@TeacherToolkit
Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2010, and today, he is one of the ‘most followed educators’on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times as a result of…
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What technology is being used in teaching classrooms today?
There’s technology everywhere, and every teacher and school will use an incredible variety of tools to make their working lives a little bit easier. Here are some popular ideas I see being used on my teacher training travels …
1. Visualiser
Most schools have been using affordable visualisers for over a decade. However, they are not yet in every classroom.
The benefits of using a visualiser to model the learning process are second-to-none, and sometimes technology in classrooms can get in the way, but in this case, teachers should make an exception.
Not sure which visualise to choose? Look at this resource and see my review of 8 different devices.
2. The number one school software
There are 1,000s to choose from, but one that I’ve been keeping a close eye on for over seven years is CENTURY. It’s an assessment tool to reduce teacher workload, providing feedback to students in real-time by the second.
Listen to the founder, Priya Lakhani, explain how the idea evolved and why its use is spreading across the globe.
3. Fast feedback machine
Written feedback is the biggest burden on a teacher’s workload.
Imagine if there was a tool to help do this quicker.
Well, Teacher Fast Feedback might help!
Designed by a teacher still working in the classroom.
4. Quizzing Software
There are hundreds of brilliant choices for teachers and skills to make here.
As an education blogger, I am privy to many conversations with companies, endorsing their products and filtering through great quality resources. My top picks would be:
- Seneca Learning
- Learning by Questions
- Kahoot
- Socrative, and,
- Hegarty Maths.
I see so many platforms reproduce the same things. A different flavour, a different colour, a different brand name, mainly providing the same service with bold educational claims. A key question I always ask is to show me the research that suggests how any platform reduces teacher workload and improves student outcomes! A good benchmark is if the founder or developers were once a teacher …
5. Chat GPT
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, artificial intelligence is now available to the masses.
Over the last couple of months, teachers everywhere(!) have been exploring how Chat GPT can improve workload.
I’ve explained the benefits, the ethics and some of the emerging research in this area, and how I’ve been using AI in my life as a teacher for the past ten years …
6. Voice Dictation
A perfect tool for teachers and students with dyslexia, I’ve been using voice technology for 10+ years. How did you think I’ve managed to hold down a full-time teaching job, write 2,000+ blog posts on this site, and publish 10 teaching books?
Inspired by a headteacher I used to work with, Dragon Dicate uses artificial intelligence to learn from your voice. It’s so sophisticated, it learns grammar rules, your local dialect (accent) and various technology functions make it a stand-out tool for me!
7. Pupil Progress
Another fantastic assessment tool for teachers!
Pupil Progress tracks pupils’ assessment live in lessons, bespoke to every examination board, providing teachers with the highest confidence level = you can trust the data!
There is a live calculation of progress 8 and attainment 8 scores, with performance management measures, grade boundary adjustments and target grades. If only I had this when I was a teacher/school leader, I would’ve saved myself and everybody else hundreds of hours every year!
8. Virtual Reality
Green screens and virtual reality headsets.
Whilst they have not yet reached every classroom, they are becoming more affordable. One option that I’ve been keeping an eye on is Class VR.
Last year, I was privy to the technology, watching a teacher’s recorded observation. I could look at every corner of the classroom remotely, move around and see and hear every conversation taking place. It totally changes the game when it comes to observing, and improving, teaching and learning.
9. QR codes
Once the rage in ~2010, QR codes are back in fashion!
With improved technology on all devices, plus a greater number of platforms available to create them, QR codes are in more and more classrooms and schools as an easy way for people to access content.
My go-to platform is QR Monkey.
10. Google Classroom
I’ve been a Mac user for almost 20 years, and I’ve lived a Microsoft career in classrooms. I’ve managed to blend between the two different operating systems, devices and use both strategically to implement ICT use across three large secondary schools.
I first implemented Google Classroom across a school in 2014; when the pandemic came along, this helped that school stay ahead of the bell-curve in terms of disruption to teaching and learning.
Sadly, many schools are restricted by local authority or multi-academy trust choices, because technology is procured at a large scale, and then deployed where needed. The costs can be astronomical, and it’s a never-ending task to keep up with the changes, costs and updates.
It’s impossible for any of us to keep up-to-date with technological evolution. What is important, is that we select resources that benefit our work, safeguard our pupils, and make a difference to our performance.
What are your top-10, technology solutions for classrooms?
