George Lucas Educational Foundation

Technology Integration

Tech2Learn: Success Stories of Technology Integration in the Classroom

This video series goes inside the classrooms of educators who use technology tools in their lessons every day. Learn from their challenges, celebrate their successes, and share their resources in every episode.

By Amy Erin Borovoy

May 9, 2012 Updated December 15, 2014

Episodes by Topic:

Enhancing Lessons With Blended Learning
Collaborative Digital Presentations
Engaging Kids With Digital Video Production
Differentiating Instruction Through Technology
Free or Low-Cost Technology Tools
Video Games and Programming
Additional Resources on the Web

The Tech2Learn series is a co-production with the Teaching Channel.

Enhancing Lessons With Blended Learning

VIDEO: Blended Learning Energizes High School Math Students (2012)
Educator Peter McIntosh helps his students to take ownership of their learning by using interactive subject-mastery tools like Khan Academy. Check out these resource links from Peter McIntosh.

Related Resources From Edutopia

Five-Minute Film Festival: The Basics of Blended Learning, by Amy Erin Borovoy (2014)
Get a better understanding of the definition and the promise of blended learning from this playlist of nine videos and additional resources gathered by VideoAmy. For a comprehensive list of additional resources, you might also want to check out Edutopia’s big list of blended-learning resources.
4 Tips for Getting to Know the Blended Instructional Model, by Victor Small, Jr. (2014)
Small, Jr. offers four practical tips for getting comfortable with blended learning: don't assume every kid is a tech wiz, be wary of online textbooks, use PowerPoint sparingly, and encourage student-to-student communication.
A Two-Gear Construct for Envisioning Blended Learning, by Elisabeth Stock (2014)
Stock, a K-12 digital learning expert, explains how blended learning is a construct rather than a model, and details the thinking that led her group to link personalized instruction with student-driven learning.
Blended Learning: Working With One iPad, by Kristin Weller (2014)
Short on technology? Learn how one educator has found a way to put a single iPad to use so the whole class benefits.
Backchannel: Giving Every Student a Voice in the Blended Mobile Classroom, by Beth Holland (2014)
Holland introduces the backchannel as a tech integration strategy for keeping students engaged in the classroom -- all students, not just the ones who are always raising their hands or speaking out.
Flipped Classroom
Explore Edutopia’s content related to flipped learning, a popular model of blended learning. One good place to start: flipped-learning pioneers Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams walk you through the steps you need to take to make blended learning a reality in their Flipped-Learning Toolkit series.

Collaborative Digital Presentations With Online Tools

VIDEO: Collaborative Digital Presentations Enrich Projects (2012)
Educator Kate Summers engages her students by asking them to "teach back" chemistry concepts to their peers via online demonstrations created with tech tools like Google Docs, Keynote, and PowerPoint. Check out these resource links from Kate Summers.

Related Resources From Edutopia

Classroom in the Cloud: Technology as a Learning Environment, by Laura Fleming (2014)
An under-utilized high school library becomes a constant learning organization and a place of cloud literacy where students present to each other and collaborate via their avatars inside 3-D virtual classrooms.
Author Commentary That’s Simply App Smashing, by Ross Cooper (2014)
Cooper, a fourth grade teacher with a creative approach to literature study, gets his students into the authors' heads by having them imagine an interview and then construct it collaboratively via app smashing.
4 Free Web Tools to Boost Student Engagement, by Nicolas Pino James (2014)
James, a teacher researcher focused on effective learning and teaching, suggests four collaborative-presentation tool technologies for engaging students with course material in and out of class: myBrainshark, PosterMyWall, Screencast-o-matic and Padlet.
Redefining Learning Through Screencasting, by Beth Holland (2013)
Holland of EdTech Teacher looks at the SAMR Model as she walks us through ways to redefine learning through screencasting apps that allow students to combine audio, images, drawing, and text to present, tell stories, and explain thought processes. For more on screencasting, also read "Common Core in Action: Screencasting in the Fourth Grade Math Classroom," by Monica Burns.
Teaching Presentation Skills With Ignite, by Andrew Miller (2012)
Miller describes how Ignite, a clock-driven presentation method, offers students an exciting challenge.

Engaging Kids With Digital Video Production

VIDEO: Building Career Skills in Video Production Class (2012)
Starting with four hand-me-down cameras and four donated computers, high school teacher Jim Sill and his students built a successful media production business in Central California. Check out these resource links from Jim Sill.

Related Resources From Edutopia

5 Apps for Making Movies on Mobile Devices, by Monica Burns (2014)
Burns reviews five movie-making apps for iOS devices and Android tablets, highlighting their no-to-low cost, ease of use, and the wide range of professional-looking products that students can create.
Critical and Creative Expression for Indigenous Youth, by Donna DeGennaro (2014)
DeGennaro, director and founder of Unlocking Silent Histories, describes the experience of introducing indigenous youth in Guatemala to the art of documentary filmmaking and watching them find their voices.
7 Tips for Getting Started With Video in the Classroom, by Dan Callahan (2014)
In this community post, Callahan shares 7 tips for teachers on how to get started with making movies in the classroom. Explore tips from other community members in the comments.
Five-Minute Film Festival: Vine and Instagram Video in the Classroom, by Amy Erin Borovoy (2013)
Can seconds-long Vine and Instagram videos be used as teaching tools? According to a number of educators online, the answer is a resounding yes! To help educators utilize Vine in class, VideoAmy has pulled together some of the best resources and videos from around the web.
Lights, Camera ... Engagement! Three Great Tools for Classroom Video, by Ron Peck (2012)
Peck walks us through tools that can turn students into videographers.
Digital Storytelling: Helping Students Find Their Voice, by Suzie Boss (2008)
Though making a movie may have become easier, making a good one is still hard to do.

