In this second article addressing how to take advantage of tech in the classroom, I would like to focus on what I have learned about technology that assists teachers in working in the classroom more efficiently.
The first article addressed eight specific items that teachers could use with students. All of those devices were directed towards enriching the students’ experience with what they were learning. In this article, I will talk about eight more technological devices. But this time, my focus will be on helping the teacher gain more productivity and efficiency in the classroom.
There are so many great products out there, from free to affordable to outrageous in price. My list of eight things will barely scratch the surface. And I could have made each one of them into a stand-alone post had I chosen to elaborate further. So if you have something you are using in your classroom that has changed your world, please share with us!
But for now, let’s get to this list.
Table of Contents
1. YouTube
There are actually so many more videos out there than YouTube, but this is a great start. It is especially good if you are looking for short videos that will beef up what you are already teaching. It’s the perfect switch-up for your students in the middle of a class. It grabs their attention better than just listening to you talking for the whole class. And it saves you the time of having to come up with the extra research or materials on your own.
A Perfect Example
For instance, say you are teaching a class on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And you also included a short study on Mark Twain. Now let’s say you live in Connecticut and are lucky enough to reinforce that learning with a tour to his home. (There are opportunities like this all over the country. You just need to know which authors are in your vicinity!) You have the perfect opportunity to visit at the end of your book unit. But first, you can show your students this amazingly fun AND educational video on YouTube.
After watching this video, they will be so excited to get there and see the things that they recognize from the video. And you may want to figure out how to get your students some mustaches to wear as well!
One of the reasons this is such a great tool for the teacher is because of the sheer amount of time saved. Someone else did all of the research, production, and entertainment value already. All the teacher had to do was get on YouTube, search “Mark Twain house,” and see what popped up. This particular video came from the Mark Twain house itself. So teachers don’t have to worry about the validity of the statements made throughout the video.
There are so many videos out there that are short but can enhance your classes in ways you could never imagine.
2. Your Students’ Smartphones
If your school does not have rules against using smartphones, this is such a time-saver for the teacher.
And if you are going to have to deal with tech in the classroom on the students’ part (and keeping them away from the distractions that come with it), you may as well use it to your advantage!
Once again, there are way too many ideas than I can fit into this post section. But I can give you a couple of ideas for now.
Some Ideas
One great idea is to let the students produce videos on what they have learned. Some students will take the thought and run with it. Others may need some suggestions to get their creativity flowing. Once you make a couple of those suggestions, I’m sure they will be off and running. They could include:
- an interview format featuring what they have learned.
- a skit featuring what they have learned. This could be in a news format or even a comedic routine that drives home a point.
- A mini-tour
- An informative monologue or discussion.
There are also tons of educational apps that they can use to reinforce what they are learning. You could produce a reward program or extra credit for students that complete those extra things.
Organizational Aspects
These suggestions work even if the school has limits on cell phones in the classroom.
Teachers can also make use of their students’ phones by being able to send reminders, whether for homework due, upcoming tests, forms that need to be filled out and returned, whatever the teacher needs the student to get done. You can, in fact, deliver any message required to the students, and to their parents, for that matter.
3. Use Slides for Lessons, Test Review
This is an example of tech in the classroom that pays you back multiple times with one job that you do to get it up and running. You can use a computer program that features slides for specific things that you need your students to pick up on. Power Point is probably the most famous. And once those slides are produced, you now have a method of review that you don’t have to reinvent. You can send those slides home in the form of hard copies, or you can send them home in an email or through an app on the students’ phones. So many options, only one work session to get them all accomplished.
4. Online Class Calendar
Most people already have a calendar on their phones, if not a physical calendar they carry around as well. So bringing this tech into the classroom is a perfect transition. It is very easy to merge that with a school calendar for your students. They won’t be able to say that they didn’t remember–unless they try to tell you the dog ate the phone AND the homework. All joking aside, you will never be able to eliminate all of the excuses, but this will allow the majority of students in your class to keep up with what is going on. They will be able to see what they have coming up. Then they can come to class prepared! They will also know what they need to bring with them to class on any given day.
5. Surveys
This seems like an odd thing to put into this list. But it is actually a perfect tool for the teacher to assess ways that she can improve how she is reaching her students.
There are tons of survey companies. One of the most popular is Survey Monkey. You can find an excellent link here that actually gives you suggestions of ways you can use this form of tech in your classroom.
