Coleman's Tech Corner
Students’ level of engagement in the classroom is a critical factor for their academic success, and a teacher who goes beyond merely conveying content but also engages and interacts with students will see better student performance and results. That’s because student engagement correlates with important educational results like academic achievement and satisfaction (Halverson et al., 2019). Because student engagement is so vitally important, teachers should be provided with ongoing professional development to help them gain confidence in creating lessons that are engaging. They should also be aware of and proficient with appropriate tools to aid in student engagement (Perry, 2022).
Fortunately, there are a variety of easily accessible technology tools that can aid in student engagement. Of course, as with any type of educational aid, these tools have pros and cons. On the one hand, technology and digital tools provide great advantages. They allow teachers to easily create original, customized, creative learning opportunities for their students (Tan et al., 2019). And they allow students to achieve increased engagement through a variety of games via apps or educational software, which helps them to master material in a fun and exciting way. On the other hand, a disadvantage of technology is the potential for technical difficulties, which can result in a loss of instructional time or perhaps the loss of a student’s work that was not saved (Robinson et al., 2018). In addition, technology that is misused or overused can distract from or replace other necessary elements of learning. Used correctly, however, the following three technology tools can greatly enhance student engagement and, as a result, student learning.
Quizzes
One app that combines elements of teaching, learning, and fun is Quizzes, an educational software that uses game-based pedagogy to help teachers help students master content. Quizzes can be used for formative assessment, summative assessment, homework assignments, independent practice, bell ringers, and exit tickets. It also has the ability to read aloud in multiple languages for elementary and ELL students. The app can be used in live, instructor-led sessions or in asynchronous learning environments. When material is presented in a face-to-face setting, the app can be displayed on a white board connected to the computer device. The students will need their own devices or tablets to play along or review their content. If teaching online, the material can be shown to the entire class through screen sharing.
The material evaluations—quizzes—can be designed in different formats (true-or-false, multiple choice, etc.), and can be created to be “public” or “private.” In public mode, the teacher can share the quizzes with other educators around the world. Teachers can create these evaluations after setting up a free account at https://Quizizz.com/. To join the game, students do not need to sign up. Students can participate in the game simply by accessing https://joinmyquiz.com, entering the game code that they were provided by their teacher, and typing in a nickname. When using the app in a live setting, the app generates a password that is shown on the screen that connects to the projector. A new password will be created automatically for each game. The teacher can also share the link via Google Classroom or Remind.
Nearpod
Nearpod can supply a teacher with engaging, standards-aligned lessons as well as activities that are ready to use. The lessons can also be edited or created from scratch. They can include videos, games, virtual simulations, interactive slides, and quizzes. The amazing thing about Nearpod is you can make any lesson interactive. Teachers can search through thousands of premade lessons, which are sorted by lesson type, topic, grade levels, standards, or keywords.
Nearpod can be used in three different modes. The first, called front-of-class mode, only requires the teacher to project his or her computer that can share a video or a lesson for whole group instruction, and it can be stopped to discuss key instructional moments. Alternatively, if the students have their own devices, the teacher can choose two different modes: live participation or student-paced. Live participation allows the teacher to control the entire lesson, and each member of the class moves at the same pace on their individual devices. In student-paced mode, the students each complete the lesson independently at their own pace. Both the live participation mode and student-paced mode can be used in virtual or remote learning contexts. Live participation would be used when the learners are attending a live class virtually; student-paced mode would be used when virtual learners have the flexibility to watch and complete a pre-recorded lesson at whatever time is convenient for the student.
Nearpod is free, at least for the app’s basic version, which includes interactive slides, access to premade lessons, videos, and activities. The three different types of teaching modes (as well as real-time insights that can be delivered through formative assessment) and other dynamic media features are also available.
An example of how Nearpod could be used in a lesson to increase student engagement can be found at the following link, which leads to a lesson in which the students will listen to a song, take a virtual field trip to a skate park, participate in a virtual simulation, and play a game to assess their knowledge of the lesson. Click on https://app.nearpod.com/?pin=kshz9 to begin a fun and engaging lesson on the different forms of energy.
Blooket
Blooket is a fun, educational, game-based learning platform that allows teachers to create games to share with students to review content. Blooket allows teachers to search public question sets to use or adapt as their own. Teachers can also alter the settings to de-emphasize the need to answer quickly, for students who may have slow processing speed. Blooket can be used during class as class-wide review. Teachers host live games with a unique game mode on their screen and the students join the game using a generated game ID. Blooket allows you to put students in randomized groups, to ensure that each group has a representative cross section of all levels of learners. However, Blooket works best if each student has their own device. Blooket also has the capability of assigning independent practice or homework. If a teacher has questions about how to use Blooket, there are many video tutorials on YouTube, and the app also offers a customer support chat as well. Blooket has a free subscription option.
Conclusion
Teachers have access to a variety of different technology apps and other resources to aid in interactivity and student engagement. Although these teaching aids are helpful to expand student knowledge and opportunity, they can never replace the greatest factor in student engagement—the teachers themselves. A teacher could be given the latest and greatest technology devices, but if he or she neglects to build a relationship or invest in his or her students, no tech can overcome that deficit. A positive teacher–student relationship improves students’ development and creates a better sense of community at school, and, therefore, creates a positive learning environment (Ibrahim et al., 2020). Teachers who build relationships with their students will have the greatest impact on student achievement, regardless of what tools are used in the process. So, although these new technologies and education software are beneficial and useful, the teacher is the most powerful and important piece of the puzzle. If the students don’t think their teacher cares and wants to see them succeed, it is less likely that the students will be motivated to reach their full potential. Teachers must realize they are one of the biggest links to the students’ achievement. Building rapport and an individual knowledge of and relationship with students will increase their participation in class, and research shows that a positive student-teacher relationship produces better student achievement (Xu et al., 2019).
References
Halverson, L.R., & Graham, C.R. (2019). Learner engagement in blended learning environments: A conceptual framework. Online Learning, 23(2), 145–178.
Ibrahim, A., & El Zaatari, W. (2019). The teacher–student relationship and adolescents’
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Perry, A. (2022). Student Engagement, No Learning without It. Creative Education, 13,
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Robson, D., & Basse, B. (2018). Advantages and Disadvantages of an Innovative Tablet
Technology Learning Activity: A Ten Year Case Study in Small Tertiary Mathematics
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Tan, T., Calmer, J., & Recinos, R. (2019). Matching technology with teachers to improve
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technology requires growth of technology availability in the classroom and growth
in how those technologies are used. Leadership, 48(4), 28–33.
Xu, Z., & Qi, C. (2019). The Relationship between Teacher-Student Relationship and
Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy. EURASIA Journal of
Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(10).
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