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ED551 Padlet Curation Jennifer Wendell's Padlet Curation Organization of Padlet I organized my Padlet in the column style. I thought ...

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Effects of Technology on Classroom and Students

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Effects of Technology on Classroom and Students

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How technology works within a classroom...

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When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons. Moreover, when technology is used as a tool to support students in performing authentic tasks, the students are in the position of defining their goals, making design decisions, and evaluating their progress.

The teacher's role changes as well. The teacher is no longer the center of attention as the dispenser of information, but rather plays the role of facilitator, setting project goals and providing guidelines and resources, moving from student to student or group to group, providing suggestions and support for student activity. As students work on their technology-supported products, the teacher rotates through the room, looking over shoulders, asking about the reasons for various design choices, and suggesting resources that might be used. ( See example of teacher as coach.)

Project-based work (such as the City Building Project and the Student-Run Manufacturing Company) and cooperative learning approaches prompt this change in roles, whether technology is used or not. However, tool uses of technology are highly compatible with this new teacher role, since they stimulate so much active mental work on the part of students. Moreover, when the venue for work is technology, the teacher often finds him or herself joined by many peer coaches--students who are technology savvy and eager to share their knowledge with others.

The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was an increase in motivation. Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks:

The kids that don't necessarily star can become the stars. [with technology]. My favorite is this boy . . . who had major problems at home. He figured out a way to make music by getting the computer to play certain letters by certain powers and it changed the musical tone of the note and he actually wrote a piece. He stayed in every recess. . . . When I asked him what he was working on, he wouldn't tell me. Then he asked if he could put his HyperCard stack on my computer because it was hooked up to speakers. I said "sure" and at recess. . . he put it on my computer and played his music and literally stopped the room. And for months he had kids begging him at recess, every recess, to teach them how to make music. And for that particular kid it was the world because he really was not successful academically and was having lots of problems. . . . This really changed him for that school year. -Elementary school teacher

Teachers talked about motivation from a number of different perspectives. Some mentioned motivation with respect to working in a specific subject area, for example, a greater willingness to write or to work on computational skills. Others spoke in terms of more general motivational effects--student satisfaction with the immediate feedback provided by the computer and the sense of accomplishment and power gained in working with technology:

In many of these classes, students choose to work on their technology-based projects during recess or lunch periods. Teachers also frequently cite technology's motivational advantages in providing a venue in which a wider range of students can excel. Compared to conventional classrooms with their stress on verbal knowledge and multiple-choice test performance, technology provides a very different set of challenges and different ways in which students can demonstrate what they understand (e.g., by programming a simulation to demonstrate a concept rather than trying to explain it verbally).

A related technology effect stressed by many teachers was enhancement of student self esteem. Both the increased competence they feel after mastering technology-based tasks and their awareness of the value placed upon technology within our culture, led to increases in students' (and often teachers') sense of self worth.

Students clearly take pride in being able to use the same computer-based tools employed by professionals. As one teacher expressed it, "Students gain a sense of empowerment from learning to control the computer and to use it in ways they associate with the real world." Technology is valued within our culture. It is something that costs money and that bestows the power to add value. By giving students technology tools, we are implicitly giving weight to their school activities. Students are very sensitive to this message that they, and their work, are important.

T echnical S kills

Students, even at the elementary school level, are able to acquire an impressive level of skill with a broad range of computer software (see examples). Although the specific software tools in use will likely change before these students enter the world of work, the students acquire a basic understanding of how various classes of computer tools behave and a confidence about being able to learn to use new tools that will support their learning of new software applications.

Teachers for the observed classes and activities at the case study sites were nearly unanimous also in reporting that students were able to handle more complex assignments and do more with higher-order skills (see examples) because of the supports and capabilities provided by technology.

M ore C ollaboration with P eers

Another effect of technology cited by a great majority of teachers is an increased inclination on the part of students to work cooperatively and to provide peer tutoring. While many of the classrooms we observed assigned technology-based projects to small groups of students, as discussed above, there was also considerable tutoring going on around the use of technology itself. Collaboration is fostered for obvious reasons when students are assigned to work in pairs or small groups for work at a limited number of computers. But even when each student has a computer, teachers note an increased frequency of students helping each other. Technology-based tasks involve many subtasks (e.g., creating a button for a HyperCard stacks or making columns with word processing software), leading to situations where students need help and find their neighbor a convenient source of assistance. Students who have mastered specific computer skills generally derive pride and enjoyment from helping others.

In addition, the public display and greater legibility of student work creates an invitation to comment. Students often look over each others' shoulders, commenting on each others' work, offering assistance, and discussing what they are doing.

Students' ability to collaborate on substantive content can be further enhanced through the use of software applications specifically designed for this purpose. Students in several classes at one of our case study sites used a research package called CSILE (Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment), for building a communal database and exchanging comments about each others' ideas.

One of our teacher informants made the point that the technology invites peer coaching and that once established, this habit carries over into other classroom activities:

Though the use of technology often promoted collaboration and cooperation among students at these case study sites, there were still concerns about appropriate student conduct. Many schools implement acceptable use policies, especially if they offer students access to the Internet. (See examples of Sharenet's formal technology use agreement or other acceptable use policies.)

Teachers from 10 out of 17 classrooms observed at length cited increased use of outside resources as a benefit of using technology. This effect was most obvious in classrooms that had incorporated telecommunications activities (see examples), but other classes used technologies such as satellite broadcasts, telefacsimiles, and the telephone to help bring in outside resources.

I mproved D esign S kills/ A ttention to A udience

Experiences in developing the kinds of rich, multimedia products that can be produced with technology, particularly when the design is done collaboratively so that students experience their peers' reactions to their presentations, appear to support a greater awareness of audience needs and perspectives. Multiple media give students choices about how best to convey a given idea (e.g., through text, video, animation). In part because they have the capability to produce more professional-looking products and the tools to manipulate the way information is presented, students in many technology-using classes are reportedly spending more time on design and audience presentation issues.

While most teachers were positive about the design consciousness that technology fosters, a potential downside was also noted by a few teachers. It is possible for students to get so caught up in issues such as type font or audio clips that they pay less attention to the substantive content of their product. We observed one computer lab within which several students with a research paper assignment spent the entire period coloring and editing the computer graphics for the covers of their as-yet-unwritten reports, pixel by pixel. Teachers are developing strategies to make sure that students do not get distracted by some of the more enticing but less substantive features of technology, for example, by limiting the number of fonts and font sizes available to their students.

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technology; student attitudes; student motivation; school reform; educational technology; case studies; studies of education reform program

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Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students

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When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information.

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How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning

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How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning

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Technology can change the landscape of the classroom...

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This article was originally published in the Fall 2000 issue of the CFT's newsletter, Teaching Forum.
By Ellen M. Granberg
Students at the Owen School's Strategy in the New Economy seminar enter a classroom that looks like any other, except that a projection system and video screen have been installed. Their professor announces that today they will be joined by a guest lecturer, a senior VP from a Fortune 500 corporation. What makes this guest lecture unique is that the students are sitting in a Nashville classroom but the guest lecturer is speaking from his home office in Estonia, via video technology.

This is an example of one of the creative ways faculty members at Vanderbilt are using technology to enhance their students' learning. In the scene described above, Owen Professor David Owens, along with Professor Bart Victor, use video conferencing to bring an international guest speaker to their organization studies seminar. Across the University, faculty are using technology to help students master subjects from elementary and secondary school instruction to bioengineering to structural equation modeling. They are developing their own skills while making students comfortable with the technology that will help them be successful after leaving Vanderbilt. As they introduce more and more technology into the classroom, faculty are finding it raises the quality of class discussion and involves students much more deeply in their own education.

For this issue of the Teaching Forum, we spoke to four Vanderbilt faculty members, each of whom is using technology to enhance their students' learning.

Owen Management Professor David Owens uses videoconference links to bring in guest speakers and incorporates video and audio technology into most of his lectures.

Psychology Professor Andy Tomarken teaches methods and statistics courses in a computer lab, allowing him to integrate traditional lecture with demonstration projects using the methods he is teaching.

Peabody Professor Margaret Smithey guides her students in the preparation of multi-media classroom presentations including clips from the Internet, video, audio, and news archive footage. She has opened an e-conference for interns from her courses who want to stay in touch with their fellow students and professors, and she maintains a library of digitized video clips, taken from live and simulated classroom settings.

Department of Biomedical Engineering Chair Tom Harris directs a new NSF-funded center focused on developing technology-based bioengineering teaching materials and curriculum. He is collaborating with several partners, including Peabody Professor John Bransford.

What Technology Brings to the Classroom What these faculty members have in common, and what they share with many others across the campus, is a commitment to exploring the opportunities technology offers for improving the quality of classroom instruction.

Professor Margaret Smithey describes how technology allows her to capitalize on unexpected turns in class discussion. "Yesterday afternoon my students had specific questions about classroom management, so at that point I said 'let's look at these scenarios that I have on a CD.' The CD brought to life their questions. I think seeing actual classroom scenarios related to their questions makes learning come alive for my students better than if I gave my opinion or told a story."

Professor Tomarken, who teaches advanced statistics and methods classes, says incorporating computers into class discussion can also make extremely difficult courses much easier for students to grasp.

