MM 1092: Effective Use of Technology in Classrooms

Effective Use of Technology in Classrooms

Summary:

This article outlines seven research-based strategies for using technology to deepen learning—from student-created videos and AI tutors to assistive tools and streamlined digital spaces. It emphasizes that purposeful, well-structured tech use can enhance student engagement, comprehension, and independence, while also helping students build future-ready digital literacy.

Danielson Domain:

Domain 3c: Engaging Students in Learning and 3d: Using Assessment in Instruction 

In this Edutopia article, Youki Terada and Paige Tutt report that over half of employers say technological literacy is essential for the workplace – more important than empathy, curiosity, and dependability. How can teachers help students build those skills? Here are seven ideas:

• Student video presentations – An intriguing experiment asked small groups of college students to prepare a short science lesson for high-school students. Half of the undergraduate groups prepared for in-person presentations, the other half made 3-5-minute video recordings. The video groups used a wider range of narrative techniques, took more risks, were more creative, edited their thinking, and demonstrated better understanding of the content. This study indicates that for the TikTok generation, making videos is an effective way for students to consolidate and demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

• AI as a tutor and quiz-giver – When students ask chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude for answers, very little learning takes place, but when AI tools are programed to give students hints as they solve problems and create formative tests on the content, learning gains are significant. “As long as students are using AI in ways that support their own review practices,” say Terada and Tutt, “the tool is capable of adding significant value to a student’s study habits.” 

• Digital texts and self-recordings – While recent studies have shown the advantage of students reading paper texts, when digital materials (e.g., a novel) are used effectively, students can excel. One high-school English teacher created rotating stations with collaborative digital text annotation, designing character profiles and movie posters, conducting mock interviews, and recording video reviews. By offering a mix of digital and traditional activities and student choice, she said, engagement and learning improved significantly. A middle-school teacher used the Scribble app to share his comments and feedback, guiding students as they analyzed, annotated, and discussed complex texts. An elementary teacher had students use GarageBand to record their work, listen to themselves, and decide what they needed to improve. 

• A teacher’s well-organized digital space – Students tend to judge teachers’ effectiveness by how well they communicate in e-mails and how logically their learning management system is organized. By modeling good presentation of course objectives, instructions for submitting assignments, feedback, and answers to common questions, teachers are teaching students how to organize their own work. “Students who are lost in a digital maze may quit in frustration rather than send an e-mail asking for help,” say Terada and Tutt.

• Strictly limited cellphone and online access – “Away for the day” is the best policy for cellphones, they say, and laptops need to be closed during most classroom activities. One study found that when this is not the case in college classrooms, students spend 34 percent of class time checking social media, shopping, and watching videos. Even sitting next to a classmate with a digital device open is a major distraction. But used well, say Terada and Tutt, online resources can help students explore new ideas, discover different approaches, and empower them as content consumers and creators. The key is teachers enforcing clear limits, using technology in areas where it can excel, and managing students’ attention.

• Reducing “friction” for students with disabilities – Assistive technologies like text-to-speech software, Livescribe digital pens, automated captions, audiobooks, live transcriptions, digital handouts and highlighters, on-touch dictionaries, and on-screen magnifiers help bridge the learning gap for students who need accommodations. “The key is to match tools to student needs and teach students how to use them purposefully,” says Xin Wei of Digital Promise.

• Using short lesson videos – Long video lessons have the same problem as long in-person lectures – information overload and flagging student attention. The trick is to keep videos to 5-8 minutes, chunking content, and maximizing engagement through follow-up discussions and activities. Videos tend to be more effective than in-person lectures because teachers have the opportunity to edit their thoughts, fine-tune their ideas, and draw attention to important details with annotations, arrows, labels, and other visual cues.

“7 Research-Backed Tech Tips You Can Use Today” by Youki Terada and Paige Tutt in Edutopia, May 30, 2025