Educational technology is technology that is used in an educational setting. #edtech is the hashtag used on social media to identify posts about educational technology.
EdTech includes learning management systems like Canvas and Google Classroom, apps, web-based tools, and social media. Pretty much, if it is technology, it may have potential to be used in classrooms.
The question then becomes how.
When it comes to EdTech, there are 5 things that I consider before using it with students.
I have mentioned all of these in previous posts. Specifically when talking about a five of my favorite apps.
One of the things that I look for in an EdTech tool is how easy it is to use. Once I know how long it took me to figure out, I can determine how easily students will pick it up.
I want to be able to teach students how to use within one class period. Ideally, in under 10 minutes. This way, students are engaged in meaningful tasks as quickly as possible.
When I checkout an app, I determine how much of an expert I need to be. For example, what might I need to explicitly model or demonstrate? With 3DBear, I need to show them how to start a new project.
Once I know what I need to model, I can determine what students may be able to figure out through exploration. For example, when using Toontastic, students can figure out how to edit their characters during an exploration.
I prefer to learn alongside students, so if an app can do create that opportunity, I am in. I have only found a few exceptions to this.
If I truly can’t wrap my head around something (it happens), but I still think it has potential, I share it with the students. I’m not understanding how to use something to its full potential. This is when I turn to my students and get their feedback after they explore it.
I know that I’ve said this before. But if I am enthusiastic about an app or tool, then so will my students. There is a lot of truth to enthusiasm being contagious.
Part of that could be because I check out new apps and tools with childlike curiosity and enthusiasm. Checking out a new app is very much like unwrapping a gift. Unboxing. Surprises and fun.
Has there ever been an app or tool that I wasn’t jazzed about? Sure.
There has been a time or two, and initial explorations scream students engagement. I identified the features they’d fall in love with and played those up. Even if an app or tool isn’t my wheelhouse, I can see value in and appreciate what my students would absolutely love.
If my students are enthusiastic about the EdTech that we use then their engagement will be high. I want my students to be so excited about what we are using that they convince their classroom teachers to use it.
There’s something that happens when I’m checking out a new app or tool. My brain starts shooting off ideas rapid fire.
Ease of use and student engagement is critical, but I look for more. Honestly, if it can only be uses in the media center, then I don’t think it’s worth it. When teaching the kiddos a new coding tool I sure am teaching the coding. But…I also entertain how it could be used for writing, social studies projects, and even math.
I was playing around with Texting Story one night. Immediately, I saw potential. Students could create create conversations between characters, historical figures, change makers. They could write a text message to persuade others about online safety, animal cruelty, or climate change. Or they could use it as a way to write a message to lawmakers.
In the end, I am looking for a tool that I can teach in use in the media center. Something I can introduce to students. Something that classroom teachers can end up using in different ways for their own curriculum needs.
Even as a classroom teacher, when choosing an app or web-based tool, I chose and regularly used the tools that I could use during Science, Reading, Math. Something that could be used in at least two content areas.
The complex nature of EdTech ranges across the SAMR model. SAMR is a framework that categorizes how technology is used in the classroom.
SAMR wasn’t around back in 2007 when I first began integrating technology. But now that it is, I try to use it when evaluating apps and tools to use with students.
When I first began using EdTech, there was definitely a lot of substitution. Instead of handwriting a story after editing, students would type it. Over time, I began utilizing Google Docs to modify writing. Students would gave each other peer feedback throughout the writing process. And even years later, students share their writing pieces with students in other countries and received peer feedback (redefinition).
Here’s the thing. SAMR isn’t a progression of how well you are using EdTech. so if you’re thinking, “Oh no, I only use EdTech as a substitution!” Celebrate that! You are using EdTech in your classroom! I’m willing to bet that your teaching life and your students’ learning lives have been made infinitely easier because of it.
All of these years later, I am still using technology as a way to substitute. If it makes our lives easier, isn’t it worth it? If students are engaged, isn’t it worth it? If we can take a paper and pencil task that students used to dread, and technology makes it more engaging…Well that’s a win.
The SAMR framework is more for awareness. Let’s just be aware of how we are using technology. Let’s consider ways we can extend that use so our students are having well rounded technology experiences.
Substitution: Using Popplet for pre-writing. The app Popplet replaces the typical pencil and paper task of creating a pre-writing web or brainstorm map.
Augmentation: I love using Answer Garden for polling. Instead of using paper or playing a game like Take Sides, one way I use it is for students to share a quick response. Answer Garden then shows me, with numbers, how many students chose a particular thing.
Modification: As a classroom teacher, I loved using Digital Interactive Notebooks. I used Google Slides and/or Google Docs to create a notebook for my students. Those notebooks included live links, images for mini-lessons, rubrics, and embedded videos. I was never able to do that with my beloved paper notebooks. But more than that, I was able to give students real-time and immediate feedback on things they added in their notebooks.
Redefinition: Google Slides has great redefinition possibility. My students love working collaboratively on presentations. My 5th graders, in particular, use it during their exhibition project. Students from different classrooms are able to work on the presentation at different times or event simultaneously from different rooms. As an exhibition coach, we can provide feedback in the comments.
The great thing is that each of these apps and tools are not limited to just being used only for Substitution. Or only for redefinition. It is really about how you use it. A Google Slide or Doc can just as easily be used for Augmentation as it can be used for Modification.
There are a lot of EdTech tools that are free. As an educator, that is a good thing. We just don’t have endless sums of money to spend on apps and web tools.
But everything cannot be free. The amount of work and time that goes into creating an app or tool is jaw dropping. The amount of research that is done to make it user friendly is amazing. I am happy to pay for an app because someone has poured their heart and soul into it.
Having said that, if an app is worth it I will pay for it. I have paid for Goosechase, BreakoutEDU, Drawing Pad, and Classcraft. If my students are engaged, it’s worth the money. If it’s applicable across curriculum, it’s worth the money.
Choosing EdTech doesn’t have to be a daunting and difficult part of our job. Nor does it have to be time consuming. Within 10 minutes of checking out an app, I can check off those 5 criteria. Or not.
If you’re still not sure which app to start with. Or where to begin with an app that you’ve heard about. Don’t sweat it. I’ve taken 10 of my most favorite apps and jotted down 5 ways to use each of them. I also broke down how to teach the app to students. Grab that free guide below.
