There are so many STEM tools that teachers can use to make instruction more effective and learning more engaging. With options that focus on coding, others on engineering, robotics, 3D printing, or something else, there truly is a ton to choose from. For us, however, just because a STEM tool has an element of technology and is intended for educational use, this does not necessarily translate to deeper learning experiences. As EdTech tools evolve, their defining characteristics are often changing as well and, as we get further into the 21st century with a better understanding of how to prepare students for the future, those features keep improving. This week, we’re breaking down some of the best things to look for in an educational technology!
Accessibility
One of the top features teachers should be looking for in technology tools today is accessibility. Not only are EdTech manufacturers now intentionally designing products that put this feature at the forefront, the benefits tech like this provide are extensive. Starting with teachers, greater accessibility means they can do a lot more with a particular piece of technology and can use it in so many different ways as well as with so many different types of students. When we think of accessibility, we think of versatility. And, since students learn in a lot of different ways, the more accessible an EdTech tool is, the more valuable it is in any given classroom. It is becoming more and more common that technologies are built with learner-centered features and accessibility is at the top of that list for sure!
One way to tell if a piece of educational technology is accessible is simply by looking at it. If it looks like it has a bunch of complicated components or a slew of unnecessary bells and whistles that look like they’re only there for show, then it might not be the best move. The features of a technology tool should add to the learning experience and never present any sort of distractions for the kids who are using them. Teachers should also take care to note whether or not every student in their class will be able to use the tool fully. Some students might not be able to grip it or easily handle small parts while others might not do so well with blinking lights, for example. Just because a STEM tool is affordable does not necessarily mean that it is right for all of your students.
What makes an EdTech tool accessible is often the kinds of projects students can do with it and the learning experiences they can create. If the creator of that particular product also provides easy-to-follow projects or activities that are educational and simple to implement, then that is definitely a plus. Also, if the technology can be used without much of a learning curve, that also makes it accessible. Finally, accessibility also occurs when a technology can be shared amongst students seamlessly. It may seem fairly obvious to you, but not every EdTech tool is completely accessible. When doing your research for new classroom technologies, keep these characteristics in mind to help determine if the ones you’re looking at offer the greatest amount of accessibility for your students!
Portability
Learning happens everywhere in today’s schools and we really do mean everywhere. Since technology plays such a large part in that learning, teachers tend to find amazing benefits in educational technologies that are portable. Being able to enhance their instruction no matter where they are teaching is a huge plus. Since today’s teachers deliver their instruction in a lot of different places, like the classroom, library, makerspace, or even outside on occasion, having technology that can be moved from place to place is very beneficial. For those of you who instantly think of laptops or tablets when you think of educational technology, you might be thinking to yourself that these devices are already pretty portable. When working with an entire class of students, however, it could become challenging for teachers to get all the tech and the students where they need to be, so, if this is an issue you commonly face, selecting technology based on the portability it offers might be helpful.
In addition to the computing hardware, the STEM tools available today are also widely portable. So much powerful technology can be packed into these little devices to allow students and teachers to use them in almost any environment. Plus, the more portability a technology has, the more valuable it becomes in education. Take robotics tools, for example. There are plenty of them that are very small and very easily transported. So, if you were thinking that educational robotics means finding a way to get some large machines into your classroom, that’s not always the case. They’re pretty small (and getting smaller), which allows teachers to distribute them to more students and for those students to learn with them anywhere. The size factor comes into play for other STEM tools, too, like engineering kits, circuitry sets, and even 3D printers for education!
Speaking of 3D printing, this is one area of EdTech that is probably more portable than you would think. When they first started popping up in classrooms, 3D printers were large machines that took up quite a bit of space. While some of them still are quite large, others are getting increasingly smaller. The smaller models allow educators to move the printers from room to room so that they could be used in the library one day and in the makerspace the next. And, with the smaller sizes in 3D printers also comes a price decrease in a lot of cases, so that’s something to also keep in mind for anybody who’s still on the fence about getting one in the classroom. Plus, the availability of 3D printing pens offers another avenue for both STEM creation and portability! Check out some of the STEM tools on our store and you’ll be sure to find plenty that are portable!
Collaborative
If you think about it, so much of the real world and the careers that have been born as a part of it have been built on collaboration. It’s rare in this day and age to find professions—especially in the STEM fields—in which employees are working independently a majority of the time. STEM careers often require constant collaboration and teamwork because each person on the team is often able to bring some type of specialization to the table. So, since that is the case, students stand to gain a whole lot of benefits from collaborative approaches to hands-on learning all throughout their K-12 education. Since technology also plays a large part in the modern workforce, EdTech that fosters a sense of collaboration and allows for fluid group learning is something that tends to work great in a lot of classrooms.