One of the challenges of teaching advanced statistics to students who often lack a strong math background is "translating theoretical stuff into a workable set of concrete analysis, "Tomarken says. "I find that it's really important to talk about different types of models from the point of view of specific problems and that's really where the ability in class to have stuff be on the projection system is critical."

Access to a computer-equipped classroom can also be important. "I like to get students interacting with software in the class, "Tomarken says. "I find if you just send them home to do it on their own, they run into real problems. When they follow me, typing in on their own computers, that facilitates their learning."

Last semester, Tomarken also faced another problem - the lack of a good textbook for teaching structural equation modeling to social science students - that he solved using technology. "There is no book that is perfect, that really is appropriate, for this class. There are either books that tend to be too easy or too hard or just not broad enough in scope." Tomarken solved this problem using the Prometheus system, by placing his lecture notes on the web. This not only replaced the textbook, it allowed students to spend more time focused on the lecture and less time copying formulas from the board. "I told them, you don't have to write anything, it's all on the web, just listen."

Technology Changes Teaching, Not Teachers While all the faculty members interviewed for this article believe technology has great power to influence their teaching, no one feels it fundamentally changes them as teachers. "I've always wanted a very interactive classroom," Smithey says. "I want it to be very theoretically based and I know exactly what I want my students to learn. I think technology has improved the quality of what we can access." Smithey also emphasizes the importance of technology being used for a clear purpose. "I never want to use technology just for technology's sake but to support my students' learning."

Professor Tomarken feels that integrating statistical software and visual models into his courses means he comes into class "better prepared" but doesn't think it changes him as a teacher. "I usually am pretty interactive with the class." He does, however, credit the accessibility of computers with reducing the "passivity factor" in his classes. "They have to type things in, they have to click on the mouse. I think it's pretty lively in a lot of ways."

How Technology Enhances Learning Professor Owens, Smithey, and Tomarken all feel they can see technology enhancing their students' learning, particularly when students use the technology directly. David Owens requires his students to do at least one group project entirely over the Internet. "They're not allowed to do it face to face," Owens says. "They aren't allowed to say, "I'll call you tonight.' They have to do everything virtually. In this project, they have a lot to figure out about group process, what things are done best face to face, what things are done best asynchronously, what things are done best in an anonymous chat room. And they figure it out. It's...so much more powerful than my sitting up there saying "the group process models show..."

Professor Smithey requires her students to complete a series of computer assignments from a course CD that she has developed. Smithey values these pre-class assignments because they save classroom time and improve the quality of class discussion. "When the students complete their CD assignments, they come to class with a common context. We are able then to discuss particular class dilemmas or teaching dilemmas that everyone has watched, analyzed and reflected upon. So, we can start there and go with our class discussion rather than having to take 20 or 30 minutes of class showing the video and asking the specific questions. They've done all that in the computer lab."

Technology can also improve the dynamics between teachers and students, often leading to enhanced learning. "Students can see you're doing a lot of work to further their education and I think that there's an appreciation factor that ultimately contributes to their own motivation," Tomarken says.

Students who may question how much their professors care about teaching can also see evidence of the time and trouble taken to prepare for class. "I think sometimes graduate students, or possibly even undergraduate students, go in with the mindset that this teachers doesn't really give a darn about teaching and I think using technology is a real way of communicating 'yes I do,'" Tomarken adds.

Technology Brings Challenges Introducing technology into the classroom can also bring a set of challenges. First among them is finding the time needed to incorporate new technology into courses. Professor Smithey not only uses the technology herself but also requires her student to produces multi-media projects during the semester. "If you're going to ask the students to do such a challenging project, you have to be available to them. You have to have support. There has to be some relief time to learn about the technology. You don't have to know the details of technology but you have to understand it well enough that you can envision what your students need to know about using it."

The technology itself can fail, leaving an instructor to resort to back up. Technology also changes rapidly and it takes time to keep up with technical changes that influence how equipment and software perform in the classroom. Professor Owens points to a digitized news show he purchased from CBS: "I have the CD in here and one of my fears is that someday I'll pop it in the classroom and it won't work. It's a constant upkeep."

Professors Tomarken and Owens also note that having computers in the classroom can distract students from the class itself. Teaching in a classroom equipped with computers "actually introduces the potential for students to be doing something on the computer that doesn't have anything to do with the class," Tomarken says.

"I occasionally go parading around and check out what people are up to," Owens says. Some people take notes on the computer, some people try to get the lecture slides up on their screen so they can see them up close, some people do e-mail, surf the net, do whatever." He agrees with Tomarken that students' personal use of computers in class is an issue that needs to be examined, "through whether that's worse than day dreaming I don't know."

Need for University Support Support by the University for the use of technology is also critical. Bringing technology into the classroom uses resources ranging from computers to classrooms to graduate assistants, and university wide coordination is essential for ensuring an effective learning environment for students.

"One element that is essential is support in the form of graduate students to help students with technology," Smithey says. "It is impossible for one faculty member to support an entire class of students in creating innovative ways to use technology. You can continue to use CDs that you have in your own library, you can continue to connect to the Internet from the classroom, but additional faculty support is necessary to take technology use to the next level of requiring our students to use technology in a way that prepares them for using it in the future classrooms."

Physical facilities are also important. Keeping the technology in working order is crucial but so are other issues such as ensuring a classroom's physical design supports the best possible use of the technology. "You have a very real problem if you have big nice screens and nice projectors but the screen is in front of the white board; if you want to write and have slides at the same time, it's difficult if not impossible," Owens says.

Moving Forward with Technology As the University moves towards an increasingly coordinated approach to the use of technology, several efforts are underway at Vanderbilt to determine just how technology can be used to most effectively enhance learning. One effort is the VaNTH Center in Bioengineering Educational Technologies, a joint effort between Vanderbilt, Harvard University, University of Texas, and Northwestern. Among is several priorities is research into the value of technology, such as web-based education for teaching bioengineering. The research team is collaborating with specialists from the Learning Technology Center at Peabody and with the Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS).

"It's recognized that bioengineering teaching materials are not very well developed and there is not a broad consensus on bioengineering curricula," says Thomas R. Harris, chair of Vanderbilt's Department of Biomedical Engineering. "We need a new way to look at bioengineering education. Why not use the modern methods that we've been developing in the learning sciences and learning technology, and really take a look at this from an entirely new point of view?"

The result is a $10 million NSF grant for Vanderbilt and its academic partners to develop a new curriculum in bioengineering, one that utilizes fundamental principles of learning science and "is driven by technology, web based technology, simulations, slides, interactive systems, and tutoring and homework systems," Harris says.

Although the grant focuses on the development of bioengineering, the collaboration between Peabody's Learning Technology Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering has the potential to benefit students and faculty in all areas of the university because part of the research involves determining exactly which technological tools best enhance learning.

"One of the things of concern is that in higher education a lot of people are very critical of technology as being just a waste of time and money and so forth. Well, is that right or not?" Harris asks.

"If a particular piece of learning technology is no good, we're going to be happy to identify it as such. We'd like to be able to guide the decision of educators and administrators about what is effective and what is not. And if you can begin to show major advances for some of this, then the justification for the additional investment is there."

Another potential benefit this research offers is the opportunity to develop a much better understanding of the kinds of resources required for faculty to use technology in ways that consistently enhance student learning.

"There could be a small investment that could dramatically increase our effectiveness if we do it right," Harris says. "That's the key. We have to know how to do it and what to do. So if we get in and do research in this center and we find out some of the mistakes and things you ought to avoid, I think that you could tailor a system that could dramatically increase effectiveness and make faculty more effective."

Harris believes that effective use of technology has the potential to transform the student-teacher relationship at the undergraduate level. "I think we're going to see a revolution in the interaction between students and teachers," he says. "I think the relationship to undergraduates is going to become more like the relationship to graduate students in the sense of more direct personal interaction. By using technology we're going to be able to use the power of the person, who they are and what they are. The teacher's inspirational role is going to become much greater."

Like Harris, Professors Owens, Smithey and Tomarken also see new opportunities to use technology in the classroom. David Owens wants to pursue his interest in virtual teams by developing a course run exclusively on the Internet. Andy Tomarken plans to continue integrating computer interaction with more traditional classroom activities. Margaret Smithey would like to use videoconference links to allow her students to observe a live classroom setting and then interview the teacher afterward, all via video. In each case, these faculty members, like many others across the University, will continue to use technology to challenge both themselves and their students.

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How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning

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This article was originally published in the Fall 2000 issue of the CFT's newsletter, Teaching Forum. By Ellen M. Granberg Students at the Owen School's Strategy in the New Economy seminar enter a classroom that looks like any other, except that a projection system and video screen have been installed.

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Top Tech Tools for Formative Assessment | Common Sense Education

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Find the right formative assessment tools for your classroom. These digital tools range from discussion (e.g., Piazza, TodaysMeet) to quizzing, polling, and student responses (e.g., Kahoot, Formative) to interactive lessons and videos (e.g., Nearpod, Flipgrid).

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Enhancing Learning: Tools For The Digital Classroom

There is certainly no shortage of tech-based tools to use in the classroom. In this article we'll examine some of the best, focusing specifically on those that are designed for encouraging, enhancing, and managing learning.

