Every tech tool in every classroom...not so much
By Jamie Guillaume
  
    Even though it is still the beginning of the school year, at some point you probably have already experienced feelings of being overwhelmed.  Not only are teachers busy planning lessons, creating assessments, and accomplishing countless other tasks, but now you are hearing about lots of new classroom technology.  Although I am a firm believer that technology can enhance learning in the classroom, I also understand that not every tool, idea or program presented is going to be appropriate or even helpful in every classroom.
       When presented with classroom management or teaching techniques, teachers have to evaluate if the method is appropriate for their classroom environment and if the technique will enhance student learning.  Even though tech tools are typically flashier and more difficult to figure out, the process of determining if the tool is for you should be the same and you should ask yourself… Will this tool make a project my kids do more engaging?  Will it enhance student learning?  Will it make my job as a teacher easier, once in place?  If the answer to these questions is “no,” then the tech tool, idea or program is not for you and that is okay.  Not every tool needs to be implemented in every classroom; that would just be chaotic. However similar to adopting teaching models, sometimes the answer is “yes” and you dive in.    However for most of us the answer is, “yes, but I do not know where to begin.”  This is where the eLearning Team would love to help….. shoot us an email, yank us in your room from the hallway, or stop by our room.   
        When I first began going to technology workshops last summer my thought process was, how can I use this tool?  My mind would try to create a project or a lesson for the tool.  However what I eventually learned was to not create something new for the tool but ask myself, can this tool make what teachers are already doing better?  I remember a presenter explaining that when a carpenter gets a new hammer, they do not walk around and look for something to hammer but they use that hammer to make a job easier or better.  The same is true with technology in the classroom.  You should not learn a tool and create a way to use it but determine if the tool fits into your curriculum and if it can be used to enhance learning and engagement in your classroom.