Whatisschool March 19, 2015

Navigating The Sea Of Educational Technology

#Whatisschool March 19, 2015 7PM EDT

In a 2012 PEW Report Judy Buchanan, deputy director of the National Writing Project said,

"The Internet is changing the very nature of how teachers engage in their profession and collaborate with one another.  The key moving forward is to ensure that all educators have equal access to the vast resources available online, and the encouragement and training to use them in groundbreaking ways."

Judy Buchanan

While EdTech has become an essential instructional tool for many educators around the globe, the discussion between supporters citing increased student-teacher productivity and critics who question the effectiveness noting gaps in instructional ability and availability for student in-home use, has also heated up.  So how do you get past all the bells and whistles to integrate really meaningful technology into your lesson plans?

This week #whatisschool explores the groundbreaking hits and misses of Educational Technology and looks toward future trends in a rapidly changing market that earned $4.4 trillion in 2013, with e-learning accounting for a $91 billion chunk of that.

Questions for #Whatisschool

March 18, 2015 7PM EDT

1) Is Educational Technology essential for success in your classroom?

2) Which technologies have you integrated with great success or failure?

3) What favorite apps have you used to enhance your teaching and learning programs?

4) How can technology be integrated with real world learning or critical thinking applications?

5) How can you get buy-in and teach others to effectively use and navigate EdTech trends?
6) How can you and your students help each other create an effective EdTech program?