What kinds of things would you want to survey your students about? Here are some examples:
- Which activities they prefer
- What changes they would like to see in class
- What new things you could add to their classes
- Ways that they would like to see you teach differently
- Ways that you teach that they like the way they are
You will need to base what information you would like to obtain on the student body you have and how they will react. And remember when you evaluate the surveys to account for inaccurate answers based on sarcasm and kids’ inability to correctly assess things at their stage of life. It is still a great way to reach students based on what and how they think and to improve your work with them.
6. Online Sign-up Forms
This could be one of the most important ways to implement tech into the classroom. This is also one of the most time-saving things that a teacher can do. She no longer has to figure out who needs to do what, who wants to volunteer for what or who is going to do what extra-curricular stuff.
You can use sign up forms for the following (and much more):
- times to schedule student presentations
- teacher assistance days with parents
- snack or craft assistance with parents
- conferences with parents
- homework assignments that you want the students to sign off on
- homework assignments that you need the students to sign off for stages that were completed
- volunteers to chaperone for field trips
You can literally use this for any type of help or communication you need in the classroom. The more you use it, the more you will see more needs for it. Having this sort of tech in your classroom truly makes life easier.
I have experience with SignUpGenius and have had no issues with it. I know a lot of people like JotForm as well. Both are free platforms, so if you try one and don’t care for it, you can always do the other or look online for more options. The only thing you will lose is the time it took to set it up.
7. Physical Objects to Keep the Electronics Organized
Classroom organization has changed so much since my school days! Things were a lot more basic as far as storage and keeping things organized in the class. There were bookshelves for books and paper, desk organizers for the teacher to keep papers/homework organized, and some shelves for learning manipulatives and games. Then there were a few spots for students’ lunch boxes, coats, accessories, etc..
Today’s class is a whole new ball game. There are more things to keep organized, not the least of which is electronic equipment. So when you add tech to the classroom, the organization needs a bit of tweaking as well. When you have several tablets, headphones, and other equipment to keep track of, you need a reliable place to keep those things.
Some Examples
I will just touch on a couple of important ones here. First is a charging station/dock for tablets and/or phones. This Amazon link shows a really nice one that I got to try to keep our infinite supply of household electronics in check. It comes with 3 Apple lightning cables and 3 Micro USB cables. Apparently some come with 2 of each of those and then 2 Type-C cables. Just check the listing to make sure you are getting the ones you want.
Anyway, mine has worked like a charm. It keeps things organized and let’s you use it for whatever electronics you need to store. One more thing–the cords can be changed out at any time with new ones should any of the provided ones die out. That has not been the case for me, though. It’s still going strong.
This last one may not seem like such a big deal, but it sort of is. It is a battery storage box. The one featured in this Amazon link actually includes a battery tester.
The reason this is such a big deal is because storing batteries randomly in junk drawers, or even together in a pile in a drawer is actually dangerous. I did it for years myself. And never thought about the possibility of reactions between batteries. And then one time I saw this really scary news report. It featured a family whose car and house caught on fire because of batteries stored in the car’s console. It also has statistics and facts that every family should be aware of!
8. Keep the Noise at Bay
I have to admit, I saved one of the best ones for last. Depending on the time of year and what is coming around the corner (holidays, spring break, school’s out for summer), it can be very difficult to keep the chaos to a minimum. And the more kids you have the more noise you have. Well, actually, maybe not.
In any event, noise is definitely a problem from time to time. But there’s an app for that! There are actually a few but one seems to have a lot of the best features.
I am going to need to go on a little bit of a rabbit hole here for a minute. But I promise I will get around to my point!
The Background Story
There is an 11th grade physics teacher who is also a web developer. He combined the two skills in the most incredible way. In order to help his students grasp physics better, he created a “video game” that allows them to learn better. It also allows them to interact within the class better, socially and academically. It’s name is Classcraft. You can see a short descriptive video of it from YouTube right here. It is a fantasy role playing game (RPG to those who know what I’m talking about). There are some really cool things built into this whole program. Also, there is a reward/penalty feature, which admittedly, you will need to cater to work well with your class. There is never a one-size-fits-all concept with this type of thing.
Teachers who are using it are reporting massive increases in classroom participation and productivity with the students.
