Getting Started
New to educational technology? Not sure where to jump in? It can be intimidating and seem overwhelming, but the good news is it doesn't have to be. Set some time aside in a comfortable environment and explore the possibilities of using technology to supporting academic language and content learning within your educational setting. Find engaging ways to connect learning to learner's lives.
Explore Resources
To gain an overview, explore via the tabs at the top. You may want to bookmark one or two sites you find useful, or if you are familiar with a productivity tool such as Diigo or Pockets, save them to return to later. It can be a lot to take in, so think of this site as a resource that you can return to. Take it at your pace. Look for one site or tool that you can use in a meaningful way in your educational setting. Play, share, and reflect.
Big Ideas
Use technology to support learning. Tech can foster language development and cultural awareness. Consider how it can support communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, inquiry, and content learning. Think about its role in positive social change.
Outside the Box
Use the Outside the Box questions to take learning in a new direction. Create your own questions and share them!
Draw A Stickman
Before going further, draw a stickman first by clicking here! It's fun and helps answer this question: Why does this site exist? Partial answer: Because the creator of this site can draw a stickman on her own, but that's about it... Tech steps it up and helps us step outside the box. Draw a stickman that comes to life and literally steps outside the box.
Explore Take it at your pace and look for one tool or site to explore. Explore in a safe environment where you allow yourself to experiment and to learn. |
Create
The Toolbox is a good tab to get started in creating. Choose a category that looks interesting, Find a site and play! *Comics and Ways to Tell a Story are two of my favorites. |
Share
After you create, be happy and share it! This may be as simple as showing a friend your creation on your screen or sharing on a site such as this. |
Reflect
Reflection will likely occur all along in the process. Take the time to reflect on ways you can use the tech in your educational setting to engage learners in creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, etc. If it has potential, test it out in your setting to see if it works. |
Reflect on how you might go about creating an environment where your learners can play, create, share, and reflect as the tech supports their content and language development. Keep in mind digital literacies such as copyright, intellectual property, fair use, information literacy, etc. Over time, you will likely naturally begin to layer the technologies in some exciting ways that allow you to take learning outside the box. i.e. Start up your own social media platform, aggregate resources, and share your creations.