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Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Education Opinion

Q&A Collections: Using Tech With Students

By Larry Ferlazzo — July 11, 2020 8 min read
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During the summer, I will be sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past nine years. You can see all those collections from the first eight years here.

Here are the ones I’ve posted so far:

This Year’s Most Popular Q&A Posts

Race & Racism in Schools

School Closures & the Coronavirus Crisis

Classroom-Management Advice

Best Ways to Begin the School Year

Best Ways to End the School Year

Student Motivation & Social-Emotional Learning

Implementing the Common Core

Facing Gender Challenges in Education

Teaching Social Studies.

Cooperative & Collaborative Learning

Today’s theme is on Using Tech in the Classroom. You can see the list following this excerpt from one of them:

* Five Ways to Differentiate Instruction in an Online Environment

Examples from two educators include giving students the time to take physical breaks as well as pausing academic presentations to give students time to think.

* Seven Ways to Support ELLs in Online Content Classes

I offer seven suggestions of how to help English-learners when doing remote teaching, including by providing graphic organizers and models.

* Start With the Content & Not With the Tech

Danielle Herro, Blake Harvard, Michael D. Toth, Michael Fisher, and Kenneth Tam wrap up this three-part series on using technology with students.

* Ways to Use Tech in the Classroom

Jayme Linton, Eric Sheninger, Cindy Garcia, Suzanne Lucas, Ari Flewelling, Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Dr. Carolyn Brown, and Dr. Jerry Zimmermann contribute their ideas on how to use ed tech.

* Technology ‘Doesn’t Replace Good Teaching’

Anne Jenks, Michelle Shory, Ed.S, Irina V. McGrath, Ph.D., Kim Jaxon, Dr. Beth Gotcher, Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., and Keisha Rembert share their suggestions for using tech effectively in class.

* ‘Technology Will Never Replace a Great Teacher’

Mark Estrada, Dr. Jenny Grant Rankin, Sarah Thomas, and Tom Daccord share their ideas about what ed-tech will look like 25 years from today.

* Ways to Use Tech in Math Class

Bobson Wong, Elissa Scillieri, Jennifer Chang-Wathall, and Anne Jenks offer their recommendations on using tech in math classes.

* ‘Tech Does Not Replace Pedagogy—It Complements It’

Kristan Morales, Cathy Seeley, and Madeline Whitaker Good write about how to use tech effectively in math classes.

* ‘Tech Tools Have the Power to Enhance Academic Work’

Jeryl-Ann Asaro, Sean Ruday, Dr. Carolyn Brown, Dr. Jerry Zimmermann, and Sarah Thomas offer their ideas on tech in the English classroom.

* Ways to Use Tech Effectively in English Classes

Jennifer Casa-Todd, Jenny Vo, Maggie Verdoia, Sarah Acosta Landry, Ingrid Nelson, and Stephanie Affinito share suggestions on how to use tech in English classes.

* Ways to Use Tech in Science Class

Erin Bridges Bird, Peggy Harte, Patrick Brown, James Concannon, Nick Cusumano, and Donna Markey share ways to use ed-tech in science classes.

* Ways to Use Tech in Social Studies Classes

Sarah Cooper and Ken Halla share suggestions on how to use tech in social studies classes.

* ‘Social Media Helps Teachers & Students Flatten the Schoolhouse Walls’
Guests Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski, Steve Wyborney, and Brandon C. Waite write their thoughts about the roles of social media in education.

* Using ‘Social Media Wisely’ in Education>

Lorena German, Shaeley Santiago, Jeremy Hyler, Dr. Troy Hicks, and Dr. Mary Howard share their ideas on using social media in education.

* ‘Embracing Technology’ as a Tool for Differentiation

Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Becky Shiring, Katie Robinson, Dr. Sonny Magana, and Dr. Monica Burns contribute their suggestions on using tech to differentiate instruction.

