guidelines that cover:

• what to post and how do to so appropriately
• best practices for protecting their identity
• using appropriate and approved websites
• reporting cyberbullying or online abuse

Students should also have a crash course in how to assess a website or online source’s credibility. This is an important spoke in the digital literacy wheel, and one that will follow them well into their careers.

Classroom technology is a huge factor in students’ academic success. Getting creative with that tech – instead of fruitlessly stifling its use – can help empower and engage students at every grade level.

Content created and provided by ONEAFFINITI.