1. Socrative

Socrative professes to be "your classroom app for fun, effective classroom engagement". In a nutshell, it is a cloud-based student response system, allowing teachers to immediately test student understanding by way of mini-quizzes, assigned to them on class laptops or tablets. Quizzes can be multiple choice, graded short answer, true-false, or open-ended short response. Socrative's strength lies in its " on the fly " assessment method, providing teachers with valuable and timely feedback.

2. Scratch

Scratch is a simple, fun, and engaging introduction to programming, designed specifically for 8 to 16-year-olds. Users can combine music, graphics, and photos to create interactive games, animations, and slideshows. All of their creations are shareable with others in a student's online community. It's important to note that Scratch will really only teach programming concepts, not so much real, authentic programming.

3. Prezi

According to Prezi, "creating, giving, and tracking beautiful interactive presentations is as easy as 1,2,3" with their cloud-based presentation software. Prezi presentations are nothing like your traditional presentations; zooming in and out and moving side to side across one single, very attractive and modern canvas, focusing in on images and videos inputted by the user. Prezi is very popular and consistently receives excellent reviews.

4. SelfCAD

SelfCAD is a free, cloud-based 3D CAD software package for students. It is incredibly easy to use, yet provides an authentic, 'real world' 3D design experience. Another notable feature- SelfCAD has teamed up with MyMiniFactory, to provide a database of already completed 3D printable designs, making thousands of 3D objects available for immediate 3D printing. All round, it is a very powerful and effective tool for learning in STEM, and a number of schools are getting on board.

5. Quizlet / Quizlet Live

Quizlet provides a platform for students and teachers to create and share their own learning materials, including flashcards and diagrams. Quizlet Live is the free in-class quiz game, produced by Quizlet, that can then bring these learning materials to life. In this engaging and interactive game, students must all contribute, stay focused and communicate well to win. Quizlet consistently receives excellent reviews and is a great way to bring study notes to into the 21st century.

6. Google Classroom

Google Classroom is a powerful community based social tool for learning. It allows students to post questions and receive answers from their teachers and fellow students. Furthermore, teachers can post intriguing questions and lesson materials for review at home. It can also be integrated with other Google products such as Google Forms, which can be a great way to get feedback from students.

7. Adobe Spark Video

Spark Video is part of the Adobe Spark suite. The application enables students to produce short, animated, narrated explainer videos. Students can easily add photos, video clips, icons, and voice, as well as professional-quality soundtracks and cinematic motion to their video creations. Video and vlog making is a great way to engage students creatively, and an 'out of the box' approach to class projects or reviewing learning materials.

8. Khan Academy

With Khan Academy you can literally learn anything; all for free. Lessons are presented by way of videos, interactive activities, and challenges. Learners also earn badges in line with their achievements and can save their progress to their own profile. Khan Academy is a great way to supplement your teaching, provide extra work to your gifted and talented students or help those who are struggling with certain content.

9. Seesaw

Seesaw is an easy to use learning portfolio application, enabling students to document, showcase and reflect on what they are learning at school. Work can be made accessible to parents as well. The collective monitoring of learning by students, teachers, and parents is a great way to motivate students, and the tool is incredibly popular with teachers.

10. Class Dojo

Class Dojo is a free classroom communication, community building, and behavior management application. A well-behaved student body is associated with better learning for everyone in the class as it minimizes distractions and improves student focus. Class Dojo enables teachers to not only track behavior and share this with parents, but also assign students tasks which build positive behavioral skills and traits.

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There is certainly no shortage of tech-based tools to use in the classroom. In this article we'll examine some of the best, focusing specifically on those that are designed for encouraging, enhancing, and managing learning. Socrative professes to be "your classroom app for fun, effective classroom engagement".

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There are so many digital tools available today that offer opportunities for promoting student creativity, student voice, and expanding where and how students learn. I had my own list of the tools that I found made a big difference in my classroom, but decided to ask students for their input.

Here is a list of tools to try in 2018. Each of these offer multiple ways for students to create, connect and engage in more authentic learning experiences.

Promoting Connected Learners

We were able to take our learning to a whole new level this year through Project Based Learning (PBL). Using these tools enabled us to connect with students from several Spanish speaking countries, which created tremendous possibilities for more authentic learning and broadening our cultural understanding.

1) : Virtual learning space, where teachers can set up a digital classroom to connect students with the resources they need, in a safe learning environment. Edmodo can be used for assessments and integrates with Microsoft Office and Google, making it easy to share files with students. Students relied on Edmodo to connect with students in Argentina, Mexico and Spain for their PBL. One student said "these connections enabled me to sculpt my PBL, and learn in ways that books, videos and regular classroom lessons cannot provide."

2) : Video response tool, which became one of the most talked about tools this past year after launching new features, making it even easier and more fun for students to share their ideas. Students can record up to a five minute response, add emojis to their photos and access the "grid" quickly through a grid code. It is a great tool for helping students to become more comfortable and confident in sharing their ideas and sparking curiosity with their peers.

3) : Padlet, a virtual wall, is a favorite in our classroom. Students can create a digital portfolio by uploading files and links to projects, curate resources for PBL, or have discussions with classrooms around the world. Other popular ways to use Padlet are to ask questions, post homework, or as a classroom website. Newer features include being able to "like", "grade" or "upvote" a post and directly transfer posts to another Padlet wall.

4) : Recap 2.0 is a free video response tool, which integrates with Edmodo, Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom and Blackboard, making it easy to implement right away. It provides a comfortable way for teachers and students to ask questions by setting them up in a "Queue". Students can submit questions and receive direct feedback, in a safe moderated environment.

Tools to Engage Students in Learning

5) Quizlet Live: Quizlet Live is a fun way to encourage student collaboration by playing a team game using a set of Quizlet study cards. Teachers select a set of study cards, launch a Live game by providing students with a join code, and students are divided into teams. To play, you need at least four players and a study set with at least 12 unique terms. Only one member of the team has the correct answer and answering incorrectly bounces the team score back to zero.

6) : Quizizz has launched some new features, including integrating with Edmodo and Google Classroom, which makes sharing or assigning games and reviewing results much easier. When playing live, students can see the class accuracy reflected as it updates the leaderboard live with each response. There are thousands of games available in the library, making it easy to get started or create your own.

7) : Some big changes to the layout and options of the platform make it easier to navigate and review questions in class. Teachers can now assign "challenges" to students as a fun way to practice by sharing a code. The new "Nickname Generator" creates fun and unique usernames such as "Mystery Panda" or "Fantastic Bat" to students. It definitely saves time rather than waiting for students try to come up with their own "creative" names.

8) : Blogging has many benefits for helping students to express themselves and begin to develop their online presence. Teachers can provide students with a variety of writing prompts to not only assess student learning, but promote creativity, communication, collaboration and digital citizenship skills. With Kidblog, teachers can even AppSmash (use two or more apps or tools together to complete a task) by embedding other tech tools into the platform, such as Buncee, Flipgrid or by uploading images and documents directly from Google Drive.

Creativity, Assessments, Interactive Lessons and More

9) : Buncee, a versatile presentation and assessment tool, is great for creating multimedia projects full of animations, graphics, audio, and videos. Choose from thousands of templates, backgrounds, animations and other graphics to create invitations, classroom signs, and unique "Buncees" for any purpose. Buncee enables every student to find exactly what they need to add into their project and to bring out their creativity.

10) : An interactive tool for creating formative assessments, for use in class or as student-paced practice. Students enjoy using Formative because they receive feedback quickly, they are able to "show" their work and when done as practice, move at their own pace. Teachers can create Formatives with different question types, content and even the ability to upload and transform files. Try having students create their own Formatives as a way to have more personalized and authentic practice.

Immersive Learning, Coding and Problem Solving

11) : Nearpod continues to be a game changer in our classroom. It provides so many options for presenting material as well as assessing students through diverse activities. The chance to be immersed in the virtual field trips and explore places around the world is of tremendous value for students. Educators can quickly create interactive lessons which include multiple question formats, the ability to upload content, BBC lessons, PhET simulations, and even add in GIFS! Nearpod integrates with Google Classroom and Canvas, and most recently with Remind, making it even easier to share lessons. Nearpod also added 27 "College Tours", available in VR, a great way to have students experience different schools by immersing in the campus, without having to travel the distance.

12) CoSpacesEDU: CoSpacesEDU provides students with a way to not only create their own "spaces", but to be able to walk in the spaces created by their peers. To explore in VR (Virtual Reality) and problem solve by figuring out how to code using Blockly, offers students a truly authentic way to learn, create and problem solve. The Gallery is full of examples to get you started with ideas for your classroom. Use CoSpaces to have students represent a scientific concept, a book report, or create a scene representing something studied in any content area. Talk about creativity, imagination, innovation and critical thinking, and more all in one tool.

In the End

These are just 12 of the many tools out there for education. The most important thing to remember is the "Why"? behind using these in the classroom. While these 12 tools made a difference in my classroom, they may not have the same impact in yours, but I do recommend giving them a try. Think about the tools you are currently using to amplify or facilitate student learning. What is making a difference in how, what and where students learn? Could one of these be used in place of another, as a way to engage students more in learning, or even better, provide opportunities for students to move from consumers to creators?

