It’s a new school year and teachers both new and not have many questions regarding what this year should look like. You may even find yourself in that boat where you feel like you just need a little direction to get going. When you have questions related to curriculum or your content, you can easily pinpoint who to address those questions to. But, what if the questions are about integrating technology into your lesson plan?
Sometimes there is not a go-to person to ask your technology questions and find support, or there is but they are so busy getting everyone ready and everything repaired that it can make you feel guilty for trying to get enough attention to have your questions answered. So, to help you along, I’ve compiled this FAQ of questions that may arise at the beginning of the school year that you might find helpful. I also encourage you to jump in the comment section and share your response to one (or more) of the questions to give input on what you’d share with your teachers, or something helpful that was shared with you!
Q: How do I choose the right tools to use?
A: There are a lot of educational technology tools available. And, just because one works well for one class doesn’t mean it’s the best one for your class. Start by doing some basic research. You can find a short list recently posted by Medha Pandey on Wiingy. As you scan the list, see if there are ones that fit your content and style of teaching as well as your budget.
The American Association for School Librarians has a list each year of top sites that were nominated. You can find the list at https://www.ala.org/aasl/awards/best. Voting for the 2025 list will begin later this fall, so you might want to nominate the tools that you decide to use. Scroll down past the awards information to see websites that were recognized for 2024, 2023, 2022, and so on.
Lastly, consider asking your peers what they use. Remember, it’s better to start small with just one tool and implement it well before adding additional tools to the mix.
Q: How do I effectively integrate technology into my existing curriculum?
A: Using the right tool to support your curriculum is critical. Besides making sure that the tool is safe for your students in regards to protecting their data, it’s important to use a tool that doesn’t distract from your content.
If you are just beginning to integrate technology into your classroom, consider using a simple tool for formative assessment such as Padlet, which provides a wide variety of ways for students to respond. Even though the tool is “freemium,” you may feel limited by only having access to create to 3 Padlets.
Padlet does have a lot of options that you can tweak so consider going to their Learn Page to watch videos on how to get started. Here is a sample Padlet I created for you to use as if you were a student; simply click on the plus symbol in the lower right corner and select how you want to share. Play around with it to explore the many different ways that students can share what they know.
If you have an instructional coach, ask to see what they suggest using to support a specific content area or lesson. They may have the perfect tool for you that has already be utilized by other teachers, making it easy for them to connect you with other teachers in your district who can possibly share how to make the most of the tool.
Q: How do I manage classroom behavior when integrating technology?
A: Begin by having clear guidelines as to when technology (especially personal devices like cell phones)is allowed. Realize that students may know how to use their phone to do many things but may not have received specific instruction on how to use it as an instructional tool. Consider creating signals or cues to let students know when devices are allowed, when to pause using their device for announcements or whole group instructions, etc. Your students can also benefit from conversations on digital citizenship and appropriate online behavior. If you aren’t sure about what rules to put in place, a basic Google search will show what others are using, allowing you to easily find out what is appropriate for your grade level.
Q: How do I monitor student device use during class to ensure they stay on task?
A: If devices are issued by the school/district, you may be able to make use of software like GoGuardian Teacher or Dyknow for real-time monitoring. You may also be able to make use of browser extensions like ClassroomScreen for browser-based monitoring. Check with your district’s technology department to see what they can suggest. They may already have a subscription to a solution that you and your students can be added to.
Walking around the classroom and monitoring the old-fashioned way, however, is still the best way to ensure that students stay on task. While technology can help, it isn’t a good substitute for paying attention and aware of what is going on in your classroom at all times.
Q: How can I effectively integrate technology into group projects?
A: Using collaborative tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams is a simple way to start. Besides being easy to use and intuitive, there are likely many teachers in your school or district that can give you specific pointers on where to start with either of these tools. Before doing group projects with technology, you’ll want your students to become comfortable using collaborative technologies as a whole.
As your confidence (and that of your students) grows, move technology usage to small groups. It helps to assign roles for each student to add accountability and give them focus when using technology. Consider keeping groups small with only 3 or 4 students max. Too many students in a group can make it more likely for some of the students to be off-task or misuse the technology.
