Questions To Consider

...before integrating technology into the classroom.

What kinds of strategies are most effective within your classroom?

The first thing to understand about introducing technology to the classroom is that it provides new means to an end — it is not an end unto itself. Every teacher has preferences in how they construct their pedagogy that make them most effective as an educator.

What student outcomes are you working towards?

A component of highly successful teaching is building your lessons and units around targeted student outcomes. These outcomes can be related to content knowledge as well as learning skills, such as document analysis. When considering if a technology can and should be integrated into lessons, ask yourself if the technology in question would help students achieve these goals.

Will this help students to think and learn on a deeper level?

Not only should the technology tool you’re considering help students think and learn more deeply, but it should also help you differentiate instruction to help each and every student access that thinking and learning rather than just some students.

Have I started with purpose and pedagogy instead of tech?

Sometimes teachers are directed to use a certain tech tool more often, or perhaps they’ve just learned about it in a recent faculty meeting or workshop. In this scenario, teachers are stuck trying to figure out a way to use a tool without first considering their purpose. What do we want students to think about and learn and what tools can better help us do that?

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