The Point
But now–back to my point! Classcraft also has a built-in noise level monitor that the students can see when they are getting close to the max volume. Because it is involved with a game that rewards them for doing well, when they see that meter going up, they are more motivated to make sure it doesn’t get too high.
This is something that the other classroom volume meters can’t do. The other programs allow them to see when the meter is getting too high, and there may be some penalty assigned by the teacher, but it doesn’t really have the motivation to keep things going in the right way like keeping up with the program in Classcraft. (Just to be clear, I am not a paid sponsor here. I’m not getting anything at all to say nice things about them! I’m just super excited to see such an innovative classroom idea).
The one caveat I would like to give is that teachers need to be careful with the penalty aspect of the game. You don’t want to frustrate students to the point they have no desire to continue. And you will need to read your students’ abilities and needs well when you implement this.
You can implement this program for free in your classroom or purchase a premium version. Either one works well.
And finally, here is the most informative and detailed review I found online from a teacher that has used it for quite a while.
Conclusion
So that is my list of great tech in the classroom. I would have needed to write a huge book to cover it all. And then it would have been outdated by the time it was published.
Please share what tech you have added to your classroom that made things work better for you and your students (and parents).
If you haven’t already, check out How to Take Advantage of Tech in the Classroom, Part 1.
In Poland students use their smartphones way too often to kill the time during lessons, so it’s risky to ask them to work with them. I’d love to use youtube and videos, but it often happens I don’t have the right equipment there. 🙂
I think that is a problem everywhere, not just in Poland. It does help to keep the students engaged and distracted. The second they get bored they will be reaching for their phones. And honestly, no solution is perfect. We just have to work with what we have in the best way we can. And the benefits of technology definitely outweigh the drawbacks. Thank you for your thoughts!
I’m not a teacher but I will keep this in mind in case I have to homeschool my nephew.
Wonderful ideas! I find these interesting. YouTube can definitely be a tool for learning purposes. It’s great to use technology for education and to keep the students interested.
In regards to slides, there are various slide shows for almost anything on Slideshare that can be used within the classroom. I’ve used it for various things throughout university. I’m also a strong believer in mindmap apps.
There are so many possibilities when using technology provided we’re also careful while doing so.
I totally agree, Nyxie! Slideshare is awesome, and so are mindmap apps. I featured mindmaps in an article previous to this one. Thank you for sharing!
These are great suggestions! I am a homeschooling mom of four, and I think I could even use some of these ideas at home. YouTube is a valuable resource for us already, but I might need to be a bit more creative with how we use it. Thanks!
For sure it will work with your homeschool! I have used these ideas with my kids at home as well! Thank you for sharing, Jenn!
Really useful instructions, especially since I am starting an online conducted class. I am definitely going to take a lot ideas from this article. Thank you
Tech is so important to today’s classroom. I wish they would use it to have online classes on snow days but it is great that kids have hands on with tech now.
That’s an awesome idea, Scott. Maybe at least in the afternoon after kids have had a chance to play in the snow. Teachers and students alike would be super happy when they don’t have to tack on extra days in June to make up for those snow days!
All wonderful ideas, tech can definitely be important. Thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!
I love how technology can be used in the classroom to enhance the education of kids. Those are amazing ways to introduce it in the classroom!
You Tube is by far the best teacher for this generation. My kids could spend hours on You Tube whether it is learning how to make slime, win a game, or teach themselves to do a cartwheel. It is the way of the future.
Yep. I am a huge fan of Youtube for all kinds of things to do/learn!
YES!!! So many great ideas! I would love to homeschool and these are helpful for me to use with my toddler even now to help him learn!
Yes, Chloe! These are great for homeschooling, which actually starts as soon as you have a child! They are always learning!
Definitely tech in the classroom can make our lives easier. Big fun of youtube here!
Me too, Silvia!
Youtube is a good tool. you need the benefits of modern technology in many areas of life.
Youtube is pretty awesome when used carefully and purposefully! And yes, Nina, we pretty much do need technology in many areas of life. Even though we can do without it, we can do so much more with it!
Great post! In my eyes, schools should utilize technology they have available more often. Besides, I think students would be more willing to carry technology instead of text books.
All very true, Enrilemoine!
Letting children use their smartphones to create videos for class is a brilliant idea. These days it is so easy to put together clips on your smartphone. This idea is not only educative but also a lot of fun as well.
