Education technology tools are everywhere, and the expectations to use these for teaching and learning is steadily increasing. Moreover, as new edtech is developed and as AI continues to be embedded into existing teaching tools, the requirement to learn how to use these may impede on instructional time. In addition, as school district administration changes and new building level leaders are put in place, different tools are introduced for all teachers, including veterans who are experts at our pedagogical practices but may not be as experienced or flexible in teaching with technology.
Novice teachers have likely completed courses in their teacher education programs that have prepared them to use technology for planning, instruction, engagement and assessment, as well as had time to experiment with edtech tools. Unfortunately, some veteran teachers may not have been given similar opportunities as they likely completed their teacher training before edtech integration was included or a requirement in the teacher preparation programs.
What follows are three ways veteran teachers can develop their fluency and understanding of how to use new technology tools introduced to them without formal instruction or PD.
1. Getting Comfortable With Classroom Tech: Learn with Your Students
While it is not a given that your students (digital natives) will automatically have strong digital literacy skills without prior instruction and development of those skills, they are likely to have been comfortable with tinkering with new tools and figuring out how to use these.
Instead of struggling alone or deciding to forfeit the use of new and exciting technology platforms, create a collaborative space for your students to contribute to your learning. You can turn your own training into an opportunity for students to build their agency, get hands-on experience, and to continue their own learning. Students will also see you are a human who makes mistakes, takes risks, and is not afraid to utilize their community for support.
By learning with your students and letting them lead in this way, they may feel more valued, and will be encouraged to reach out to you as well when they are stuck, instead of not saying anything.
2. Watch YouTube Videos
YouTube has millions of videos for everything from music and webinars to television shows and movies, and even people opening packages! It offers something for everyone, which means that there are also hundreds of thousands of tutorial videos on almost every technology tool available.
While many of the videos may be overviews of edtech tools, such as on Tech & Learning’s YouTube channel, there are many videos that provide nuanced specificity for almost every component of using the tool. For example, imagine that your school district has a Quizizz license and encourages you to use it for your instruction. You could go to YouTube and type, “How to use Quizizz,” and a variety of videos will be available, such as “How do teachers use Quizizz?” “How to use Quizizz: Full tutorial for teachers!” and “How to use Quizizz to make quizzes and share?” It may be helpful to play the video on a separate screen or alternative device such as a tablet, so you can work on your computer as you set-up the Quizizz.
And remember, with YouTube videos, you can pause, rewind, slow down, or speed up the rate of the speaker’s voice, all as needed.
3. Seek Out Community Spaces
Edtech tool developers have often included community spaces on their websites or within the platform so users can connect and share resources.
Not all community spaces are the same, however, although you may typically find these under the resources tab. Within these pages, there may be a forum for posting and receiving messages from other users, blogs sharing how the technology tool can be used, and even some challenges, sample lesson plans, tutorial videos focused on different components of the tool, and feedback surveys.
As you try out different tools, go to their websites and locate the community space, if applicable, and resources available to you. This may prove helpful to you and support your fluency.
Beyond the community spaces provided on the websites of the technology tool you are learning, you can also connect with your own networks, other teachers, and technology coaches.
New technology tools can be daunting to use, but hopefully the ideas shared above can be helpful to you as you will undoubtedly be introduced to new technology tools as you continue your teaching careers.
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