Using technology to drive student learning involves creating student-centered lessons in which the technology supports the instruction rather than having the technology influence the lesson. Technology allows teachers to design instruction that caters to the interests, personalities, cultural differences, and languages of their students rather than delivering traditional one-size-fits-all lessons. By developing strong insights into their students’ strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, teachers can carefully choose the appropriate strategy to implement varied lessons that use technology to meet each student’s individual needs. Content is delivered through a variety of media, students are engaged in several forms of instructional practice, and teachers can gather immediate formative data on student progress. Often, using technology allows students a sense of choice over their own learning, as curriculum objectives can typically be met in a variety of ways. For example, a traditional book report could now be formatted as a slide show, a video response, a blog or vlog, or a collaborative shared document. The differentiation that comes from using technology in the classroom can create a truly personalized educational experience for the learner.
Flexible Pacing
The abundance of computers in today’s classrooms lends itself perfectly to a new way of thinking about education: flexible pacing. No longer do students need to move through the curriculum at a predetermined rate, scope, and sequence. Flexible pacing allows students to engage in content through websites or software platforms at their own pace. Teachers are present to answer questions, guide and assist students as needed, and monitor progress. They are able to add to and modify the content each student sees online based on the needs of those students. Teachers can motivate their students by including content that is tailored to the students’ interests and can make accommodations or revisions at any time, depending on the students’ feedback and responses. Goals are set for individual student progress as opposed to expectations geared toward grade level or content standards. At any given time, a classroom could potentially have 25 students working on 25 different lessons, each student working on the lesson that he or she needs the most. Students who are ready to move forward are not held up by the students who need more review time, and students who are struggling with a concept do not get swept ahead before demonstrating mastery. Flexible pacing through technology fosters a classroom where teachers have the ability to meet every student exactly where they are.
Remediation and Enrichment
It is critical for teachers who are using technology with their students to be intentionally responsive to student content outcomes, both positive and negative, in order to deliver instruction that is appropriate for the learner. The U. S. has been struggling for years to find a solution that closes the educational gap between students. Although there is no one solution to the complexity of varied student achievement, technology can play a positive role in helping teachers design instruction to remediate struggling students. At the elementary level, a variety of software programs are available in both reading and math for students to gain additional practice on skills. Educational websites and apps are loaded with skill-building games for learners as young as preschool age. At the secondary level, schools are providing online courses and resources that are available 24/7 for students to access any time they need additional instruction or material. Schools are using technology to implement systematic, research-based progress monitoring systems in order to identify students in need. In addition, there is no shortage of online programs teachers can use to gather student responses quickly and efficiently, allowing teachers to have access to formative assessments that measure and track individual student performance and to differentiate instruction accordingly.
Today’s technology provides unique opportunities for enrichment in the classroom. The use of social media platforms, apps, and websites allow students to collaborate, and audio/visual media can instantly grab students’ attention and encourage them to take their learning beyond standard classroom instruction. Students can explore concepts in depth through podcasts, design software, and videos. Students can engage in open dialogue about a topic, debate with one another, and collaborate on writing assignments through the use of social media or Google classrooms. Students can take charge of their own learning, solving complex problems at home through WebQuests or independent investigations of a concept. Technology provides a way for students to explore the world without ever leaving their seat, gives them access to the great wonders of the world and images and videos of faraway places, and offers opportunities to make global connections with students in other countries. The use of technology can provide students with opportunities for learning that extend far beyond the walls of the classroom.
Personal Comfort
The digital lifestyle is an ingrained part of the 21st-century learner. Today’s student is not only comfortable with using technology; they are uncomfortable without it! Technology is entwined in every aspect of our young generations’ lives, and using technology in the classroom is a considerable factor in the comfort level of the modern learner. Students are looking for a classroom that is relevant and meaningful to them. Teachers who encourage students to use modern technology in the learning process are making a connection to the students’ digital identities. Using platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google Classroom to engage students in discussion encourages all students to be a part of the dialogue and enhances student collaboration with one another. Students already feel comfortable speaking through text and are more likely to participate and engage in the discussion this way. Allowing students to use mobile devices appropriately throughout instruction can give them access to up-to-date and relevant information that is pertinent to classroom discussions or can assist them in solving problems. Students are given a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning through different media and can complete assignments through digital avenues that they are already accustomed to using. Creating lessons that apply learning through technology helps students relate the classroom content to their current lives and future careers. Channeling technology in ways that enhance student learning, rather than distracting from it, fosters a classroom environment in which students feel respected and comfortable!
Current Educational Trends and Learner Options
As educational practices change, students are engaged in new learning opportunities in their online and digital classroom environments. Teachers are better able to develop more personalized instruction, while students are offered more options for collaboration and engagement. The educational trends of technology in the classroom are facilitating fresh and interactive learning environments that provide benefits for teacher and student alike. Let’s take a look at a few of the innovative ways in which technology has influenced instruction.
Delivering Instruction
Best practice in instructional delivery has long been a topic of debate among educators. From historically lecture-based content delivery to more modern small-group and differentiated instruction methods, teachers have explored a variety of ways to get information and content to their students. Technology has opened up a whole new avenue of doors for delivering instruction and has widened our global reach. What once was unimaginable in the classroom has now been made possible through technology. Technology-assisted or technology-supported instruction can tailor instructional delivery to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners. This is meant to supplement direct teacher instruction and doesn’t simply rely solely on student-to-tech interaction. A classroom with a good movement and technology (MT) balance that employs this type of delivery may use and include interactive whiteboards, video conferencing, digital learning programs and materials, virtual travel, online informational or text-based resources, computer software programs, and digital communication. In the MT classroom, instructional delivery combines tech tools with traditional content delivery to create the best learning environment possible for the 21st-century student. Research has shown that struggling readers who use individual computer programs that match and support the curriculum, in combination with traditional instruction, show great improvement in their reading skills (Cheung & Slavin, 2012). Additionally, this positive correlation is also evident in math when students are continuously