Technology in the Classroom

We are in the age of technology, and turning our backs completely on the tools at hand would not only devalue the background knowledge our students come with but would also be a disservice as we live in an increasingly digital age. As near-adults, we need to be teaching students how to balance their lives and control their impulses around technology while also teaching them how to best leverage the tools available to their benefit. Desmos is a fantastic way to give students a colorful, easy-to-grasp way to understand graph manipulations while the Google Suite helps students digitize, organize, and create their ideas all in one place!

Technology can be a huge behavior hurdle if not addressed early on in the year. Personal devices of all kinds (phones, tablets, laptops) can distract students from the lessons at hand- but to have all analog methods all the time simply is no longer practical. Instead, we can use tools like Classroom Screen and Google Classroom to model time management and organizational skills for our students. Things like setting timers for work (or brain breaks), checking a calendar, and the self-discipline to put the distraction away are all skills that need to be taught and modeled. Ignoring the technology won't make it go away, so it's best to teach students how to use the tools to their benefit and give them the self-discipline skills to do their work before play.