Rural Tech Educator

          Why hasn't good technology integration occurred in education?   What tips would you offer teachers and/or administrators? Please share your blog link here and provide a peer review.              Technology is all around us. In fact, it’s even at our fingertips. Students today were born into a world of technology. Because of this, you would think teachers would have technology integrated into all their classroom lessons.             Since the 2020 COVID pandemic, many schools have now gone to 1to1 with students having their own Chromebooks or iPads. The pandemic showed us that we can use any device, anywhere with anybody. So, why are teachers still making hundreds of copies of math units for each student? Why are these lessons not integrated into some program they can access on a device?             Many schools are una...

  Blooket.com           I am always looking for new ways to teach to my students. Last year when I was helping a fellow teacher on my campus, I noticed she was using an online program called Blooket. I hadn't heard of the program, but the high school students we were teaching loved it! That got me thinking about my own classes.            For those of you not familiar with Blooket , it's a game-based student response system that can provide teachers with formative assessment options (Guhlin, 2021). In other words, it's an educational online video game for students and teachers. With a free account, teachers can use Blooket to host a question set with a specific game mode. The game is displayed via a screen or projector, then students compete on their own devices, like a Chromebook, tablet, or smartphone. The smartphone aspect is one reason high school students love it.           Blooket t...

  Credit: Common Sense Education     The above video "Meet the Digital Citizens: Arms" is one I just showed my six-year-old daughter. It talks about having balance between being on a device, like a tablet, phone, or computer, and activities that are not on a device. My daughter loved this little lesson.     When I asked my daughter the question at the end of the video: "How do you balance technology in your life?" Her response: "Mom, you set a timer on your phone when it's time to get off our tablets!"     So true! That's not all we do around our house, but even at age 6, my daughter understands the importance of technology balance. She understands that there are times she needs to not be in front of a screen.      Digital Citizenship is essential the first step to becoming media literate in the 21st Century (CyberWise, 2011).       Digital citizenship can teach students a sense of identity, sense of privacy, sense of...

  Canva When we are young, we can't wait to grow up and be an adult. Seriously, there are days where I wish I could be a kid again, especially as I look at my own children. As a child, I thought when I graduated college, that was it for my education. I don't have to learn anymore. Truth is, we are always learning. My father is nearly 80 years old, and he is constantly reading two or three books at once. He is still learning.  When it comes to technology, Adults are often hesitant to jump into that web of knowledge. Digital learning technology continues to evolve, impacting adult education efforts (Bliss, 2019).  Adults now have the internet at their fingertips when it comes to learning. Research shows that the internet is replacing traditional sources of information, such as printed newspapers, which is sad for me as a journalist (Bliss, 2019).  We, as adults, learn differently than our children. We were not raised with tablets and smartphones in our hands, and const...

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students (CAST, 2010).  UDL, created by the non-profit organization Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in 2008, is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn (About CAST, 2023). Universal refers to curriculum that can be understood by everyone, no matter their learning level (CAST, 2010).  CAST has three learning principles for UDL: 1. Provide Multiple means of Representation 2. Provide Multiple means of Action and Expression 3. Provide Multiple means of Engagement One reason why UDL resonates with educators in many different areas is that it brings attention to the diversity of ways that people learn due to variations in their neuro-physical makeup (Gronseth & Hutchins, 2019).  In our school district we have to use Google Classroom. This came about during COVID, but it is nice to schedule assi...

Canva The way everybody learns is unique. Some like spreadsheets and numbers on a page. Others, like myself, prefer visuals and examples showing how to accomplish the tasks. There isn't a wrong method, but teaching should be met for all learners.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students (CAST, 2010).  UDL, created by the non-profit organization Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in 2008, is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn (About CAST, 2023). Universal refers to curriculum that can be understood by everyone, no matter their learning level (CAST, 2010).  Learning is broken down into: Recognition ("What of Learning), Skills and Strategies ("How), and Caring and Prioritizing ("Why) (CAST, 2010).  Design is the flexible curriculum (CAST, 2010).  As teachers we face students of all types of learning. So teachers m...