What “counts” as good use of technology in math and science learning environments?
- Allows students to imagine their learning outside of the classroom walls
- Gives students a more equitable learning experience
- Provides opportunities for learning that might not have been possible without tech
- Empowers students to try new things
- Empowers students to feel confident in what they know
Good use of technology in the math and science classroom looks like excitement. It sounds loud with conversation about things that students are discovering using technology, things that can’t be learnt through textbooks or teachers. Good use of technology feels like students are confident and empowered to take chances, make mistakes, and discover what they don’t know. On a less abstract level, good use of technology is well thought out. It enhances the learning environment for students without becoming the center of the learning experience. So often, students can misuse technology or can find themselves more enamoured with the gamification aspect. Though these types of programs have a place in our math and science classrooms, good technology use is going to allow students to tap into those higher order skills.
Educators don’t have a lot of time on their hands, and these days, less and less. Good technology use is going to help educators understand their students’ needs better. Whether it’s a quick formative check-in, or a more in depth analyzation of conceptual challenges, good technology in the math and science classroom provides educators with support for their students’ academic growth. Technological needs are contextual. What might be a great use of technology one day, might not work the next. As much as it is on the teacher to incorporate technology into the classroom, the responsibility of good technology use also lies with the students. So though I haven’t given a concrete example of good technology use in the math and science classroom, I think the important thing to remember is that it needs to be dynamic and intentional.