Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Classroom Technology Opinion

Technology Is the Tool, Not the Teacher

By Larry Ferlazzo — July 15, 2022 4 min read
many monitors, some with students others empty
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is Using Technology With Students.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

simplyputtingrichard

1. Some Teachers Are New to Laptop Integration. Here’s How to Manage It

Let students help set expectations and make sure both you and they know how to use the tools are just a couple suggestions educators offer. Read more.

2. Integrating SEL & Tech Into This New School Year

Technology opens up programs that allow students to drive their learning, while social-emotional learning influences lessons and teaching. Read more.

3. 20 Suggestions About Teaching in a Class Where All Students Have Laptops

One tip from experienced teachers: Working in a one-to-one classroom is more about a shift in teaching and learning than the use of devices. Read more.

4. Teacher-Recommended Tools for Online Learning

Four teachers offer several suggestions for online tools to promote interactive learning, and many others offer readers’ comments about their favorites. Read more.

5. 10 Favorite Online Teaching Tools Used by Educators This Year

Three other teachers and I share our favorite online tools to use during this unusual year. Read more.

6. Five Ways to Differentiate Instruction in an Online Environment

Examples from two educators include giving students the time to take physical breaks as well as pausing academic presentations to give students time to think. Read more.

7. Seven Ways to Support ELLs in Online Content Classes

I offer seven suggestions on how to help English-learners when doing remote teaching, including by providing graphic organizers and models. Read more.

8. Start With the Content & Not With the Tech

Danielle Herro, Blake Harvard, Michael D. Toth, Michael Fisher, and Kenneth Tam wrap up this three-part series on using technology with students. Read more.

9. Ways to Use Tech in the Classroom

Jayme Linton, Eric Sheninger, Cindy Garcia, Suzanne Lucas, Ari Flewelling, Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Carolyn Brown, and Jerry Zimmermann contribute their ideas on how to use ed-tech. Read more.

10. Technology ‘Doesn’t Replace Good Teaching’

Anne Jenks, Michelle Shory, Ed.S, Irina V. McGrath, Ph.D., Kim Jaxon, Beth Gotcher, Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., and Keisha Rembert share their suggestions for using tech effectively in class. Read more.

More Q&A posts about using technology with students:


Explore other thematic posts:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Exposure to Experience: Designing Accessible Work-Based Learning
Learn how schools can create meaningful experiences that help every student build skills, connections, and a clearer path to their future.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
A Tale of Two School Districts: Forecasting Enrollment
Forecasting enrollment is hard. Here’s how two different districts are navigating times of change with data that considers the whole picture.
Content provided by Zonda Education
Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Strategies to Create a Culture of Reading in Schools
Join this free virtual event to learn how teachers and school district leaders ensure students are reading enough.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Classroom Technology From Our Research Center Newer Educators Are Less Likely to Say Tech Helps Students Learn
Many teachers new to the profession are more sketpical than veterans about the value of devices.
2 min read
Katrina Sacurom, a teacher at Shawnee Trail Elementary School, in Frisco, Texas, works with her educator peers on Feb. 11, 2026. Sacurom has personalized her school's AI tool to mimic her writing style. A survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center finds that educators who are relatively new to the profession are more skeptical that tech can positively influence learning than are veterans in the profession.
Emily Bennett teaches freshman algebra at DeTour High School/DeTour Arts and Technology Academy De Tour Village, Mich. on September 22, 2025. She is a first-year high school math teacher.
John T. Greilick/The Detroit News via TNS
Classroom Technology 3 Ways to Build Elementary Students' Digital Literacy Skills
Teachers suggest age-appropriate ways to talk about computers, the internet, and artificial intelligence.
3 min read
A screen displays guidelines for using artificial intelligence above a portrait of Ernest Hemingway in Casey Cuny's English class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025.
A screen displays guidelines for using artificial intelligence in Casey Cuny's English class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Tip for educators teaching digital literacy to young learners.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Classroom Technology Are Teens Starting to Accept Cellphone Bans? A New Survey Has Answers
Researchers surveyed teens and adults on how well school cellphone policies were enforced over the course of a school year.
5 min read
Students use their cellphones as they leave for the day the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles, Aug. 13, 2024.
Students use their cellphones as they leave the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2024. A new set of surveys of teen attitudes toward school cellphone restrictions shows growing acceptance of the policies by those most directly affected.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Classroom Technology Opinion The Big Flaw With Ed-Tech Tutoring Isn't Technological
Before focusing on the technology, we need to redesign the learning model, Michael Horn argues.
•
4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week