{"id":20518,"date":"2023-11-21T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=20518"},"modified":"2024-07-16T10:11:39","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T17:11:39","slug":"technology-in-the-classroom-5-things-teachers-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2023\/technology-in-the-classroom-5-things-teachers-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Technology in the classroom: 5 things teachers need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to technology, some of us are gadget-loving early adopters and some of us are Luddites who think it\u2019s all been downhill since the advent of the printing press. Most of us are probably somewhere in the middle, but the one thing we can all agree on is that we\u2019ll continue to see the emergence of new technologies in just about every aspect of our daily lives, and that includes technology in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melissa Lim, a technology integration specialist for Portland Public Schools in Oregon, who also has many years of experience as a classroom teacher, counts herself among those who see technology as something not to be feared, but embraced\u2014and maybe even enjoyed. On a recent episode of The Continuing Educator<\/em><\/a> podcast titled \u201cPush that button!\u201d<\/a> Melissa chatted about all things tech with cohosts Jacob Bruno<\/a>, executive vice president of Learning & Improvement Services at NWEA, and middle school math teacher Kailey Rhodes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to get Melissa\u2019s thoughts on how ChatGPT can be used for good, the importance of bridging the digital divide in the classroom, and the number-one thing teachers should remember when they\u2019re experimenting with new technology in the classroom (hint: it\u2019s in the episode title).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resistance to tech: The first hurdle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we get into the technological weeds, it\u2019s important to name that resistance to technology is\u2014and always has been\u2014a natural human reaction to rapid change. As Jacob recalls from his own days in school, the fear of calculator usage was once very real among educators who worried that it would stunt the skills of budding mathematicians. And today, of course, ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools have the education field worried about cheating<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, it\u2019s understandable that many of us associate technology in education with the pandemic<\/a>, a time when we had no choice but to use relatively new digital tools to ensure a semblance of continuity for students. \u201cThere are a lot of teachers who don\u2019t want to use technology at all because we were online so much during the pandemic, and that was a really rough time,\u201d says Melissa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do we move past the feelings of stress and fatigue<\/a> that often come with introductions of new technology? For Melissa, the answer is clear: use technology when it makes sense to do so, and never for its own sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you would rather do a paper-and-pencil activity or an analog activity, that\u2019s great,\u201d she says. \u201cBut if you want to take a risk and try [a new tool] with your students, and you have people [who] can support you, go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 tips to keep in mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In their half-hour conversation, Melissa, Jacob, and Kailey were able to just skim the surface of today\u2019s classroom technology landscape. But their chat produced a number of concrete takeaways that teachers can start putting to use right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Don\u2019t be afraid to push buttons!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With this advice, Melissa doesn\u2019t mean getting under someone\u2019s skin. It\u2019s a bit more literal than that. \u201cI think a lot of people are afraid that they\u2019ll break something if they push a specific button, whether it\u2019s on a screen or on a device,\u201d she says of technology in the classroom. Instead of approaching tech from a place of fear, teachers should follow their students\u2019 lead and be willing to take risks. \u201cThat\u2019s how kids learn,\u201d she points out. \u201cKids are constantly just pushing buttons and trying stuff out. [\u2026] They\u2019re not afraid to try things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Ask for help<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In days gone by, teachers typically had all the knowledge they needed to run their own classrooms effectively. Today, we\u2019re living in a more complex world where expertise is more distributed. Teachers should feel just fine about having to call for help when needed. As Kailey points out, teachers don\u2019t have to be technology specialists, but it helps to know some!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Find that balance between fun and challenging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, learning has to be fun\u2026[and] there also has to be struggle,\u201d Melissa says. \u201cI find that if there\u2019s a struggle, that\u2019s when I learn the most. But when I do workshops and professional learning, I always ask myself: Would I have fun doing this if I was a participant?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this teacher-centric view of fun in mind, Melissa recommends a handful of popular tools that teachers are using today to help keep themselves and their students challenged, organized, and inspired:<\/p>\n\n\n\n