Technology integration
Choosing the right technology to use with students can be a daunting task, with potential pitfalls adopting tools that might become unintended roadblocks to student learning and interaction. However, when technology integration in the classroom is seamless and thoughtful, students become more engaged and develop more control over their own learning. This article provides guidance on how to approach technology in the classroom, the affordances of technology, and the principles of technology integration. This article will guide you on the following:
Getting Started
A good starting point for technology integration is to start where you are comfortable. Are your students already using technology to complete assessments or meeting in a live online classroom? Maybe you are new to the use of technology for learning and have only heard mention of a few tools, or perhaps you already experiment with a range of technology tools. No matter where you start, it is essential to recognise and reflect on the change that needs to occur in your classroom, the new processes you will adopt and new ways students will engage in their learning.
To start with, you could focus on technology tools that can support students to complete assessments and achieve the unit learning outcomes successfully. Some example tools you may wish to adopt are listed in the table below.
Learning Objective | Technology tools |
curate media from a variety of sources
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construct online learning activities to support active learning |
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create an online community of enquiry around your subject matter
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facilitate students to build creative projects or portfolios
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Some things to consider about choosing technology tools
Only choose technologies that will help students achieve learning outcomes.
Avoid using technologies for the sake of having colour and movement or for offering interactivity with no underlying educational goal.
Start small and start simple.
Make sure the student has the support they need to use the technology successfully.
Make use of any supports available including colleagues, educational designers or digital resources staff assigned to your faculty.
More resources
The tabs below provide some further ideas about using technology tools in your teaching and support resources to get you started, including examples of supported technology approaches at SCU and knowledge base articles. Click on each heading to view the resource relevant to you.
Summary
Making informed decisions about technology integration requires thoughtful and purposeful design of learning experiences, materials, activities and assessment. Use the tenets behind the SCU Model to help guide your choices. When you use technology to support learning, it can help to learn about the menu of choices available to you. Remember to start small and build your confidence over time. Develop your unit and make technology choices in the context of your faculty, the course and the work of your colleagues. Be aware of the assistance and resources available to help you with technology choices including your colleagues and the Centre for Teaching & Learning.
Technology guides
The following technology guides are currently available to support you.