My advice is to simply choose one of these 12 tools and give it a try. See how it goes, ask your students for some feedback, and then plan your next steps.
For more, see: Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

Rachelle Dene Poth is a Foreign Language and STEAM Teacher at Riverview Junior/Senior High in Oakmont, PA. Follow her on Twitter at @rdene915

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12 Digital Tools to Try in 2018 | Getting Smart

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Rachelle Dene Poth had her own list of the tools that she found made a big difference in her classroom but decided to ask her students for their input. Here are the top 12 tools she and her students thought made the biggest difference.

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A tool for students to create, collaborate and publish their writing online.

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A digital tool to get kids moving and learning though song and dance...

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Get Your Kids Moving & Practicing Mindfulness with GoNoodle®. Start Watching Now & Get Access to Hundreds of Videos! Active Learning. Healthy Kids. Active Kids. Boost Learning.

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Technology has tools that will increase the rigor within the classroom...

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by Barbara R. Blackburn

Instructional rigor is a concept we can agree is important, despite the debate about the use of the word itself. Rigor is "creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels; each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels; and each student demonstrates learning at high levels (Blackburn, 2008)." But how does technology relate to rigor? As with any instructional tool, educational technology is critical to increasing rigor in the classroom. There are five ways technology can be used to increase rigor.
Technology can promote higher-order thinking.
Technology that increases rigor promotes higher order thinking, not rote level tasks. There are times it is appropriate to do lower level tasks, but they should build to higher levels of thinking. In other words, look for technology that is more than a basic worksheet on the screen. One tool that can be effective is using real-world simulations, which require students to analyze, reflect, synthesize information, and create solutions. (You can find some sample math examples here.)
Expectations can be raised.
In a rigorous classroom, expectations are high for everyone, even though the product may look different for a student with special needs and one who is an honors student. For example, the teacher in one classroom I visited wanted to increase expectations by moving students beyond simply summarizing a text. First, some students compared two texts they read rather than one; others compared and contrasted three texts for an overall analysis of a theme or author study. In both examples, students then created analysis vlogs (or video logs) from the perspective of a book reviewer for a TV network rather than writing simple summaries. The technology perspective enhanced the expectation level of the assignment.

Consider if the teacher did not use analysis vlogs. Instead, he or she simply asked students to write a paragraph or paper comparing and contrasting the texts. Certainly comparing and contrasting is higher level than summarizing, but the technology transforms the activity. With the vlogs, students are required to put themselves in the position of a book reviewer for a TV network. This means they have to analyze the text materials, synthesize the information, and then present it in a manner pertinent to a TV audience, which typically has a short attention span. Therefore, the students must identify the most important points and back them up with evidence, rather than telling everything they know. These expectations are far more rigorous.
'Application' is more natural.
Third, application is the focus. Using an app like Glogster, students can apply their knowledge by creating a multimedia, interactive poster. This can be used for a variety of application-oriented projects, from creating their own math word problems with images to creating a new character in a story or book. I also like having students create an informational poster that contains three errors, and other students must discover the mistakes and correct them.
Technology-based often requires multiple steps.
According to Webb's Depth of Knowledge, increasing rigor also requires multiple steps to accomplish the assignment rather than one single step. Instead than simply writing an essay about a famous scientist, students can create a fake Facebook page. Through their research, they must generate information to complete the profile, add friends, "like" pages, and complete status updates. This process is far more complex that a simple writing assignment, and requires multiple steps for completion.

The technology provides the structure for the multiple steps. For students to complete the Facebook page, they must first identify what information they will need, so they will have a focus for their research. Next, they must find the information. Third, they must translate the information into the Facebook format, requiring them to analyze and apply.
It can be easier to provide support for rigorous work.
Finally, technology tools that provide support for students to process their learning in different ways also support rigor. In my social studies class, my students learned better by drawing a mind map or other graphic organizer, rather than listing information. Apps like ShowMe for the IPad allow students to not only draw their information, but to record any accompanying information. This is especially helpful for primary students and for those with special needs. Mindmapping is also a great tool for students to use to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and to plan for additional assignments. (You can find some free apps for mindmapping here.)
Conclusion
Technology is a powerful tool that can help teachers increase rigor in their classrooms. As you integrate technology in your teaching, consider how its use reflects the principles we've discussed. I'm sure you'll find that incorporating these five principles will help you not only best meet your students' needs, but raise the rigor of their learning to new levels.
Barbara R. Blackburn is the author of 15 books, including Rigor in Your Classroom: A Toolkit for Teachers. She is also a national speaker and consultant, regularly presenting workshops for teachers and leaders on rigor, motivating struggling learners, and instructional strategies that improve student achievement. She can be reached through her website at www.barbarablackburnonline.com; How Technology Can Increase Rigor In The Classroom

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How Technology Can Increase Rigor In The Classroom

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by Barbara R. Blackburn Instructional rigor is a concept we can agree is important, despite the debate about the use of the word itself. Rigor is "creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels; each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels; and each student demonstrates learning at high levels (Blackburn, 2008)."

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How Technology can Support Authentic Learning

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How Technology can Support Authentic Learning

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Ways tech can support real-world, relevant learning for students...

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Authentic learning focuses on real-world, complex problems and their solutions, with the help of problem-based activities, case studies, role-plays, etc. Students involved with authentic

learning cultivate skills such as, they develop judgment to distinguish between authentic and non-authentic information, the patience to analyze it, the ability to recognize and uncover patterns and the flexibility to work across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to generate effective solutions.

Though authentic learning is most effective when actually carried out in real-life scenarios and situations, it is now evident that its value is not constrained to real-life locations and practices and its benefits can be realized through carefully designed Web-based environments. These environments provide access to the same resources that are used in research; they can provide access to astronomical data, historical war archives, online access to remote instruments, databases, software visualizations, images, audio and much more. Apart from access to all kinds of resources, such Web-based environments should make sure that they facilitate collaboration, for which Web-based communication tools can be used. Social networking tools can help learners find a broader community where they can share information and resources.

Authentic learning can rely on education technology to develop typical scenarios that learners encounter in real-world settings. Apart from learning resources and communication tools these online authentic learning experiences often integrate intelligent tutoring systems, concept mapping, immediate feedback, recorded events and more.

Technological support for authentic learning environments commonly includes:

High-speed Internet connectivity to access multimedia information, including dynamic data and practical visualizations of complex phenomena.

Asynchronous and synchronous communication and social networking tools for teamwork, including collaborative online investigations, resource sharing and knowledge construction.

Intelligent tutoring systems, virtual laboratories, and feedback mechanisms that capture rich information about student performance and help students learn in new situations.

Mobile devices for accessing and recording data during field-based investigations.

There are new and emerging technologies that allow students to take part in activities and projects beyond the classroom and diminish the differences between learning in school and in the real-world. It has been established that students learn better when they solve real-life problems than when they learn through contextualized information. As a consequence, many schools are trying to re-organize curriculum and instruction to support authentic learning and are finding various technologies for the purpose. With existing computers and telecommunications, students can search vast databases, collect data, share it online and can also create multimedia reports with text, graphics, sound and video.

Existing technologies already are playing an important role in supporting authentic learning. One relevant area is that of computer-assisted telecommunications which can promote more authentic instruction in several ways. Students can do basic research beyond boundaries to make it more thorough. Telecommunications also allows collaborative learning allowing students to team up with students around the world and also have ready access to mentors and experts for guidance and support. Another technological area that supports authentic learning is multimedia, which allows them tosearch through multimedia resources, save pieces of text, video, and sound, and later synthesize them in new ways. Multimedia resources also reduced students' dependence upon textbooks as vital sources of information.

Experts have agreed upon that the process of creating more authentic and engaging curriculum must accompany the process of integrating the latest technological developments in schools. Educators should seek ways to take the most useful of technologies and make them available to their students. Educators can introduce authentic content, replacing textbooks with historical documents and scientific data from remote sensors. They can design problem-based activities to replace lectures and expect students to collaborate with one another. They can support innovation with visualizations, simulations, and interactive technologies and to make everything effective, must rethink their assessment strategies.

Authentic learning may be more important than ever in a rapidly changing world, where information is short-lived and individuals want to progress through multiple careers. By confronting students with uncertainty, ambiguity, and conflicting perspectives, educators can help them mature their thinking and make them able to use problem-solving approaches effectively. Authentic learning activities enhance reflective judgments and help develop a valuable lifelong skill that goes beyond just the memorization of context. To be competitive in the global job market, students must become comfortable with the complexities of real-world problems. Providing them more exposure to authentic disciplinary communities will make them better prepared to deal with ambiguities and put them into practice of higher order analysis that is required of them as professionals.

How do you think that technology can support and enhance authentic learning? Are you aware of any instances where it does? Share your views and knowledge with us. The Comment Box awaits you.

Educational technology blogger, loves to research and write about tools and tips for educators on how to integrate technology into everyday instruction creatively and effectively. Fond of reading and writing.

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how technology supports authentic learning

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How Technology Can Support Authentic Learning

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Authentic learning focuses on real-world, complex problems and their solutions, with the help of problem-based activities, case studies, role-plays, etc. Students involved with authentic learning cultivate skills such as, they develop judgment to distinguish between authentic and non-authentic information, the patience to analyze it, the ability to recognize and uncover patterns and the flexibility to work across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to generate effective solutions.

