Page 61 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

CHAPTER 11 • Leveraging Technology for Teacher Efficiency and Effectivenes

In the previous chapters, the tools listed have generally been for student use with
teacher support. This chapter focuses on teachers’ needs. Two types of resources
are covered: teacher tools that provide efficiency in instruction, and professional
development resources that promote effectiveness in instruction.

Before conducting in-school research, I would have considered the use of tech-
nology for efficiency undesirable. I now recognize that efficiency is, and should be,
one outcome of increasing technology use in classrooms. The opportunity to use
digital tools to efficiently manage administrative tasks frees teachers to devote
more time to working directly with students.

However, always using digital tools for efficiency harms students. When all
student work is submitted online, graded online, and returned with feedback
online, the relationships between teachers and students become more impersonal.
Students crave positive connections with adults they admire. Think about the
casual conversations that occur when teachers are distributing and collecting
student work. Students don’t just talk about the academic work; they share funny
stories or recent successes or insights from their reading. For some students, those
in-the-moment connections may represent their best conversations of the day.

Social Platforms

Some teachers, particularly at the secondary level, use social platforms with their
students. In fact, some of the tools listed in previous chapters have had social
media aspects teachers can leverage with their students. Social media can be an
excellent tool for efficiency as well.

Unless a social platform has a protected area for students, use of the platforms in
classrooms is constrained to students age 13 or older. The platforms are appro-
priate for teachers to connect with parents and other teachers.

Because so many social platforms are part of the common experience in the United
States, rather than linking individual platforms, I will present resources and ideas
for harnessing their power for educational purposes. As recent developments with
breached security have demonstrated, teachers should be aware that privacy in
social media platforms is not guaranteed and a misstep can lead to dismissal. Be
judicious in what you post and how you respond to others.

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Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Tools to Meet the Needs of Every Student 61