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As an educator who sees the value in integrating technology into my classroom, I struggle to keep up with the latest educational technology. While I am COMPLETELY against using technology for technology’s sake, I know learning can be enhanced when using the appropriate form of instructional technology with students. If you are struggling with this concept, ask yourself, “Could the students have the same learning experience without using technology?” If your answer is yes, then you may need to consider eliminating the technology from that lesson. If you say no, then you are using technology to enhance learning and stick with it. You just have to find the right tool.
In my constant search, I have a few go-to places that I refer to regarding educational technology and I wanted to share those in case there are others looking for ways to stay up to date with the newest and greatest tools.
In no particular order…
I used to teach in the same district as Amy Mayer and was lucky enough to attend some of her amazing educational technology trainings. Now, I go to her blog friED Technology is continually updated with great classroom resources.
In his site readingwritingproject.org, Cornelius Minor has a clearinghouse tab filled with many resources, but specifically, educational tech resources. Minor summarizes each tools’ purpose and cost.
Let’s look next to Heidi Hayes Jacobs. In her site, Curriculum 21, she covers a wide range of educational topics. If you navigate to her clearinghouse tab, you will be presented with a series of links for cool things that are happening in education and many of them are tech based. While it takes a little reading to uncover all of the great tips, she is very current on what is happening in the world of educational technology.
Edutopia has a section on technology integration that I find very helpful. By providing discussion and videos, this site makes searching for tech tools very user-friendly.
With a blog titled, Digital Writing, Digital Teaching: Integrating New Literacies into the Teaching of Writing, Troy Hicks creates posts that help integrate technology into classroom instruction. You can also enter your email address to receive notifications when he posts new information.
While this is not all of the places available to keep up with the latest resources, it is a good start. If you use something great in your classroom, share it with others in the comments section.