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Ways that tech can be utilized to make learning more personal for students...

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Exploring Personalization in the Context of the Classroom

Teachers have been personalizing student learning experiences for a long time, through creativity, hard work, and meaningful relationships- but with the introduction of technology to the classroom, we have the opportunity to take that personalization to new heights. Using technology to personalize learning is largely intuitive for many educators, but there are certain factors of the interaction between teacher, student, and tech that can make or break the effectiveness of the instruction, and the ultimate impact for the student.

Here are some of the most foundational strategies for using technology to efficiently and meaningfully personalize learning in your classroom:

Keep Instruction Student-Centered

If you're using technology with the intention of personalizing learning but your instruction is overwhelmingly driven by the technology - or even by the teacher - then your instruction isn't as personalized as it could be. The hallmark of personalized learning is that it involves collaboration between student and teacher to determine the needs, plan, and design for learning. Technology should facilitate and actualize that collaboration, not dictate or determine its outcome.

For more on keeping personalized learning student-centered, see:

Use Technology with Purpose

We can understand technology to be purposeful when it informs instruction, gives the teacher insights into student learning gaps or pathways, and adapts to individual learning needs. Any technology you bring into your classroom should be inherently purposeful - and technology that's integrated into your design for teaching and learning should also be done so purposefully. This means that it's important to be mindful of both the quality of the technology you select, and its role in your larger strategy to collaborate with students to personalize learning.

Personalized learning gurus Tom Vander Ark, Tiffany Wycoff, and Janet Pittock offer up more details on the complexities between student, teacher, and technology:

Take it to Scale

As technology becomes a core component of the personalized learning strategy across classrooms, grade levels, and buildings in your district, it's important to consider how students can experience a cohesive, carefully designed strategy for learning throughout their educational career, all the way from kindergarten to graduation. Strategic planning and tech implementation at such a large scale is complex. The Future Ready Schools five-step process for creating a personalized learning action plan can provide both a framework and community for you to begin personalizing learning for every student in your district, no matter your challenges.

Future Ready Schools has multiple avenues and tools to help you use technology to personalize learning. See below for more information:

Design for Every Learner

Effectively using technology to personalize learning also calls for equitable instruction - which means not only that every student has access to robust resources and tools, but that they have access to what they need in a specific moment in their learning experience, despite race, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, family background, or family income (The Council of Chief State School Officers). Through the lens of equity, it's important to consider multiple facets of a student's experience with their surroundings when using any technology or instructional methods to personalize learning. Students may need to be explicitly taught how to use technology for the purpose of learning, and learning can't be truly personalized without culturally responsive teaching practices and teacher awareness of student well-being.

To further explore the challenges of digital equity, read:

For more on using technology to personalize learning, explore our blog, Inspired Ideas:

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How to Use Technology to Personalize Learning - Inspired Ideas - Medium

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Teachers have been personalizing student learning experiences for a long time, through creativity, hard work, and meaningful relationships- but with the introduction of technology to the classroom, we have the opportunity to take that personalization to new heights.

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The Pros of Technology to Personalize Learning

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The Pros of Technology to Personalize Learning

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Why technology is a key component to personalizing learning for students...

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The old-school methods of conducting a classroom simply don't work for today's plugged-in students, who gain little from churning out stacks of worksheets and study guides. Modern learning theory supports the shift away from antiquated, rote learning models toward personalized learning opportunities in which instructional designs and academic-support strategies are tailored to each individual student's needs rather than uniform lesson planning. This model also creates fun and engaging classroom atmospheres that benefit students and teachers alike.

Personalized learning is not a new concept, but the emergence of classroom technology has made it easier for educators to develop and deliver such student-centered lessons. This article explores the benefits of personalized learning and how technology provides alternatives to traditional "one-size-fits-all" approaches to teaching.
Drive Student Engagement
A common problem in classrooms is a disconnection between teachers and students. Instructors are often not using the same language as their students, and the passive way in which information is delivered can create even more disconnect for students who are either very far ahead or very far behind their peers. This is one of the areas in which the personalized learning model greatly benefits teachers and students alike.

Because this model takes into account each student's learning needs, interests, abilities, and aspirations, personalized learning creates more engaging and dynamic classrooms that drive academic achievement and personal growth. In fact, case studies have found that implementing technology in the classroom to create personalized learning plans increases student achievement and improves test scores by an average of 30%. Here are some of the specific ways teachers can use technology to create, implement, and measure personalized lessons:

Deliver instruction through engaging forms of media, including videos, audio clips, and interactive games

Give students more options beyond the traditional essay, poster, or report; for example, students can deliver a multimedia slide presentation or a comic created with animation software to convey their understanding of a topic

Use digital tools to gather immediate feedback on students' understanding and use the information to customize subsequent lessons

Facilitate Design Thinking
Personalized learning, design thinking (DT), and project-based learning (PBL) often go hand in hand. Design thinking is being used in health care, business, education, and other fields as a strategic problem-solving method that involves stakeholders and fosters empathy. PBL is focused on driving students to research, encounter, and interact with the central concepts and principles of a particular discipline or topic. Design thinking is being used in healthcare, business, education, and other fields as a strategic problem-solving method that involves stakeholders and fosters empathy. These student-driven learning projects have been shown to increase student engagement and help students retain content longer and gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum than traditional classroom settings. PBL supports the personalized learning model by allowing teachers to tailor research projects based on the interests, aspirations, cultural backgrounds, or learning needs of individual students.

Within DT and PBL classrooms, technology puts students in more active and engaging roles with regard to their education, particularly about how to collaborate and research, as well as how to generate, obtain, manipulate, interpret, and display information. Technology also allows for more dynamic lesson plans that can be geared toward individual students or groups of students, as opposed to teacher-led discussions or textbook lessons that assume a group baseline and ignore the personalized needs of individual learners.
Streamline Differentiated Learning
The old style of teaching a class involves a linear process of the teacher introducing new material, followed by students practicing the new skill with worksheets and taking a test to demonstrate understanding. The class moves forward regardless of how many students actually master the material. Lagging students get left behind, while others are bored because they master the subject faster than their peers.

One goal of a personalized learning plan is giving students time to explore subjects that interest them, in ways that work best for them. Educators are coming to understand that every student in a classroom possesses a unique set of talents and interests. Personalized learning allows students to express their curiosity and put forth their best work using tools and strategies that highlight their abilities rather than illuminate their disabilities. When each student is allowed to shine in his or her own unique way, your classroom culture will become more positive and students will be encouraged to keep pushing themselves to do better on each successive project.

Numerous studies have concluded that differentiated classrooms do a better job of providing students of all abilities the instruction they need. High-performing students stay challenged and less bored, while students with mild to severe disabilities are also offered the opportunity to learn and demonstrate competency in ways that work for them.
Master Personalized Learning with an M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology
To gain a solid foundation in educational technology, learning theories, curriculum design, and differentiated classroom facilitation, consider earning your Master of Education in Learning Design and Technology. This program will equip you to effectively teach students of all skill levels and abilities by developing instruction for individualized learning. Contact Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and request information about our online M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology program.

Check out the "How Educators Use Technology and Data to Guide Teaching and Learning" free eBook.

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The Benefits of Personalized Learning Through Technology

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The old-school methods of conducting a classroom simply don't work for today's plugged-in students, who gain little from churning out stacks of worksheets and study guides. Modern learning theory supports the shift away from antiquated, rote learning models toward personalized learning opportunities in which instructional designs and academic-support strategies are tailored to each individual student's needs rather than uniform lesson planning.

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What Technology looks like in a Personalized Learning Environment

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What Technology looks like in a Personalized Learning Environment

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What you will see in a classroom that personalizes learning using technology...

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Much has been made about the connection between technology and personalized learning. So let's get some clarity.
Q: Can you personalize learning without technology?
A: Yes. But technology is a great tool for implementing personalized learning.
Q: Is personalized learning driven by technology?
A: No. It's driven by good teaching and strong supports centered on the needs of each learner.
Q: Is personalized learning simply putting kids in front of screens and pressing play?
A: No. Technology is a tool, much like a pencil or a composition notebook, it helps bring learning to life by providing a means for learners to practice and the ability to demonstrate work.

Keep these four factors is mind as you work to successfully implement technology as part of any personalized learning environment:

1. Technology is an additive. Technology, whether a tablet, laptop and/or online program or platform should enhance, not replace great teaching in the classroom. The goal of personalized learning is to meet each student where they are. That goal can only be achieved by utilizing engaging direct instruction, project-based learning, cooperative learning and supportive technology. Technology can help students fill in learning gaps, advance learning through greater exploration of content and connect students directly to insights and research from subject matter experts.

2. Technology should be implemented naturally. Think about each classroom as an ecosystem. Technology must live in balance, in concert, with the other learning options and modalities. In fact, over-reliance on technology is contrary to the core premise of personalized learning - all students need multiple ways to interact and demonstrate their mastery of knowledge and skills.

