If you’ve found yourself questioning why you are using technology, or more importantly, how you are using technology to better education in your classroom, then you are not alone. As technology continues to make its way into the classroom, teachers worldwide are questioning its effectiveness. 

To ensure that you are using technology to its full potential, you must start with “why.” If your learners understand your technology use, your class will have a purpose, and you can work through any technological issues. 

Here are 7 ways that you can implement technology in your classroom for a purpose. 

Real-Time Collaboration

When Google Docs made its way into the mainstream, it was like magic. Students were writing and sharing in real-time and were able to see what other students were saying and working on while still making progress with their own projects. 

Now, real-time collaboration is essential for most online software. You can use Google products and Microsoft OneNote to collaborate with your students in real-time or plan with your fellow staff members. 

Sharing and Reflecting

While having your students journal in a physical notebook can be useful, the great thing about having them journal online and share via the cloud is that their classmates can see what they’re saying. This allows for more collaboration and facilitates the sharing of opinions amongst your learners. 

Improved Research

Technology has made research far more time-efficient and straightforward. We don’t just mean typing a request into Google’s search bar, but instead searching through specific journal databases. Useful search phrases will bring up hundreds of results, reviewed by peers, that can quickly be sorted. 

Writing and Rewriting

Using a tool like Google Docs, your learners can write and edit on the go. They can receive feedback from their teachers and peers and then decide whether they want to implement that feedback or not. The writing process has been changed by technology in much the same way as the research process. 

Meaningful Creation

With technology, learners can now create music, films, art, apps, websites, games, and much more. However, we often don’t use this potential to its fullest, and we ask students to create things that don’t matter. Instead, you should challenge yourself and your students to use technology to foster creativity, like creating digital artwork or making a short movie to upload to YouTube. 

Keeping a Digital Record

These days, digital portfolios are essential. Colleges will need and want them in the future, not because they show off what has been done in class, but because they express learning growth. Learners and teachers can look back at what has been created and achieved throughout the year by keeping digital portfolios.

Assessing Mastery

No matter how much you prepare your students for assessments or how well you prepare them, there will usually be a few students that struggle. You can let them retake the assessment or give them another one. Alternatively, you could assess them digitally, allowing you to see exactly where the struggle areas are, as well as how much time they spent on certain questions. This allows for more personalized learning. 

Concluding Thoughts

Technology in the classroom does not have to be flashy or cool. It can be used in meaningful ways to benefit the learning process and help your learners navigate their education more effectively.