As your students are using technology, walk around to each group periodically and ask how they are doing, if they are having any trouble, etc. Proximity can help them stay on task even if you don’t have specific roles assigned to each student.
Q: How do I integrate technology in a way that is accessible to all students?
A: Ensuring that all of your students have access to resources they need goes without saying. Unfortunately, sometimes we fail to consider that this applies to technology (tablets, cell phones, laptops/Chromebooks, etc.) and even Internet access. Consider adapting these Student Survey Questions for your classroom.
These questions focus on online learning, but can easily be tweaked to focus on using technology as an educational tool with little effort. While I wouldn’t recommend asking all the questions included in the survey, do consider identifying about 10 questions that give you adequate understanding of what your students have available. If your students need accommodations, touch base with your campus special education teacher or counselor for help in identifying and locating such technology.
Q: How do I troubleshoot common tech issues in the classroom?
A: While we joke about ‘restarting the computer’ the best way to troubleshoot technical issues, restarting a computer really does resolve many issues. Once restarted, consider if any changes were recently made to the computer, cables, or peripherals.
Ask your instructional coach, administrator, or technology department if they have a troubleshooting guide for frequently encountered issues. They most likely do! If you are asking for help, it is likely that others have been asking for that same help. Having a troubleshooting guide can go a long way in quickly resolving most of the issues without waiting for a trouble ticket to been process, assigned, and completed.
Also, don’t ignore the talents of you students. They may know how to troubleshoot a common issue because they’ve seen it happen in another classroom or with a previous teacher. Make use of their knowledge and recognize them for their ability to learn and share when possible.
Q: What if the technology fails during a lesson?
A: The question isn’t if it is going to fail but when. It is the nature of technology to act up for any number of reasons. That’s why it’s important to always have a backup plan (e.g., printable worksheets, an offline activity that engages students with the same learning intentions, etc.). Before using new technology, you might check with some of your colleagues to see if they have done what you are wanting to do and if they were successful.
Q: How can I incorporate technology to enhance assessment and provide timely feedback to students?
A: Explore formative assessment tools like Kahoot!, Quizizz, or Formative. Again, this is one of those situations where it’s helpful to ask your instructional coach or technology department for recommendations. They may already have a district or campus subscription that you can make use of which give you many more features than signing up for a personal free edition of a freemium tool.
Above all, as you are considering a tech tool to help with formative assessment and feedback, remember that the technology should not be a distraction to you or to the students. If it is, it may not be the best tool for your situation. We have shared a variety of tech tools for you consider on previous TechNotes blog posts so be sure to scroll through the available post options. You might just find the perfect tool to fit your needs!
Q: How can I stay updated on the latest educational technology trends?
A: Educational technology is a huge field that can look very different depending on what subject or grade level(s) you teach, as well as your unique school setting. What works for the elementary math teacher may not work for a secondary special education teacher, just like a middle school ELA reading teacher may have very different technology needs than an instructional coach or the gifted and talented teacher that services all campuses. You’ll want to make use of the following three areas:
- Establish a local professional learning network of like-minded educators to solicit suggestions, support, and help from. Collaborating with people in your local area can go a long way in your successful technology integration.
- Follow organizations like TCEA for current trends, easy to use tools, and even instruction on implementing complex technology to meet very specific needs. You can follow the TCEA TechNotes blog for detailed information or lean more towards social media such as @TCEA on X (formerly Twitter) for more succinct but just as powerful ideas.
- Lastly, consider various professional development that best meets your needs. This can include self-paced online courses, weekly webinars that are recorded for your convenience to go back and review, targeted conferences for specific educator roles (elementary teacher, instructional coaches, librarians, etc.), or larger conventions that offer a ton of content over several days giving you maximum choice and learning potential. Check out TCEA’s Events page, as well as our website resources under Professional Learning, Courses, Collaboration, and more.
Did we miss anything?
If you didn’t find the answer to your specific question above, don’t worry! Just submit your question in the comments section below for an answer from our team. Also, I encourage you to share your favorite strategy for solving technology integration challenges. Your experiences and insights can be incredibly valuable to fellow educators facing similar situations. Let’s build a supportive community where we can all learn and grow together!