3. Technology extends the benefits of great teaching. To provide each student with engaging instruction, just-in-time supports and real-world learning opportunities, technology can and should play a role. This could be in the form of a flipped classroom where technology allows for direct instruction at individual pacing online while allowing for application of skills in the classroom under the guidance of a teacher. Technology can also play a role in organizing day-to-day classroom activities by allowing students to rotate between small group instruction, online practice and group work. In rural communities, technology has improved access to advanced coursework for students through video-based lessons or distance learning-based options.

4. Technology is part of youth culture. Today's students are digital natives. From early childhood they have been immersed in media-rich environments, using computers, playing online games and constantly consuming and using digital spaces for social interaction, content creation and consumption. Its normal for them to toggle between research and writing all while listening to music on Spotify... it's second nature.

Personalized learning leverages technology and adaptive learning platforms to optimize educational resources and minimize wasted time. Students can focus on areas they need to develop, accelerating their progress and potentially shortening the overall duration of their learning journey. This targeted approach can also lead to cost savings by reducing the need for repetitive instruction or unnecessary coursework.

Is technology an educational silver bullet or the end of public education as we know it? Neither. It is a tool in the toolbox to help educators improve engagement, meet students where they are and prepare them for the technology-rich workforce they will enter.

Think about it this way: An airplane is full of technological advancements to improve navigation, safety and communication but we still need a highly trained pilot to fly the aircraft and bring us to the correct destination. No matter the technology in the classroom, we still need teachers, great teachers, to help students cultivate a love of learning and master the core content and skills they need to be successful.

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Personalized Learning and Technology: Four Things to Keep in Mind

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Technology is a tool, but teachers are the key to personalized learning. We answer some questions and address misconceptions.

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6 Emerging Technologies that Help Support Personalized Learning

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6 Emerging Technologies that Help Support Personalized Learning

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New emerging tools that will personalize learning for all students...

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This a follow up to 4 Iowa Schools Getting Personalized Learning Right.
Dee Lanier, an amazing and inspiring educator, has recently challenged my thinking about how important it is to "vet" the technology I am using. Educators, administrators and technology directors/coordinators should be fastidious about what programs they are purchasing and supporting for use in their institutions. What does this mean? There needs to be serious reflection and many conversations before clicking "purchase." A superb resource for technology evaluation and reflection is TRUDACOT, a discussion protocol intended to help facilitate educator conversations about deeper learning, student agency, authentic work, and technology integration (credit to the creators, who-full disclosure-are dear friends and previous colleagues Scott McLeod & Julie Graber). When vetting school or classroom technology, there are many key factors (see this great podcast series on designing pilot programs for EdTech and personalized learning). As a starting point, here are three questions you must consider:

1. Does the technology overshadow, mask, or otherwise draw the focus away from important learning?

2. Does the technology add value so that students can do their work in better or different ways?

3. Are digital technologies utilized by students in both appropriate and empowering ways?

If your answers are "no," "yes," and "yes," you're off to a great start. Below are a few technology platforms that I support wholeheartedly, which tick each box above. My considerations are usually focused around a few questions. I like to ask: How does this tool lower the floor for young, emerging learners? Can the roof be raised easily for our high-flyers? What is the potential for personalization?

6 Tech Tools to Support Personalized Learning

Seesaw: A student-driven digital portfolio that documents student learning with built-in creative tools and provides an authentic audience for student work.

Soundtrap: A cloud-based recording studio that harnesses critical thinking and communication skills through collaborative, creative audio recording projects and bridges the necessary skills for preparing our 21st century learners for a global, connected world.

WeVideo: A cloud-based video editing and digital storytelling platform.

ExplainEverything: A cloud collaboration platform built on the learning technology of tomorrow that helps students and teachers tell their unique story.

Code.org: Their vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. They provide open-ended programs, tutorials, and full curriculum to support this cause.

Minecraft: Empowers unique and creative learning experiences for educators and students by providing an open-world game which promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is your imagination.

How do we get there?

In my previous post, I discussed four rural Iowa schools doing personalized learning right. How do schools who may be dozens or even hundreds of miles away from the nearest music store or science center implement technology with such expertise? For one, rural schools and communities are usually strong and tight-knit. There are close relationships that can be tapped into for support. These relationships can help reinforce personalized learning models in their schools. According to A Guidebook for Success: Strategies for Implementing Personalized Learning in Rural Schools, personalized learning is essential for rural schools because it "provides opportunities for students that often are not available in many rural districts. With its focus on individual learning and the use of emerging technologies, personalized learning helps to transcend many of the limitations confronting rural students, such as geography and limited course opportunity and access."

Yes! Bingo.

Ok, now that we know what successful personalized learning looks like in schools and we understand the urgency of providing these opportunities to our learners, we need to start the engine. Future Ready Schools has a great guidebook designed just for this process which has a 5 step planning process and focuses on these categories (keep in mind this is geared for district-wide adoption):

1. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Teachers customize instruction, content, and assessment on a student-to-student basis to ensure mastery.

2. Personalized Professional Learning: Through technology and digital learning, educators access professional resources and learning opportunities that can lead to improvements in their students' academic success.

3. Budget and Resources: Districts align their budgets with personalized learning priorities including ongoing support for quality technology and infrastructure.

4. Community Partnerships: Schools and districts partner with local businesses and industries to advance the school's learning goals.

5. Data and Privacy: Districts and schools establish policies and procedures for collecting, analyzing, storing, and reporting student data that ensure student privacy and data security.

6. Robust Infrastructure: Teachers embrace technology and online platforms to access tools, resources, data, and systems necessary to tailor student learning.

7. Use of Space and Time: Through technology and a new approach to classroom structure, teachers and schools leverage in-school and out-of-school time to meet the needs of individual learners.

These steps are intense but imperative to shift teaching and learning for our students' global success. Let's roll up our sleeves and start this important work!

For more, see:

Meredith Allen is an education consultant and Educational Ambassador for Soundtrap.
Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

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6 Emerging Technologies Supporting Personalized Learning

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This a follow up to 4 Iowa Schools Getting Personalized Learning Right. Dee Lanier, an amazing and inspiring educator, has recently challenged my thinking about how important it is to "vet" the technology I am using. Educators, administrators and technology directors/coordinators should be fastidious about what programs they are purchasing and supporting for use in their institutions.

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Ways Technology can Boost Student Engagement

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Ways Technology can Boost Student Engagement

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Technology can engage students in a way that other tools cannot...

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Gallup's 2013 State of America's Schools reported that 55% of US K-12 students are "engaged" in the learning process, while 28% are "not engaged," and 17% are "actively disengaged."

Technology may be one of the keys to increasing the number of engaged students in America's classrooms. In our multi-phase Teaching in a Digital Age study, we are working with many partners to research digital teaching strategies and how they positively affect student learning. One of these positive effects reported by educators is the increased intensity of student engagement that occurs when technology is integrated into the classroom.

Technology as a tool helps teachers create and present content and instruction that is interesting and relevant to students. When learning is relevant to students, then they become engaged, active learners. How does this happen?

With increased access to learning resources, tools and information, students are drawn deeper into a topic than ever before. They can even direct their own learning. In fact, when done well, students don't just learn with technology- they create. One educator noted:
"When students have this technology, they can create things. They can innovate things.... When they have Photoshop in front of them and I say do this, this, and this, what they can create is always going to be completely, uniquely different. And, they become artists with that or they become filmmakers, or they become web designers. Like they can take on a lot of really advanced roles, and I think that's something that technology does uniquely provide, because you can't be a web designer without that technology. You can't create a film without that technology. And, I feel like that's really different than a textbook...let me let you take your creativity, and using this technology, create something I would have never made."
Educators in Meridian, Idaho noted the misconception that students are only engaged individually with technology. Their classrooms don't look like separate students glued to a screen. Instead, educators can direct students to engage collaboratively with the use of technology. With technology, collaboration among students is easier and broader. It also opens doors to widen the audience and purpose of student work, giving meaning to the schoolwork.

And, with increased student engagement, comes increased learning. There is a strong research base that describes how technology strengthens student engagement and learning. For example, active learning is associated with improved student academic performance (Hake, 1998; Knight & Wood, 2005; Michael, 2006; Freeman, et al., 2007; Chaplin, 2009), and increased student engagement, critical thinking, and better attitudes toward learning (O'Dowd & Aguilar-Roca, 2009). Read more in my paper.

If technology supports teachers' efforts to focus on effective practices that engage students, then we have another tool to engage that half of US students who aren't currently engaged.

Learn more about what educators tell us are the benefits of ed tech: Teaching with Technology

About the Author

Liane Wardlow, a former Pearson research scientist, focused on designing and implementing research studies examining e-learning in on-ground and on-line K-20 classrooms. She also worked collaboratively across research centers on a multi-state research project measuring the use and effects of digital technology on teachers' instructional practices and students' learning outcomes. Prior to joining Pearson, Dr. Wardlow worked as a research scientist at the University of CA, San Diego in the Department of Psychology, and for the US Department of Education in the Institute for Education Sciences. Dr. Wardlow holds a master's degree in Education from the University of Southern California and a doctorate in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Follow her on Twitter: @LianeWardlow

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How technology can boost student engagement

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Gallup's 2013 State of America's Schools reported that 55% of US K-12 students are "engaged" in the learning process, while 28% are "not engaged," and 17% are "actively disengaged."