* Ways to Use Tech to Differentiate Instruction

Anne Jenks, Ge-Anne Bolhuis, Dr. Nancy Sulla, Sarah Shartzer, Daniel L. Schwartz, Jessia M. Tsang, and Kristen P. Blair share their suggestions on using technology to differentiate instruction.

* Using Videos to ‘Enhance Learning Experiences for Students’

Amber Chandler, Jen Schwanke, Dawn Wilson, Katie Alaniz, Laura Greenstein, Russel Tarr, and Sarah Thomas share their ideas on using video as a teaching tool.

* The Best Ways to Use Video in Class

Jason Griffith, Ken Halla, Dr. Rebecca Alber, Jennie Farnell, Cheryl Mizerny, and Michele L. Haiken share their suggestions on how teachers can most effectively use video in the classroom.

* ‘Double Flip’ Your Classroom

Daniel Schwartz,Jeryl-Ann Asaro, and William Kist share their thoughts on “flipped learning.”

* ‘Flipped Learning’ Does Not Just Mean ‘Posting Videos’

Rita Platt, Kristina J. Doubet, Eric M. Carbaugh, Sarah Thomas, Troy Cockrum, Sonja Cherry-Paul, and Dana Johansen share advice with teachers exploring “flipped learning.”

* Make 1:1 Programs ‘About the Learning, Not the Device’

Brady E. Venables, Djamal Balbed, Boyd Adolfsson, Joyce Cluess, and Dr. Robert Dillon share their ideas on how to implement one-to-one computer programs in schools.

* Guidelines for Successful One-to-One Computer Programs

Anne Jenks, Heather Staker, Larissa Pahomov, and Stephanie Smith Budhai share their suggestions on how schools can successfully implement one-to-one computer programs.

* Tech Helps Us ‘Be a Little Less Common’

Kristin Ziemke, Amber Teamann, Erik M. Francis, Shelly Lynn Counsell, Marsha Ratzel, and Richard Byrne share their ideas on the role of tech in meeting the Common Core State Standards.

* The Role of Tech in Common Core

Julie D. Ramsay, Michele L. Haiken, Laura Taddei, Melissa Oliver, and Michael Casey contribute their thoughts on the connections between ed-tech and the Common Core State Standards.

* Tech Tools That ‘Increase Learning’

The final post in this series on web tools and apps for learning features ideas from Laura Taddei, Amy Benjamin, Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski, and Carolina Pérez Ramírez. I also include comments from readers.

* Tech Tools Can ‘Facilitate Learning in Powerful Ways’

Kristina J. Doubet, Eric M. Carbaugh, Jules Csillag, Tahnja Wilson, Rajesh Kripalani, Marsha Ratzel, and Zachary Walker share their suggestions for tech tools to use in the classroom.

* Educators’ Favorite Tech Tools

Anna Bartosik, Jared Covili, Sam Patterson, Anabel Gonzalez, Richard Byrne, and Russel Tarr share suggestions on how to navigate through the ed-tech “jungle.”

* ‘Children Need Both Paper Books & Digital Texts’

Katie Keier, Stacy Nockowitz, Barbara Paciotti, and many readers share their thoughts on the debate between reading digitally or on paper.

* Reading Digitally vs. Reading Paper

Daniel Willingham, Kristin Ziemke, Lester Laminack, and Kimberly Carraway explore that topic of reading digitally compared with reading on paper in this post.

* Blended Learning Is ‘the Next Generation of Education’

Angel Cintron Jr., Connie Parham, Catlin Tucker, Sheri Edwards, Cheryl Costello, William J. Tolley, and George Station explore what blended learning is and how it can be made most effective.

* Ed-Tech ‘Has Overpromised & Underdelivered’

Jon Bergmann, Aaron Sams, Jake Goran, Steven Anderson, Derek Cabrera, and Rebecca Blink contribute their commentaries on the trials and tribulations of using ed-tech.

