Top 10 Technology Tips for Teachers

IMAGE: Generated by Stable Diffusion, https://stablediffusionweb.com/app/image-generator, prompt: "a teacher using technology in the classroom" + "cyberpunk"

Technology can be a great tool in and out of the classroom. There are physical technologies such as laptops, virtual reality headsets, tablets, programmable robots, and more. There are digital technologies such as software, online applications, and artificial intelligence. With so much technology out there, here are my (current) top 10 tips teachers should know about technology.

1. AI doesn't know everything, but it's a great partner.

Ask ChatGPT "How many letter 'r's are in the word 'strawberry'?" It's a fun experiment. I'll wait. 

Here is ChatGPT's reply:

SCREENSHOT: ChatGPT, https://chatgpt.com/?oai-dm=1

Did you get the same result? You can go on to ask it more in depth questions and eventually it will admit that 'strawberry' has 3 'r's. But ask ChatGPT to create an outline or broad idea sets and it is extremely helpful. 

It's important to know that AI doesn't think, it simulates thinking by predicting the most common pattern of words to answer your question based on how other people have answered similar questions across the entire internet.

It is up to you as the user to check its accuracy and for you to know your content to know if something does not connect. It's a clueless intern that needs its work check thoroughly.

2. You and your students are still ethically responsible for the information acquired by AI.

Whether you or a student is generating content — text, images, music, etc. — attribution must still be given. I clearly did not create the image at the top of this blog, but under each photo you will see exactly where I created it from and the prompt I used to create it. AI scans the internet and learns from existing images. Then it cobbles together an approximation on what it thinks you are looking for. The result may be something completely unique or something very close to the original source, depending on the prompt. The same is true for text and music and whatever else you can think of!

3. Use technology that is appropriate to your assignment.

Have a presentation for students about plant cell structure due in 1 week? Maybe now is not the right time to have students create a video with voiceover and animation. Think about the outcome you want students to produce, think about the technology that will get them there, and then make sure you give them plenty of time to complete the assignment, especially if the technology is new to the students! You may even have to use a class to teach them how to use the technology. I'm not saying not to use new technology, but be prepared to know how to use it yourself so you can teach students the tool and allow students to have the time to get over the learning curve.

IMAGE: Generated by Stable Diffusion, https://stablediffusionweb.com/app/image-generator, prompt: "a teacher using technology in the classroom". Notice the fun disjointed, backwards hand of the student. Classic.

4. Think about the technology's reusability. 

You found this new fandangle technology that will make this one lesson plan you have engaging, but it requires at least one class to teach students how to use it. After this one lesson plan, you never use it again, and after talking with other teachers, they have no interest in using it for their lessons either. Is this worth your and your student's time? The answer might just be, 'yes'. That's great! But if the answer is no, then maybe this technology is not right at this time. Keep it in your back pocket because it could be a year or two later that you might find it is worth it.

5. Free access for you and your students.

New technology is great, it's fun, but it can also be prohibitive. Try to avoid the digital technologies that require students to buy a subscription, a free plan that only lasts a certain amount of days, or even a free plan that offers little to no options for use. If it is hard for you to access the options within the application, it will be hard for your students as well. Also, check about educational access. Sometimes tools will give broader access to their options for free or a discounted rate (great if you're paying for class or school access) for students and teachers.

6. Ask your students.

Maybe don't approach your students with: "Hey! What's hip and cool on the internets lately?", but do have conversations with them about their projects or hobbies. You may never know what you will learn when someone is describing a new video app or music creator that they played around with on the weekend. It might just inspire a new lesson plan or update an existing one!

IMAGE: Generated by Stable Diffusion, https://stablediffusionweb.com/app/image-generator, prompt: "a teacher using technology in the classroom". 

7. Ask other teachers and spread the word.

I know it can be hard to pry yourself away from classroom management, lesson planning, and grading but talking about your goals to other people creates a sounding board that brings results you may never have thought of. Maybe the history teacher is using a digital technology that would work extremely well for an English lesson. Or a new presentation software would help students with accessibility that the old one was clunky at. If you didn't talk with the librarian about your lesson you would never of known of the technology's existence. Alternately, if you found something exciting and your students really loved it, then spread the word! Other teachers would love to hear about how you applied it and how it worked — they might just use it themselves!

8. Audit the technology you are currently using.

Make a list of all the technology — physical and digital — that you are using in the classroom. You may find the list is bigger than you think. You may find some technology tools do basically the same thing as another and others may be heading toward being obsolete. Figure out which technology tools in your list may need an "upgrade" and find new tools to replace it. Or you may find you have great technology tools but are lacking them for presentation purposes. Now you can find great presentation tools to add. Creating a technology audit will help you focus on where your technology research should head next. This will keep your classroom and lessons up-to-date with the world your students live in.

9. Look for grants.

Technology can be expensive, especially physical technology. Virtual Reality is starting to emerge, but the cost of equipping an entire class with VR headsets and the starting software is cost-prohibitive to almost everyone and every school. Do your research and if you have an excellent reason why VR headsets — or any technology big or small — is important to your classroom or your school, look for grants that relate to your need. Follow the grant guidelines to a T and you might just be throughly surprised when you get the funding you need to advance your classroom into the 21st century.

IMAGE: Generated by Stable Diffusion, https://stablediffusionweb.com/app/image-generator, prompt: "Julia Childs working with technology" + "cyberpunk". As you can see, AI doesn't always get it right.

10. No Fear!

In the immortal words of Julia Child, "No fear!". Have fun with technology and its applications. Play with it until it is comfortable. If you keep trying and it is not working, find something else. There are copious amounts of physical and digital technologies available that having one not work for you is not Earth-shattering. Knowing technology limitations and capabilities will guide you in your decision-making. And until you are familiar with it just have fun, play, and explore the vast options. No fear!

Do you have anything you could add to this list? What would your top 10 technology tips be?