What are the 10 Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom?

What are some specific examples of how teachers are utilising new types of technology in the classroom? You’ve probably heard a lot about the game-changing potential of using educational technology to enhance student learning — but what are the 10 ways to use technology in the classroom?

So, if you’re looking for unique ways of using technology to enhance learning, read on!

How To Integrate Technology In The Classroom

If there is anything that the past 18 months have taught us, it’s just how important technology can be when it comes to education. And although the days of online classes may be coming to end, there are still so many ways that technology can be integrated within classrooms. 

Research shows that kids become much more interested in lessons when they are able to interact with what they are being taught. Whether this is by using a touch-screen whiteboard or tablets replacing textbooks, any way of getting students excited about their studies is a win. 

Here are ten innovative ways to use technology in your classroom:

1. Google classroom 

A central place where teaching meets learning, Google classroom has many great features that you can adapt to fit into your own schedule. You can create lesson plans, distribute and grade assignments, and offer constructive feedback to your students in an effortless (and paperless) way. And the best thing – it’s free! 

2. Inspiring creativity 

When creating newsletters, posters or putting together portfolios you need an application that offers countless design possibilities. Canva does just that and not only is it free to use, but they have many templates that you can choose from and customise to suit you and your students’ needs. 

3. Playing podcasts 

Playing relevant podcasts within lessons can provide a new way for children to experience learning. They can be especially beneficial for auditory learners and with so many podcasts available to choose from including lectures from professors and interviews with book authors, you can be sure to find something suitable for listening to within the classroom environment. 

Plus, after they’ve listened to a few, students can even create their own podcast which is a great creative task that opens their minds up to a whole new imaginative world. 

4. Slideshow presentations

Many students sigh and yawn when they see a slideshow presentation being put up. But long gone are the days of boring black and white, text-only slideshows. You can now capture the attention of students for a long time by adding short video clips, graphs, soundtracks and colourful images to your presentation. 

5. Sharing calendars 

Keeping students in the loop by highlighting important dates and informing them when their next exam is can help keep them prepared. Students and teachers alike thrive when working on a schedule and having an online calendar that everyone can access helps to achieve this. This helps everyone stay organised and eradicates the overused excuse of ‘I didn’t know!’. 

6. Social media 

Social media has seen such a huge increase in use over the last decade, and by the looks of it, it’s not going anywhere. Students of all ages love to stay connected with their friends through the use of social media, so why not take advantage of this within your classroom? 

You can implement the use of safe and responsible social media use by using Twitter hashtags to take questions and ideas from students, for example. You could display the feed on a screen during class and answer queries about homework and lessons throughout the day. This idea could be especially beneficial for shy or introverted students who may not be comfortable as others. 

7. Online mind maps 

Brainstorming ideas within a classroom full of eager students can get loud and noisy very quickly. This can lead to not all ideas and opinions being heard which is where online mind mapping comes in. 

Applications such as MindMeister put the program on a screen that everyone can see and contribute with their own ideas. This is a great way to reinforce lessons or carry out problem-based learning exercises for the class. 

8. Pop quizzes 

Gone are the days of nerve-racking pop quizzes where the teachers hand out papers to their students in silence. Kids today thrive in fun and engaging environments which is where online pop quizzes come in. 

Apps like Quizizz or Kahoot! can make formative assessments more fun by enabling educators to easily create engaging quizzes. Or you can choose from millions of questions and tests pre-prepared by teachers around the world.

You could even encourage students to create their own quizzes or polls using classroom electronic devices. Applications such as Google forums allow students to make engaging polls that other classmates can answer. This not only makes quizzes fun but also acts as a great way for students to build up their communication skills. 

9. Virtual trips 

It may not always be possible to organise school trips whether that be due to financial issues or transportation complications. However, with the advances in technology, you can still take your class to visit some amazing places. 

There are video apps you can use to explore famous landmarks including the London Eye and Buckingham Palace. This sparks questions about history and engages children with the interesting past of how a building came to be.  

You can also use Google maps in 3-D mode to explore famous cities around the globe, going from the Great Barrier Reef to the Taj Mahal all within the same hour. Try holding a mock conversation in that country’s language to add an engaging new element to your lessons. 

10.  Keeping quiet 

Sometimes in classrooms, especially those with younger children, noise levels can get a little too high. To make it easier to give lessons and presentations, you can use a tool that tracks and displays classroom noise.

Resources such as Too Noisy provide an accurate noise meter that spikes when it becomes too loud. You’ll find that children will become aware of this themselves and quiet down without you having to remind them, which makes teaching new content and presenting lessons much easier.