* ‘Be Patient’ When Dealing With Ed-Tech Problems

Larissa Pahomov, Anne Jenks, Jared Covili, Billy Krakower, and Heather Staker will share what they’ve found to be common ed-tech problems and how to respond to them effectively.

* Start With Goals, Not Tech or Curriculum

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Pontus Hiort, Rebecca Blink, Leah Cleary, Heather Wolpert-Gawron, and Barbara Blackburn share their ideas on the role of tech in schools.

* Technology in the Classroom ‘Is Simply a Tool’

Andrew Miller, Jennifer Orr, Michael Fisher, Cheryl Mizerny, and Travis Phelps discuss which should come first—curriculum or tech?

* Start With ‘Learning Goals’ Before Thinking About Tech

Educators Suzie Boss, Ken Halla, Jennifer Gonzalez, Kristina J. Doubet, Eric M. Carbaugh, Heather Staker, Katie Muhtaris, and Kristin Ziemke provide their suggestions on how to balance the use of technology in the classroom.

* Personalized Learning Is ‘Based on Relationships, Not Algorithms’

John Spencer, Andrew Miller, Heather Staker, Jeffrey Benson, and Louis Cozolino discuss the definition, and practical impacts, of personalized learning.

* Personalized Learning Is ‘a Partnership With Students’

Diana Laufenberg, Allison Zmuda, Pernille Ripp, Barbara Bray, Kathleen McClaskey, and Steven Anderson share their thoughts on what personalized learning looks like in the classroom.

* Ways to Help Students Develop Digital Portfolios

Several educators volunteered to write responses for this post—Rusul Alrubail, Michael Fisher, Frank Serafini, Kristin Ziemke, Kate Muhtaris, Jeb Schenck, and Joe Rommel.

* With 3D Printers, ‘You’re Only Limited by Your Imagination!

Laura Blankenship, David Malpica, David Thornburg, and Terry Graff have contributed commentaries here.

* Ways to ‘Shrink the Change’ of Tech & CCSS in Your Classroom

Sonja Cherry-Paul, Dana Johansen, Mike Fisher, Andrew Miller, and Amy Roediger share their advice.

* ‘Slow & Steady Wins the Race’ for Making Changes in Teaching

Charlene Stone, Jeremy Hyler, and Harry Dickens contribute their suggestions.

* ‘Simply Putting Tech in Front of Students Won’t Engage Them’

This post’s contributors include Richard Byrne, Nancy Frey, Doug Fisher, and Ben Stern, along with comments from readers.

* One-to-One Technology ‘Is Really About Building Effective Relationships’

Alice Barr, Mark Pullen, and Troy Hicks share their suggestions.

* ‘Flipped Learning Makes Teachers More Valuable’

This post includes positive responses from educators Jonathan Bergmann and Troy Cockrum, along with comments from readers.

* To Flip, or Not to Flip, a Classroom—That Is the Question

This piece includes guest responses from enthusiastic proponents of the flipped classroom like Peter Pappas and Andrew Miller, while Josh Stumpenhorst shares reservations similar to mine in his response.

* The Best Ways to Use Interactive White Boards

Educators Ben Stein, Patti Grayson, and Bill Ferriter, along with readers, have contributed their responses in this post.

* Using Ed-Tech to Support the Learning Process

Sylvia Martinez, Tina Barseghian, and Scott McLeod contribute their ideas here.

* Using Ed Tech to Create ‘Deep & Meaningful Experiences’

This post features pieces by Gary Stager and Kevin Hodgson.

* Effective Ways to Use Tech in the Classroom—Part Three

This post includes pieces from educators Kathy Cassidy and Josh Stumpenhorst, as well as readers’ comments.

* The Best Ways to Use Tech in the Classroom

Popular blogger Richard Byrne and I provide our suggestions.

* Can Teachers Be Friends With Students Using Social Media?

Educators Bud Hunt and Ernie Rambo take on an issue that always seems to be in the news.

I hope you’ve found this summary useful and, again, keep those questions coming!

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.