Educational Technology Resources

Choosing Educational Technology Research Resources

Determining the type of educational technology resources that would best support teaching instructional practices to reinforce student learning can be difficult because there are so many organizations to choose from. I created a list of my top three educational technology research resources in hopes of empowering other educators to become more confident in utilizing the educational technology tools available and apply them to their instructional process to advance student learning.

(EdSurge, 2022)

·         EdSurge. Edtech Product Reviews | EdSurge

•  EdSurge is an online educational database that is guided by the community to support educators’ needs. This website offers research and analysis of educational practices and tools to improve teacher instructional practices and student learning. “EdSurge aims to bridge the information gaps that often exist between those who drive change in education, and those they serve.” (EdSurge, 2022) EdSurge makes it simple for teachers to search for information that will advance their instruction with their product index of educational technology tools. The resources are divided into five categories to make navigating the website and locating specific content simple. These categories consist of Curriculum Products, Teacher Needs, Educational Operations, Post-Secondary, and Everything Else.

(Common Sense Education, 2022)

·      Common Sense Education. Common Sense Education | Digital Citizenship Curriculum & EdTech Reviews

• Common Sense Education is an “award-winning Digital Citizenship Curriculum that prepares students with lifelong habits and skills, supports teachers with training and recognition, and engages families and communities with helpful tips and tools.” (Common Sense Education, 2022) Common Sense Education facilitates teaching instructional practices by offering research, reviews, training, and ratings of educational tools. Educators can operate Common Sense Education easily by selecting specific topics such as Digital Citizenship, EdTech Ratings and Reviews, and Professional Development. Each feature has a variety of subcategories to pinpoint information such as grade, subjects, or skills to reinforce instructional practices to support student learning.

(LearnPlatform, 2022)

·         Learn Platform. LearnPlatform

• Learn Platform is home to an award-winning team of educators, researchers, technologists, and thought leaders who build and deliver ground-breaking tools that increase the capacity of educators and their organizations to research, select and evaluate digital learning products that best meet the current needs of their students.” (LearnPlatform, 2022) Learn Platform progresses student learning by offering effective educational technology for educators to incorporate into their curriculum. Teachers can browse through explicit categories to determine which technology advancement best suits their instructional practice. The groupings are classified by Districts, States, Education Service Agencies, EdTech Providers, and Resources to make researching resources uncomplicated.

Methods/ Strategies for Integrating Technology to Support Teacher's Instructional Practices

Integrating educational technology like employing a classroom calendar and collecting student feedback are great methods for the teacher to facilitate student learning. Both strategies incorporate technology into the teacher’s instruction while enhancing engagement and productivity.

(Google, 2022)

    Online Classroom Calendar

• Educators can create an online calendar to incorporate technology in their classroom that will support teacher instructional practices by sharing essential information. The type of fundamental information shared on the online calendar can consist of helpful study reminders, due dates on homework or projects, and day-by-day agendas so students are prepared for class. Utilizing an online classroom calendar can increase engagement in school and at home by allowing students and their parents access to important information. Another advantage of using an online calendar is that productivity can increase by displaying the curriculum in advance so students can know what to expect and stay on task while reinforcing learning.

 

    Collecting Student Feedback

• Collecting student feedback is a necessary method of informing the teacher if their lesson and instructional practices are appropriate for student learning. Similarly, if the curriculum is not working, the educators need to determine what the problem area is and how to correct the issue. Therefore, integrating technology into gathering student feedback through online surveys or polls is a neat and organized method to collect direction from students. The teacher can determine when feedback is collected from the class. 
• For example, the teacher can gather data from learners after every lesson, weekly, or bi-weekly, the timeframe is completely up to the educator. Once the responses are compiled, the teacher can apply the information to their instructional practice and adjust accordingly to advance student learning.