Many schools have started already but teachers, it is not at all too late to think about a “Tech Tune-up” for the new school year!
Here are several ideas that will help you take positive steps toward a more effective tech-infused classroom. Pick one or more and go for it!
- Partner up with another teacher to grow your ed tech skills. Decide upon one or two common threads to focus on. Do you want to flip your classroom? Want to do more tech-based formative assessment? Considering various blended learning techniques? Find a study buddy at your school.
- Find a blog that will help you learn more about (practical!) new tools, tips and techniques. Here are my go-to starting points when I need to learn more:
- Freetech4teachers – many excellent instructions and info on a multitude of free tools from Richard Byrne, a trusted source for accurate edtech detail.
- EdTech Teacher – many resources to help you find useful tools and techniques. Check out their App Recommendation page to cut to the chase.
- Edutopia – wide variety of edtech and teaching strategies and tips
- Catlin Tucker – Blended Learning – all about classroom blended learning from a teacher who walks the talk.
- Alice Keeler – Teacher Tech – many more easy to understand edtech tips and how to’s, including tons of info on Google Apps for Ed, and Google Classroom.
- Find and use a new application. Here are some great choices with ‘easy’ adoption that can be quickly learned and used, with fast results that will help students learn.
- Thinglink – find an image, then annotate it with facts, vocabulary, ideas, or any learning attribute.
- Padlet – Collaborative whiteboard for brainstorming and planning
- Kahoot! – Fast and fun game-based formative assessment. Very easy!
This article was inspired by a post I wrote on the Communicate..Create..Edtech blog, which I co-author.
Gene Tognetti is the founder of Agile Educational Technology Consulting in Campbell, California. He provides professional development to educators on a wide variety of topics, including effective classroom technology integration, digital citizenship, developing student critical thinking and creativity skills, blended learning, one-to-one classrooms and the administration’s role in technology planning. Gene has been director of professional development, a technology coach, a classroom teacher, and is a recovering vice principal. He led one of the first successful one-to-one Chromebook implementations in California. You can read more about Gene here.
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Tech Tips is a content collaboration between SmartBrief Education and GreyED Solutions. Have a tech tip to share? Contact us at [email protected]
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