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What rigor looks like and how it can be increased in the classroom...

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"Rigor is the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging." Teaching What...

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How Technology can Increase Creativity and Rigor

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How Technology can Increase Creativity and Rigor

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Technology boosts creativity which in turn boosts rigor in the classroom...

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We in education are fond of buzzwords that reflect the latest, hot trends or newest resources or research. Scarcely can we attend a professional learning session or listen to an educational leader without hearing the newest eduspeak (That's another one.): relevance, engagement, child-centered, empower, brain-based, collaboration, authentic, etc. One term that is not new but is making a comeback is rigor. Recently, our district has begun a renewed emphasis on the application of rigor, which is a good thing. However, there is something of a lack of clarity as to its meaning and how it should be manifested in the curriculum. In our defense, even the dictionary definitions of rigor can often be of little help. Dictionary.com defines rigor with such unappealing phrases as "strictness, severity, or harshness", "the full or extreme severity of laws, rules, etc.", "scrupulous or inflexible accuracy or adherence", etc. Few teachers today would strive to create a classroom with this type of climate. I posed the question on Twitter last week, and received only one response. My Dallas friend Paul Wood described rigor as "causing someone to think, digging deeper. Not just surface thinking." Discussions with co-workers expanded on this theme and added the element of increasing cognitive load. A search online found a repeated theme of "high expectations", which is good, but still not concrete, as opinions on what constitutes high expectations can widely differ.

Although the precise definition remains somewhat elusive, something of a consensus was reached among some of the people with whom I spoke about how rigor can be achieved when using technology in the curriculum. Too often, technology has not contributed rigor to the classroom because it has been used merely as a substitute for student work that is not rigorous to begin with. PowerPoints or word processing documents are used as a replacement for worksheets or pencil-and-paper essays. Student response systems assess students' knowledge at the basic, recall levels that might have been assessed using multiple-choice, paper tests. The interactive whiteboard or document camera replaces the dry-erase or chalkboard. While such activities may increase student engagement at a very shallow level, they do not ask anything more from the student. The use of technology alone is insufficient as a means of increasing rigor.

So, then, how can technology be leveraged in a way that increases cognitive load and facilitates genuine rigor in the curriculum? One step teachers can take is to apply Bloom's taxonomy, a strategy very familiar to all educators. When designing a technology-rich student learning opportunity, we should strive to use the tools to encourage and develop higher-level thinking. In the current incarnation of Bloom's, higher-level thinking occurs at the analyzing, evaluating, and creating levels. I've written and presented quite a bit on the topic of technology and creativity lately, and it is a topic near and dear to me. In my youth, I seriously considered becoming an artist when I grew up. One of the primary reasons I abandoned this idea was the generally negative opinions I encountered from many influential adults on the subject, both spoken and unspoken. This negative atmosphere largely persists today, as subjects such as music, art, graphic design, etc. are bemoaned as "frivolous" by those advocating a "back-to-basics" view of a rigorous curriculum.

Rather than expounding on the reasons why I believe such a view is complete nonsense, I've instead shared a video (below) by Sir Ken Robinson. He is a strong proponent of increasing opportunities in the curriculum, and I've shared videos of his talks before. This one focuses on the ways that creativity and rigor are actually far from mutually exclusive, and he makes a strong case for the idea that the act of creativity is a highly rigorous process. It involves planning, originality of ideas, and the making of a meaningful product. Creativity is very often a highly collaborative process that involves a great deal of critical thinking, as well. When we thoughtfully design technology-rich opportunities for our students to make a film, craft a simulation, design an object or structure, or create a visual, musical, or physical representation of an idea or concept, we take advantage of the best capabilities of technology. We encourage the highest levels of rigor. When we do that, the lower levels so prominent in our accountability assessments will become easy.

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We in education are fond of buzzwords that reflect the latest, hot trends or newest resources or research. Scarcely can we attend a professional learning session or listen to an educational leader without hearing the newest eduspeak (That's another one.): relevance, engagement, child-centered, empower, brain-based, collaboration, authentic, etc.

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Understanding SAMR, TIM, and TPACK...

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What You Need to Know about Technology Integration Frameworks A framework by definition is a basic structure underlying a system, concep...

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Successful technology integration will have a framework to guide teachers and help them be reflective on their implementation of tech...

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What Is Successful Technology Integration?

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Well-integrated use of technology resources by thoroughly trained teachers makes twenty-first-century learning possible. From our Technology Integration Professional Development Guide.

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Understanding Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge...

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Access videos, whitepapers, eBooks, webinars, blogs, infographics, case studies, demos and more in our resource hub to support your success.

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Understanding the Technology Integration Matrix...

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a resource supporting the full integration of technology in arizona schools

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A Resource Supporting the Full Integration of Technology in Arizona Schools - Arizona K12 Center

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A Resource Supporting the Full Integration of Technology in Arizona Schools

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Details on SAMR (Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition)...

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Four trends in education that are expected to change the frontier of learning by the end of 2018.

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Each year, it is exciting to take a look at the emerging trends in education and speculate on how edtech will continue to impact student learning in the future. Across the country, students often arrive at school armed with their own devices and proceed to create simulations and track experiments in science, take online courses that supplement their traditional education, and collaborate on assignments in real time using Google Apps and similar programs. As technology continues to develop along with awareness of the need to increase edtech accessibility and training, an entirely new landscape for teaching and learning unfolds. Below are four trends in education that are expected to change the frontier of learning by the end of 2018.

AR provides a visual simulation that allows teachers to amplify their lessons and textbook content, and engages students by transforming the object or place being studied-or even by transforming the classroom itself. Rather than serving as a portal into a created or virtual reality, AR amplifies what currently exists. The result? The user experiences places, objects and concepts in a whole new way. For instance, when students use AR to step into a historical place or time, they can explore the setting firsthand, make determinations about what they want to learn or do, and follow prompts to explore inside, under, around, and through buildings, anatomy, or natural phenomena. Simply put, AR has the power to supplement education across the curriculum and actively engage learners in a way that is meaningful and reaches multiple learning styles.

2. Artificial intelligence

In a world where we are growing more and more accustomed to (and perhaps reliant on) intelligent digital assistants like Siri for help with everyday life, it is easy to see how AI can make the jump into the classroom. Whether by offering insight into student learning, facilitating communication, or supporting teachers with grading, AI provides opportunities to transform the learning process and delegate time-consuming rote tasks, thereby leaving more time for enhanced learning.

3. Improved accessibility via learning tech

Computer-based games, apps, and digital learning devices play an important role in the education of students with disabilities. As new tech emerges for both the home and classroom, students are better able to learn in a way that meets their needs and is more inclusive, all the while reducing the stigma of assistive technology. Audiobooks, dictation software, and reading apps already help many students with visual/auditory challenges or certain disabilities such as dyslexia. In this day and age, the increased presence of AI devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home means students with and without disabilities are more familiar with the concept of speaking to devices, which may facilitate greater understanding and support of students who need to use assistive technology in the classroom. This also presents the opportunity for teachers to plan lessons and assignments that engage the class in device-based learning, thereby creating a more inclusive environment for all students.
4. Data privacy and cybersecurity
Data privacy has been on the minds of district administrators for years thanks to the increase in student device use-in fact, it was one of the big trends for 2017. With technology continuing to be integrated and broadly used in schools, cybersecurity remains a serious concern in 2018 and beyond. More than 32 million education records were compromised in the first half of 2017 alone, with the education sector making up 13 percent of total data breaches. And it is not just test scores that are compromised; student and personnel information, tax identification and financial documents are all at risk, leading to concerns over potential identity theft in addition to attacks on school infrastructure. Further compounding the problem is the fact that schools often have limited resources to deal with and prevent phishing, ransomware, and other common forms of cyberattack.

As new technology and additional uses for previously integrated edtech emerge, schools in today's cybersociety should be more diligent than ever in creating a safe and productive digital environment for students. By harnessing the power of AR and AI, teachers can open the doors to learning in a whole new manner, and schools are likely to see an increase in both engagement and understanding of critical skills. When tied into successful learning practices such as blended learning and research-backed computer-based education programs, the learning of the future looks promising to say the least.

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4 Emerging Trends in Educational Technology for 2018

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Each year, it is exciting to take a look at the emerging trends in education and speculate on how edtech will continue to impact student learning in the future.

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Flipped Learning is a form of blended learning where students learn their lessons at home by watching video lectures and studying content online, and then doing their homework in class. Basically instead of learning directly from the teacher students learn from each other through a process of small groups using critical problem solving.

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Applying game principles to non-game situations.

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Classcraft has been acquired by learning technology company HMH! 🎉 Learn more here.

Humans love to play. By tapping into this part of our nature to enhance the school experience, Classcraft's use of gamification helps to make learning more effective, meaningful, and fun.

What is gamification, anyway?

You've probably heard of classic educational games like Oregon Trail, or more recent ones like Prodigy Math. However, there's an important difference between educational games and gamification.

While educational games integrate educational content into game design, "gamification" refers to the process of applying game elements to non-game contexts. We adults engage with forms of gamification all the time, like customer rewards programs and fitness app leaderboards.

When it comes to school, gamification is a fantastic tool for motivating students to engage with their learning, demonstrate positive behavior, and more. This is why it's such an important part of Classcraft.

