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As we Enter a new School Year, Which Uses of Technology Hold the Most
Promise to Impact Learning?
Well, its that time of year again the start of a new school year. With it often comes the irresistible urge
to make another list, or even better many lists! Lists help us to plan, and they can also help us reflect
and assess.
One list I really enjoy putting together as we head into a new academic year is an updated look at which
educational uses of technology have shown the most promise over the last year. Which tools and
techniques most excite me as I look forward to another year of striving for continuous improvement as a
teacher, technologist, and #edtech advocate? And as different technology uses take the spotlight, which of
them are standing out a little less?
So, looking back and thinking forward, here are a dozen instructional uses of technology that are the most
compelling right now. Some of these are BIG ideas, driving real change in our classrooms and schools, and
some are simpler concepts that are making small but meaningful changes in how we engage our students
on a day to day basis.
Augmented Reality
AR is just so much fun and comes in many different flavors. Everything from free or inexpensive
smartphone apps to full blown 3D workstations like those from zSpace. AR is just one of the coolest
educational technologies that many educators have not even come across yet! To better understand AR in
the classroom, check out how these teachers and students are using augmented reality.
becoming an anytime, anywhere solution. In addition to live collaboration, tools like Movenote and
VoiceThread make it possible to collaborate via video asynchronously.
If you arent leveraging the power of video to bring guest speakers into your classroom, interact with other
classrooms across the world, or let a home-bound student participate in class, you are missing out on a
world of possibilities.
3D Printing
Not everyone has access to 3d printing yet, but I have little doubt most schools will by the end of this
decade. 3D printing is an amazing maker tool, and teachers and schools aredoing exciting things with
this technology. If you dont have access to 3D printing, check your local library system and nearby
universities, as many are starting to serve as hubs for 3d printing.
I heard (former Seton Hall CIO and current Robots-n-Pencils CEO) Phil Komarny say it quite a few years
back and it often echoes in my head: Think Mobile First or Mobile Only. Its so true mobile is changing
everything and education is no exception. This is surely an area where we are going to continue to see big
changes as the world slowly gets its head around the way the powerful devices so many of us have in our
hands can seriously change how we communicate, connect, reach out, access content, research, learn,
think, act, and the list just keeps growing.
If learning really can take place any time, any where, shouldnt we encourage it? This is yet another change
that is happening whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. More teachers are embracing the power of
this device as an instructional aid.
TECHNOLOGY
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