Opportunities for collaboration are made that much more possible with technology in a lot of cases. A lot of the time, this collaboration provides a lot of academic and intellectual benefits for students. For starters, using EdTech can simply get students talking to each other. As they work with a piece of technology and see some of the things it can do as well as what they can do with it, they’re more than likely going to stat bouncing additional ideas off of each other for ways it can be used to solve problems or enhance solutions. Digital tools and hands-on STEM tools have a distinct purpose and provide some distinct advantages for building collaborative environments and for helping students develop collaboration skills and one reason for that is simply that they get students communicating.
While the hands-on STEM tools, like robotics sets and engineering kits, are good for kids to build collaboration skills, they’re not the only ones. Students can also benefit a great deal from collaborative digital tools, which can be found on or offline. Teachers can post class-wide discussion topics and students can take part in thought-provoking conversations whether they’re physically in the same location or not. This is, of course, comparable to the real world in which students today will probably routinely be expected to collaborate with others located in different parts of the world. Getting as much experience as possible with collaboration will only help prepare them for that kind of a life and digital and physical EdTech tools can each help them see what it’s like.
Progressive
This is perhaps one of our favorite features in an EdTech tool. Sure, just about all educational technology is great and allows students to prepare for the future. Some technologies, however, offer just a bit more than that. Manufacturers are able to pack so many capabilities into the technology they produce today, so those tools are able to help students learn multiple things—and continue learning more complex concepts after mastering the basics. Take coding, for example. One of the most popular ways to introduce students to coding is through the use of graphical, visual blocks. This type of programming is often referred to as block coding or a Blockly language and allows students to simply drag different blocks that each have specific values into a program and then use that program to control something.
For an EdTech tool, when we refer to it as being ‘progressive’ we mean that it allows students to progress through learning concepts of varying complexity. It introduces them to the simplest form of a concept; for coding, that would be block coding. And, then, using the skills they’ve learned through that process, introduces them to the next most complex step in the equation—perhaps the addition of loops or variables. The final steps in the progression could be the introduction of typed coding using a language like JavaScript or Python. Being able to use the same piece of technology to teach different skills with various amounts of complexity makes that technology progressive in our eyes and also makes it very valuable to teachers since they don’t necessarily have to spend their money on something new every time their students master a skill.
In terms of making progress, the EdTech tools that are designed for younger students not only allow them to learn how to use that one particular tool more extensively. Rather, it helps them build a foundation for using all sorts of different technologies in their learning. Building tech skills is something that takes a little bit of time, but, thanks to the way EdTech is designed today, once they have a basic understanding of how the technology works, students can typically make an easy transition to using it more extensively. For educators, finding technologies that allow students to develop more extensive skill sets while using it to learn increasingly complex concepts are a win-win and they’re able to get a lot more mileage out of their purchase!
Fun
We could sit here and say that we truly believe EdTech tools should do more to increase engagement for students. At this point, however, we think that should probably go without saying. So, the fifth and final trait we tend to look for in the technologies we add to our store is how much fun they will help students to have. Since students tend to be more engaged when they’re having fun anyway, this too seems like a win-win. There’s no reason that serious learning can’t happen when students are having fun and many of the technologies available to teachers today help create plenty of both. Since, a lot of the time, kids are excited to use new technology as part of their education, why not choose some of the stuff that helps make it more fun?
Educational technologies shouldn’t only create fun for students, though. It can absolutely create some more fun for teachers! In an obvious sense, EdTech can make the teaching experience more fun, but it can also make it more practical and efficient in a lot of cases, which can make teaching more fun in other ways or allow more time for teachers to have fun if you catch where we’re going with this. Since so many technologies allow teachers to provide real-time feedback to their students (or provide it to them, itself), it can create a more enjoyable teaching experience. Plus, the possibilities for lesson planning and educational activities is greatly expanded, making the time teachers spend preparing for each day a bit more fun.
And, EdTech can also allow educators to collaborate in the same ways it makes it possible for students. When introduced to a new tech tool, teachers can work with their peers to teach and learn together. This helps them start to understand the simple things, like turning it on and off, and all of the ways in which they can use it in their instruction. EdTech also helps create some professional development sessions that are much more fun than the traditional PD teachers tend to take part in. If you’re using a technology because you think it should be good for students but it’s not creating deeper learning, collaboration opportunities, or is, you know, fun, then it might not be the right one. If you have any questions about what you should be using, feel free to get in touch with us!
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