It seems as though every time I found another useful EdTech tool that really engaged kids, I had to share it with teachers at my school and even all the teachers in my district. I finally decided to put a list together of the tools I am recommending for teachers and students. The list is large because there are EdTech apps for different purposes.
Here is the list I’ve come up with:
I teach two Math & Science classes with my teaching partner who teaches ELA and Social Studies to our shared students so my students only have me for part of their day. I DO NOT use all of the above tools and those that I DO use I don’t have students use them all the time. I use different tools where they are the best for the job. I find that varying the tools I use keeps my students excited and engaged in learning that otherwise would become mundane or downright boring. I also provide my students choice in how they want to share their learning and that brings in more tools.
I balance my use of tech in my classroom with hands-on projects and activities like robotics and environmental work that we do in our school garden and at our neighborhood creek (fish trapping in the fall and water quality testing and tree planting in the spring). Balance is key, not all face-to-face or lecture/direct-teaching, not all group work, not all on screens, not all outdoor, not all hands-on but all those things throughout a school year.
My goal with any tool I use in class is to engage and motivate students to learn and do their work as well as to hopefully encourage innovation and to prepare them for the high tech world they are growing into.
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