What Educators Really Think About the Benefits of Tech Use in Schools

   It is more adaptive to individual student-achievement levels. While it’s not human-to-human interaction and it doesn’t always allow for teaching on concepts (practice of skills over instruction of concepts), especially for math, technology can be an effective teaching tool.

   Students who I teach need access to real-time information. The real world requires them to locate and analyze information and connect it to what they are learning. At the same time, we are being handed scripted curriculum as a result of state mandates, while being required to personalize student learning. Computers and online learning resources connected to those programs would make personalized learning more accessible. It would also provide them with different opportunities to show their learning in various methods that can be done efficiently. If prepping for the real world is our objective, then students need to access, use, and understand technology. It also helps level the playing field so that when students' families do not have the resources for technology in the home, they can use school-provided materials.

   I teach young children, and they are very engaged and excited to figure out how to make the tech work. The programs we use are age appropriate, and we are not on them extensively.

   Access to the internet at home, ability to expedite the production of written assignments, utilization of online curricular material, reduction of paper clutter, more variety with the type of assignments that can be assigned

   If used and managed properly, information available for learning and researching can be used in the classroom. Teaching students to use technology as a tool, not as a replacement for teachers, is key. We do DOK (Depth of Knowledge) walks and give constructive feedback to staff on how to integrate technology and use it to develop soft skills like collaboration, how to agree or disagree with tact, and how to use information to inform your decision.

   Our expectations are set by our teachers, and when students are in class, they are held to the standard of following those expectations. Students aren't always using tech in the classroom, but when they do, it is guided and monitored by our faculty.

   As a science teacher, I can use technology to collect and analyze data. This allows students to move beyond data collection and focus on relationships. In addition, the use of self-checking/scaffolded activities allows students to practice and get immediate feedback. Feedback is one of the major drivers to improvement in learning.

   1) Active engagement in learning tasks; 2) Able to research and compose multimedia presentations; 3) Able to access online electives we do not offer.

   It enables more accessibility to learning, especially for those who may be out of class on a given day. It also allows for some differentiation for students who may need additional independent or guided practice. Many of our students also do not have access to devices other than phones, so the [devices] we use serve an important function for them to write, research, and engage with course material outside of class time. We also try to strike a good balance between technology use in the classroom and paper or discussion-based instruction, which also serves an integral role in our teaching.

   I wouldn’t be able to adequately teach my subjects without technology! Especially now with the seemingly exponential use of AI, it just would not be possible at all to teach without technology.

   The curriculum and activities that are accessed online through their Chromebooks are more engaging and provide for more ways to learn. Many of my students use voice to text, text to voice, and listen to books online. There are many ways that the students and I connect through the online applications for reviewing and discussing the material. I use simulations and other types of activities that get students engaged in the process of the curriculum rather than just memorizing answers.

   Help them develop the skills for a 21st-century workplace. With artificial intelligence and automation, they need to be fluid on a Chromebook.

   Our students' [school-issued online] accounts can be locked down, allowing us to control what they see and use during class. If we were not able to lock down students' computers, I would expect less engagement and learning. Phones are not allowed in our classrooms. We primarily use [a platform] that allows students to see visual representations of many types of problems.

   Students have access to learning materials at school and at home when they have access to technology. My school used to be 1-1 with students assigned a Chromebook from middle school through high school. Our textbooks, assignments, learning videos, learning platforms, etc., are all online. Students could communicate, ask questions, get support, and stay current in learning when gone or working on homework. Once the [district no longer provided] Chromebooks for students, they had no way to access textbooks (we do not have enough physical copies because the access points are online), they cannot always communicate with teachers for help (not all have cell phones), and they cannot complete their work from home after school or when absent. Many cannot stay for extra support after school due to bus schedules. When they had district-issued technology, they could get help remotely via email and Google Classroom, plus watch learning videos when absent. Now, they have no access, no connection, and limited support. Our students need access to technology. They also need the opportunity to learn how to use technology as a support tool before entering the workforce and postsecondary education. My students lost that due to a district decision that did not consider their input or educator input.

   1. Using technology is engaging. 2. More and more, we're using AI for giving feedback, which some students gamify, submitting multiple attempts to get the best score. 3. Not that many students use technology to do the work for them, and those who do usually get caught.