Differentiating Instruction Through Technology

VIDEO: Differentiating Instruction Through Interactive Games (2012)
Using tech tools and games acquired through grants and his own resourcefulness, second-grade teacher Robert Pronovost tailors math instruction to match students' individual learning styles. Check out these resource links from Robert Pronovost.

Related Resources From Edutopia

Mixing it Up With Mangahigh: Using Games to Differentiate Instruction, by Kris Mueller (2014)
Mueller, a teacher at Quest to Learn, uses the online math game site Mangahigh to illustrate three tips for differentiated instruction: pre-assessment, formative assessment, and the Goldilocks Principle of 'just right.'
Five-Minute Film Festival: 9 Ways to Raise Money for Your Class Online, by Amy Erin Borovoy (2014)
VideoAmy has collected a wealth of resources for teachers looking into classroom fundraising campaigns to help fund technology or other classroom projects.
Creating a "Least Restrictive Environment" with Mobile Devices, by Beth Holland (2013)
Holland of EdTechTeacher looks at how mobile devices can help create a 'least restrictive environment' not only for students with disabilities, but for everyone else as well.
Using QR Codes to Differentiate Instruction, by Monica Burns (2013)
Burns, a longtime fan of QR codes as classroom tools, is now applying them as a way of meeting Common Core expectations to differentiate instruction. Another post from Burns, "Support English-Language Learners With Scannable Technology," is also worth reading.
Back to School: Differentiation for All Students, by Ben Johnson (2013)
Johnson offers up teaching and technology tools to differentiate classroom learning.

Getting Started With Free or Low-Cost Technology Tools

VIDEO: Free Online Resources Engage Elementary Kids (2012)
Fifth-grade teacher Nicole Dalesio keeps her class motivated to learn by encouraging them to create multimedia presentations and projects using technology tools on the web. Check out these resource links from Nicole Dalesio.

Related Resources From Edutopia

How to Integrate Tech When It Keeps Changing, by Todd Finley (2014)
For students to embrace the skills needed in a changing technology landscape, teachers must coordinate knowledge, instructional practices, and technologies to positively influence academic achievement.
Building Your EdTech Ecosystem, by Beth Holland (2014)
A learning environment is a delicate balance of mutable elements, requiring a nurturing teacher and ongoing evaluation of information handling, content creation, and results.
What Edtech Can You Trust? by Judy Willis (2014)
Education needs reliable standards for validating edtech product claims. Judy Willis suggests Consumer Reports, Edutopia, Graphite, the British Education Index, and What Works Clearinghouse.
Cardboard Box Tools, by Beth Holland (2014)
Three digital learning tools, much like an empty cardboard box full of open-ended possibilities, offer young minds the free play of imagination.
The Epic BYOD Toolchest (51 Tools You Can Use Now), by Vicki Davis (2014)
Davis shares a wealth of apps and platforms that can facilitate teaching and maximize learning within a BYOD classroom and school environment. She counts 51, and these are just her favorites!
Doing More with Less (and Other Practical Educational Technology Tidbits), by Adam Bellow (2011)
The 2011 International Society for Technology in Education Outstanding Young Educator shares his thoughts on simple ways of integrating technology.

Programming and Video Games in the Classroom

VIDEO: Teaching Teamwork Through Video Game Development (2012)
High school computer science teacher Ben Chun's students gain programming literacy and collaboration skills as they work in teams to build video games for elementary school students. Check out these resource links from Ben Chun.

Related Resources From Edutopia

Game-Based Learning: Resource Roundup, by Edutopia Staff (2014)
Check out Edutopia's collection of articles, videos, and resources on using video games, simulations, and gaming concepts in the classroom. Another great resource is Edutopia’s video series, "Made With Play: Game-Based Learning Resources."
Game Jam Your Classroom, by Andrew Miller (2013)
Miller explains what a game jam is and how you can use it to teach and assess 21st-century skills, focus on deeper learning, and present content.
Gamestar Mechanic: Gamification Made Easy, by Andrew R. Proto (2013)
Proto, middle school English teacher and former technology instructor, talks about how Gamestar Mechanic can serve as a cool student engagement tool.
15+ Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without a Computer), by Vicki Davis (2013)
Davis, a computer science teacher and IT integrator, celebrates Computer Science Education Week with an extensive list of year-round resources for teaching students how to code.
7 Apps for Teaching Children Coding Skills, by Anna Adam (2013)
Digital learning specialist Adam provides a quick overview of seven apps that are appropriate for teaching younger children one of the most critical 21st-century skills: coding. For more resources and suggestions on teaching programming skills, be sure to check out Edutopia’s Coding in the Classroom page.

Additional Resources on the Web