In spring of 2020 when many of the educators I work with shifted to distance learning, countless hours were spent preparing digital lessons for students. Educators created screencasts, built activities in learning management systems, and converted paper/pencil tasks to digital methods for students to access at home. Technology, in distance learning, was not merely an enhancement but a necessity. Educators learned more regarding technology apps and protocols than perhaps ever before in their careers.

Student learning has now returned to the physical classroom, and several educators I have spoken with are hesitant to integrate their new technology learnings into this in-person environment. Some speak of the need to limit screen time, others emphasize the need for students to practice social skills. Both of these aforementioned points are valid, and yet I find that the hidden reason educators express burnout with student technology use is the way it had been used during distance learning – methods that required a great amount of teacher prep and provided little opportunity for students to blend the tech with analog and verbal demonstrations of understanding.

Rethink Tech in the Physical Classroom for Less Teacher Prep

Build Student-Led Protocols – Last week I met with educators who designed excellent student activities in Seesaw during distance learning. When asked how they are using the platform this year in the physical classroom, most replied that they have not used it – that they want students using manipulatives and engaging in paper/pencil tasks this year. These educators are absolutely correct – kinesthetic means of experiencing learning are vital. However, technology can be used not merely as a platform to facilitate the entire lesson as was done in distance learning, but to document analog learning. I showed these teachers some images of kindergarteners, precovid, who used seesaw to take pictures of their center work and add a verbal recording to explain their thinking. This required no prep on the part of the teacher. Students simply entered their learning into their student journal on seesaw.

A middle school educator I work with has begun blending physical books with technology by incorporating booksnaps into daily reading. Each day, students synthesize their comprehension of their 10 minute independent reading by taking a picture of a page of their book onto a Google slide, and layer on an image and annotation. Prompts for the booksnap align to reading comprehension standards (i.e. find textual evidence of theme, character development). Click here to learn more about Booksnaps from creator Tara M. Martin.

In both of these examples, students utilize technology alongside analog learning methods. Educators do not need to spend prep time creating digital lessons, rather, the tech is used to document the learning process.