Backed up by science

We're big fans of self-determination theory.

This well-established field of research has found that people are driven to change and grow by three core psychological needs - autonomy, competence, and relatedness. It has also highlighted the importance of intrinsic motivation, or in other words, motivation to do something simply because you find it interesting or enjoyable.

Gamification works wonders at putting self-determination theory into practice. In the classroom, it provides autonomy, competence, and relatedness while helping to produce intrinsic motivation. Ultimately, students are driven to learn through enjoyment rather than pressure or fear of punishment.

Supporting both academics and behavior

Gamification is so powerful for helping kids succeed on multiple levels because both academic ability and behavior are developed through learning. Whether the goal is to improve in math or get better at collaborating with others, a student is far more likely to accomplish that goal when the learning process is enjoyable and meaningful for them.

Classcraft takes everything that gamification and self-determination theory have to offer and uses them to give learners what they need - psychologically and personally - to develop both academic knowledge and positive behavior.

Games, culture, and relationships

Of course, gamification is about more than just using psychology to make learning more effective. It's also about creating an experience that nurtures positive relationships and resonates with students culturally.

This is the beauty of play. For much of human history, it has sparked closer collaboration, friendly competition, new ways of communicating, and more. When all of this is channeled into the classroom through gamification - as well as game-inspired elements that kids recognize and love - that's when school becomes more than just school.

It becomes a place where engaged learners and inspired educators can work and play together to build a truly supportive environment, one where everyone has the chance to succeed.

Ready to transform your classroom?

You can sign up for the free version of Classcraft at any time!

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Gamification is a powerful method for improving student outcomes both academically and behaviorally, while also strengthening relationships and school culture.

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How Alexa has changed the classroom and 30 ways to use it...

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Amazon Echo in the Classroom | Teacher Vlog

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Teachers should integrate tech into the classroom...

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Think that integrating technology into the classroom will only distract students and marginalize educators?

Think again. Since students are already interested and engaged in technology, teachers can harness that attention for educational purposes. Incorporating the internet, laptops, tablets and even smartphones into the curriculum has many benefits for teachers and students alike.

1. Engages students and creates active learners.

Using a computer, tablet, or other device encourages self-directed learning and creates an active participant in the learning process, rather than the passive learners found in a lecture environment. Interactive lesson plans can help turn "boring" conceptual subjects like math and science into fun, engaging, and educational activities for students.

2. Encourages individual learning and growth.

No one learns in the same way or at the same pace, but technology can level-set the classroom. For example, technology can provide accommodations for struggling or disabled students, and virtual lesson plans provide individualized instruction for all. Students can learn at their own speed, reviewing difficult concepts or skipping ahead as needed. Additionally, access to the internet gives students access to a broad range of resources to conduct research.
Ready to get started? Four steps to take to help you prepare a 1:1 classroom.
3. Facilitates peer collaboration.

In a research project conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, many educators reported that technology facilitated peer collaboration. They noted that when students were assigned to small groups for technology-based projects, those students who already had certain computer and technology skills routinely assisted less skilled students. Peer tutoring, mentoring, and collaboration were the unexpected results of the technology integration.

4. Prepares students for the real world.

Technology is an integral part of how we work and live, every day. Teaching students how to use technology to learn, research, collaborate, and solve problems from an early age will better prepare them for their careers. It can also help reduce the fear of new technology in the future by familiarizing them with the discovery process for each new tool.

5. Creates more engaged and successful teachers.

Using technologies like virtual lesson plans and internet resources can help free up time - both in developing and delivering the curriculum. This allows teachers to spend more time with the students who are struggling, ensuring the whole class is better prepared for tests and advancement.

As an educator, integrating technology into the curriculum is key. In other words, don't just add a piece of technology to a lesson plan just because you can. Make sure you understand:

How to use the technology

How to train students on using the technology

How the technology supports your curriculum

What benefits the technology brings to your lesson

An easy way to introduce technology is to start small. Try using a document camera to project textbook images on a screen, or introduce a website a week that corresponds with your lesson plan.

The point is not to let technology take over your classroom, but to integrate it. Traditional teaching processes like lectures, writing papers, and analog testing should not be abandoned. When combined effectively with the methods you're used to, technology can help you and help your students.
Capella University offers over 20 free professional development courses focused on educational technology, with options in three proficiency levels: limited technology experience, moderate experience, or teacher leaders/PD professionals.

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5 Reasons to Incorporate Technology into Your Classroom

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Think that integrating technology into the classroom will only distract students and marginalize educators? Think again. Since students are already interested and engaged in technology, teachers can harness that attention for educational purposes. Incorporating the internet, laptops, tablets and even smartphones into the curriculum has many benefits for teachers and students alike.

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Students need technology in their classrooms....

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10 Reasons Today's Students NEED Technology in the Classroom

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With an increasing emphasis on personalized learning and mobility, using technology in the classroom is a must for schools today. Here are 10 reasons why.

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The benefits of technology in the classrooms...

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Technology integration means more than randomly using technology for a PowerPoint review game...

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Technology has become part of the educational process, but too often it is separate and not integrated into the learning experience.Today, Education World offers easy and painless ways to integrate technology into your daily routine. Included: Nineteen activities and nearly 50 Web sites.
Integrating technology into the curriculum is a priority -- if not a mandate -- in most schools today. Most educational technology experts agree, however, that technology should be integrated, not as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis. The challenge, of course, is in finding ways to use technology -- and to help students use it -- that don't take time away from core subjects.

For many teachers, a lack of personal experience with technology presents an additional challenge. In order to incorporate technology-based activities and projects into their curriculum, those teachers first must find the time to learn to use the tools and understand the terminology necessary for participation in those projects or activities.

Used properly, however, technology can be a tool for teachers as well as for students. To help teachers new to technology gain experience in using it, and to help tech savvy teachers incorporate technology more fully into their daily routines, Education World offers the following easy ways in which you can seamlessly integrate technology into your daily and weekly classroom routines.

1. Include URLs in your monthly calendar.
Each month, Education World provides a printable and editable coloring calendar for classroom use. Before distributing copies of the calendar to your students, add the URLs of a few sites that will add to their understanding of the months events -- and encourage them to visit those sites. TheSeptember calendar, for example, might offer links to sites about Labor Day, Grandparents' Day, and Hispanic Heritage Month. (A kid-friendly search engine such as Yahoo Kids will help you locate appropriate sites.)

2. Challenge students with online mathematics problems.
Add a daily or weekly mathematics challenge to your seatwork assignments, math lessons, or extra credit activities. The Math ForumsMath Problem of the Week offers word problems in five categories -- math fundamentals, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus. The AIMS Puzzle Corner provides more than 100 math-related puzzles appropriate for students in upper elementary grades and middle school. Most include printable worksheets. Aunty Math's Math Challenges for K-5 Learners offers biweekly word problems for younger students, while high school students will enjoy the news-related math problems at Math Counts. Dont like todays problem? Not to worry! Most of the sites listed also include extensive archives. If you teach grades 3-8, extend your students online math experience and encourage them to match wits with students around the world by participating in the Abacus International Math Challenge.

3. Introduce a word of the day.
Extend students vocabulary by including an online word of the day in opening activities, seatwork assignments, or language arts lessons. The Daily Buzzword atWord Central provides a word of the day and related activity appropriate for upper elementary students. Vocabulary Builder offers words and definitions for students in grades 4-6 and grades 6-9. The words and definitions at A Word a Day and Word of the Day are best for students in middle and high school.

4. Keep them spelling.
Spelling is not a subject that should die in elementary school. Prove it to your middle and high school students by adding spelling to language arts lessons or extra credit assignments. Spelling lists can be found atSpellingcity.com.

5. Make history real.
For many kids, history is only a subject in a book; one that's unrelated to real people, real events, or todays news. Personalize history lessons for those students by beginning each history lesson with a quick visit toToday in History or This Day in History.

6. Make the news a learning tool.
Help students better understand current events and connect todays news to their own lives by encouraging them to further explore the issues of the day.How Stuff Works also is an extensive site with information on a vast number of topics. Today's students, for example, might want to learn How Stinger Missiles Work, How Stem Cells Work, or How Hybrid Cars Work.

7. Keep 'em guessing!
It's Friday afternoon and most students have their eyes on the clock and their minds on a weekend of freedom. If you have access to enough computers that students can work individually or in small groups, try to keep the learning going with some stimulating online games. Solving the problems atMystery Net generally demands more logic than Math. That sites features include Get-a-Clue, a daily mystery appropriate for younger students; See-n-Solve, a weekly mystery featuring USA TV's Detective Monk; and Solve-it!, a monthly mystery in which students read a mystery and then solve the crime. The latter two activities are best for older students. Or, simply reward students for a week of hard work by allowing them a few minutes to play some of the online Logic Games at SuperKids. Games include Battleship, checkers, tic-tac-toe, BreakOut, and more.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © Education World

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Integrating Tech: More Than Just Having Computers | Education World

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Technology has become part of the educational process, but too often it is separate and not integrated into the learning experience.Today, Education World offers easy and painless ways to integrate technology into your daily routine. Included: Nineteen activities and nearly 50 Web sites.

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has pros and cons...