The Bare Minimum Of Learning Technology

[Timothy Gangwer]

 

The Bare Minimum Of Learning Technology

by TeachThought Staff 9/28/15

What is the bare minimum of learning technology integration in a classroom?

Does it depend on nation, grade level, or content area? Socioeconomic status? Culture? Prevailing local technology use?

Though many teachers remain against reckless #edtech integration, the conversation is clearly shifting from should technology play a central role in the learning process to how should technology be used to promote learning? Inspired by a list she saw from @austin_gagnier8, @sylviaduckworth set out to itemize 15 things every teacher should try this year. Working her graphics magic, the above image is the result.

But while the original title of the image (and the collection of ideas it illustrate) works well, looking at it more closely, it was dominated by technology use–less about planning and learning models and teaching strategies and grouping activities or unit planning templates, and more about technology.

In that light, we felt like it represented another kind of idea–a bare minimum of technology integration in an average classroom. What might be considered a kind of basic standard for education technology in 2016? In theory, it’s not necessary to have any degree of education technology at all, though even that depends on your content area’s academic standards. (Here is exactly what the Common Core standards say about technology, for example.) And though numbers 5, 9, and 10 don’t absolutely require learning technology, they’d be all the better with its (strategic) integration.

But in 2016, it’s becoming more and more difficult to (rationally) avoid its application.

15 Examples Of What Could Be Considered The Bare Minimum Of Learning Technology

1. Create a class website
2. Create a class YouTube Channel
3. Create a class twitter account and make international accounts
4. Get your students blogging
5. Find other classes to collaborate with on projects
6. Do mystery Skypes/Google Hangouts
7. Invite expert guests via live video conferencing
8. Code with your students
9. Do Genius Hour with your students
10. Gamify your classroom
11. Strive for a paperless classroom (here are 26 iPad apps for a paperless classroom)
12. Create digital portfolios
13. Automate quizzes with Google Forms
14. Use Google Forms for student check-in and exit slips
15. Let students use their device in class