I love combining education and fun activities. it pays off so well in the end for the students as well as the teacher! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Joanna!
We have been using YouTube a ton these days! You can learn a lot there. My daughter has been using her smartphone for online learning too.
One of my sons is using online courses to study for the SAT. And Youtube has been huge for online learning.
I am struggling with tech and school work right now. I need to look into some of these sites
Thanks to the internet we can do so many things. You Tube has been a life changing experience for me.
Youtube has been life changing for our family too.
My daughter’s school uses Tech in the classroom and i think it is awesome. Now with her having to do schooling at home it is really great that she knows how to use technology since she will be virtual schooling.
That is definitely an advantage. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
My kids have learned more from YouTube than anywhere else. That and the REDDIT chat board, it’s amazing how much information is online now.
this is very suitable for me. i am currently learning a new engineering software this time. <3 i will make use of this time and make myself productive. <3
These are really great tips. However, with what’s going on in the world (school closings), technology is ALL we’re able to use for Virtual Learning at home.
Candy Rachelle
Keeping Up With Candy
http://www.keepingupwithcandy.com
Yes, but what a great benefit that we are able to use technology right now plus enjoy the comfort of our own homes. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
These are some great ideas and would work well in the classrooms where they have tablets instead of books since in this culture students are not allowed to bring their smartphones into the classroom for obvious reasons. The tablets will not have social media apps or the ability to make or receive calls or text messages.
Yes, Alvern! A lot of this is already being implemented in classrooms. 🙂
The ideas are really good I can share them with my teacher friends.
There are so many wonderful options for our children to learn through technology! I enjoy youtube and so do my kids
These are great suggestions! I homeschool, some of these I use, and some I would love to try. Thanks for the inspiration! 🚢👓🍕
I wish there was this type of technology when my kids were in school!
I know! It would have been awesome! I try to explain to my kids what it was like when I was in school, though. They can’t even comprehend.
Technology really helps these days if used in a proper way and to teach kids the impact of it. We have using some of it for our homeschooling when schools are closed.
I think without technology our schools worldwide would be in huge trouble right now.
We have been on YouTube quite a bit that last 2 weeks. I am using it to teach the kids, stay informed,and entertain them.
Youtube can be a lifesaver for teaching when you aren’t prepared with a regular lesson! Glad it’s working for you!
Youtube is like a handy guide for everything!
It is, Amber! I couldn’t live without it!
with parents stepping in as teachers during this pandemic I am glad that you shared so many awesome tips thanks for sharing
I am now homeschooling my child and I couldn’t agree more with this.
Good for you, Sonia! I hope that your time homeschooling your child makes wonderful memories for you all!
How to combine technology with study, I find it really useful and I like the way you can find and transform usefulness into necessity.
Having students use their phones is genius! Kids love their phones, so that can immediately make learning more fun for them.
Especially given the world’s current state, incorporating technology in the classroom is a must! I really think that it will help children stay on track with their schoolwork in the months ahead of us.
These are amazing resources! I have been using Good Drive to teach my two kids and it is great! Google also has an amazing suite for education.
slides is a great way to teach a class. when i was a teacher, I loved being able to email all the students a copy of the slides so they could take notes and follow along.
Very nice suggestion , virtual classes have become rhe new reality. My daughter’s classes use slides often for classes
This is a very helpful article to us during this pandemic. I am also an advocate on maximizing technology in our everyday life and most of all for learning purposes. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Yyyeeaaahhhhh….the learners’ smart devices have a lot of potential that can be harnessed to the benefit of everyone. Say, creating discussion and learning groups for the learners, only.
Definitely a lot of tech ideas for the classroom. Here is a neat story, I had a comment on one of my YouTube videos. The kid that commented, said, they had watched my video in their class! haha YouTube can be a great teaching tool.
What is going on right now is unprecedented. It is but our serious flight to take advantage of the workdfrom home strategies, home schooling and some very important time we get to spend with our family.
Easier now to share information as long as you have wifi or internet. Also, you can get feedback easily.
What an awesome informative post. Tech in the classroom is free so why not take advantage right?
Glad to see another post about how technology benefits us in a lot of ways, thanks for sharing these with us!
These are such great ideas! I especially love the survey and online form tip! Great way to measure feedback over time.