69ý

Opinion
Teaching Profession CTQ Collaboratory

Extreme Classroom Makeover: Technology Edition

By Linda Yaron — April 01, 2015 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Next week, my classroom will be transformed into a 21st-century, technologically rich teaching and learning environment. As part of our school pilot program, worn walls and generations-old graffitied desks will be painted over, students will have personal computing devices, and we will have a classroom smartboard, accompanied by a projector, document reader, and sound system.

I’m still figuring out exactly what a “tech” classroom is, but what I know for sure is that I want it to be an outside-inside transformation that extends beyond classroom tools and into the fabric of teaching and learning in our space.

Technology isn’t a computer; it’s a way of interacting with oneself and the world. It’s a space where complex and dynamic communication patterns emerge that challenge who we are, what we know and how we make sense of the world. As teachers, we are learners in this world in the same way that our students are. We are partners in a dialogue about how we create meaning in the world around us and where we fit into it. Within this space exists an exciting opportunity to be bold and take risks that have the potential to transform the function and scope of teaching and learning spaces.

More than anything, I’ve found this time to be an opportunity to revisit what I want learning to look like in my classroom and how best to leverage technology and communication spaces to achieve that ideal. As I contemplate my future classroom, these five key considerations keep coming up for me:

1. Technology is a vehicle to improve student learning, not an end in itself. I want to remember to focus on the process over the goal. Technology is only a tool to achieve deeper content knowledge and skill capacity—not the goal itself. Meaningful learning will happen as a result of what we do with the technology, not simply because of its presence in the classroom.

2. Technology is a means to engage students and bring greater relevance to what they are learning. It’s a way of hooking students into topics and themes, inviting them to use a communicative language and forum that excites them, and aligns with their generational world.

3. Technology supports diverse learners by allowing greater differentiation of tools to address language needs and learning styles. It provides a forum for communication through which all learners can dialogue, question, analyze, evaluate, and create (including the various other tasks on ).

4. Technology extends learning outside the classroom through interaction with a rich plethora of resources, people and spaces. It serves to blur the lines between the classroom and the world by magnifying student voices and connecting them with others in new and different ways.

5. Technology engages students in the transformation process. Technology can make students feel more invested in their own learning, inviting them to metacognitively consider their own learning needs and styles.

Though the Common Core State Standards point to the importance of technology use, too many schools and districts have limited access to reliable technology. This has hindered technology transformations that should be commonplace if we are to prepare our youth for the careers and futures they are stepping into. The gap potentially creates a space for thoughtful partnerships with the business community, as well as an opportunity to extend a dialogue of how to realign existing family and community resources.

As I design my new classroom, I’ve come to realize that regardless of how much “technology” a classroom has, it isn’t the technology that is the most important component—but rather how we realign physical and virtual learning spaces to fit student needs. We also need to consider how we engage with our colleagues, students and families in discussions about what, how and why students are learning. And that doesn’t cost a dime.

As I gear up for this exciting new phase of my teaching practice, I’d love to hear from you. What have been your experiences with techology in the classroom? What tips and challenges can you share?

And here are a few technology resources I’ve found useful at this stage of the redesign process. What are your favorite resources and uses of technology in the classroom?

  • : Create a free classroom website and blog.
  • : Social learning community to connect teachers, students, and parents.
  • : Explore and create educational content online.
  • : Government site for technology resources and policy.
  • : Various resources compiled here, including this that classifies tech resources according to learning application.
  • : TED article on incorporating technology into teaching.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
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
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

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

Read Next

Teaching Profession Data What Teacher Pay and Benefits Look Like, in Charts
A third of teachers report inadequate pay, and Black teachers are the likeliest to do extra unpaid work.
4 min read
Vector illustration of a woman turning a piggy bank upside down with nothing but a few coins and flies falling out of it.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Why Teachers Likely Take So Few Days Off
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
3 min read
survey teachers static
via Canva
Teaching Profession What the Research Says The More 69ý Miss Class, the Worse Teachers Feel About Their Jobs
Missing kids take a toll on teachers' morale, new research says. Here's how educators can cope with absenteeism.
4 min read
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year.
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. Now research suggests the phenomenon may be depressing teachers' job satisfaction.
Brittainy Newman/AP
Teaching Profession Will Your Classroom Get Enough 'Likes'? Teachers Feel the Social Media Pressure
Teachers active on social media feel the competition to showcase innovative lessons and beautiful decorations.
5 min read
Image of a cellphone on a desk.
iStock/Getty