Ten Tips to Making Technology Integration Easier

Even after 12 years of teaching, two of which were spent teaching only technology, I still forget some of these basics at the beginning of the year.  So, I thought this list might be helpful if you are looking to add more technology to your day.

1.)  Model EVERYTHING:  I always forget exactly how much needs to be modeled until I start a new school year.  At the beginning of the school year, you often need start with “This is a computer.  This is the mouse and here is how you click and double click.”  Don’t assume they know anything, because someone won’t.  It won’t hurt those who do know to sit through one modeled lesson on how to access information, where to click etc.  If you have access to a projector, it is nice to be able to show information on a projector.  If you don’t, sit everyone around your computer and do it this way.  (I’ve done this multiple times!)

2.)  Take time to play with new technology yourself:   A colleague of mine and I were talking the other day about those lessons where you set up the projector, ready to model a new technology and then the technology that you thought looked so simple does not work the way you had planned.  I’ve done it, she’s done it, we’ve all done.  Besides the fact that it is a waste of time, it is actually a good example to the kids that we are learning right along with them, lol!  However, if you want to prevent this fate, the best thing to do is play around A LOT with whatever new technology you are trying to implement BEFORE you actually implement it.

3.)  Teach basic steps – logging in, saving etc.:  While you are modeling, be sure to take time to model how students are to log in, how they are to save their work, how they will open it up again next time etc. etc.  If you are starting a new interactive website (LiveBinders, Storybird, EduBlogs etc.), give them their first time on the website to practice logging in.  I always give students 2 days to create anything, and make it clear to them that if they have an issue logging in, they are to let me know on the FIRST day, so that we can fix the problem BEFORE there is an issue.

4.)  Decide on password pattern and keep it the same:  While you are modeling, go ahead and decide on a password pattern.  Teaching students that passwords are their own and are private is important.  However, in a classroom, I generally keep everyone’s password in a specific pattern (ie. msrakiJoseph123), so that when they forget what their password is, I’ll know what their password is.  I also have them use the same password for everything,so that they don’t have 10 thousand things to remember.  I do this for students below 6th grade.  After 6th grade, you should begin to talk about the importance of having different passwords for different websites, but truly if they can’t log in to a site, they can’t do their work, and it becomes an issue of what skill you want to teach at this time.  If you have an issue of students logging into each other’s sites “on accident”, an easy way to prevent that is to put a name into the password – first, middle, last, doesn’t matter, no one types someone else’s name on accident.  If you have an issue of students logging into each other’s sites on purpose, then it is time to change passwords to include something like a student number or code word that is individual to that student.

5.)  Don’t overwhelm yourself – or your students – choose one new thing at a time:  There are so many amazing websites, apps and programs out there, it is easy to get overwhelmed.  Generally, when this happens, people do one of two things.  1.)  Some people put their hands up and try nothing.  2.)  Some people try to do everything at once and then wear themselves and their students out.  Choose one cool new thing to try, do it and do it well.  Once you, AND YOUR STUDENTS, have the hang of it, try something else.  Build your technology base a little at a time, and you’ll be amazed at all your students can do at the end of the school year.
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6.)  Create cheat sheets:  Write out the steps students your students will need to do in order to use their new technology.  Use screen shots (print screen and then CTRL V) to help students visualize what they are supposed to do.  Here is a link to a cheat sheet I made for my students to help them start their EduBlogs.

7.)  Remember that not all students come with the same background knowledge:  Just like with math and reading, each student will come to you with a different amount of background knowledge regarding technology.  Some students have been playing on the computer and iPad since they were 3 and they know exactly how to do things.  Other students may come from a home where kids aren’t allowed to touch the computer.  The amount of exposure, and the type of exposure that students have before they come to you will impact how quickly they will pick up new technologies.  Give a technology survey, like the one included in my Beginning of the Year Forms, at the beginning of the year – ask students if what devices, how many devices and what kind of devices they have at home (computer, iPad, iPod, Kindle etc.), ask students how often they are allowed to use these devices.  This information will tell you a lot about who will need help in those initial days of a new technology.

8.)  Be prepared to go over the steps again, and again, and again:  You’ve modeled, you written out the steps, you’ve made the cheat sheet, and still you will be asked “What am I supposed to do again?”  Don’t lose it, just know that technology is a skill like everything else, and you’ll have to go over it multiple times before you students have it down.

9.)  Think about the end product – how will they save?  Where will they put it?  Before you set students out to create a project, begin with the end in mind.  Will they need to save?  How and where will they save? Will they need to publish?  How and where will they publish?  Showing students these skills ahead of time will save you a lot of product when everyone is finishing their projects (at the same time) and they don’t know what to do.

10.)  Share the success stories:  One of the best parts about using technology is how easy it is to share, so be sure to share student work.  E-mail it to the parents, post it on your blog, share it with your class on Edmodo.  Students can also add their work to an Online Portfolio, and have a compilation of their work at the end of the year.  Show your students how to share their own work and watch how they begin to create new, interesting projects, even after the assignment has ended.

What tips help you make technology integration successful in your classroom?  Please feel free to add more tips in the comments, so that we can all learn from each other.