Choosing technologies for teaching

By Lila Azouz and Elena Sharapova

Technology is a powerful tool for transforming learning. It enables you to create environments in which students can learn by doing, receive feedback, refine their understanding and build new knowledge. However, with a range of technologies available to you, it can be hard to know where to start or which technologies will meet your needs.

Here are some simple steps you can take in figuring out which technologies are right for your teaching:

  1. Start with what you know

    Start with the technologies that you know already and feel comfortable with and gradually expand the way you use them.. For example, if you are familiar with PowerPoint, you can use this tool to create lecture videos and screen captures. As you start using these new features, you will build your confidence and expertise to start experimenting with new tools and ways to use these.

  2. Consider the what before the how

    Before choosing the technology, you should decide what you want students to do with it. Consider what you want students to achieve, then it will make it easier to see what technologies suit that purpose. For example, if you are looking for students to consider multiple perspectives on a concept, you can design a social activity for students to share different views on the concept: a discussion forum, debates, collaborative activity. This could take the form of a forum or a live discussion in a Zoom session.

  3. Keep things simple and balanced

    With so many educational technologies available to you and your students, it is better to select a few key technologies that will best facilitate the learning process and objectives. Think of it as creating a palette of technologies that you can integrate into your unit in a consistent and balanced way. For example, there are several polling technologies that you could use (PollEverywhere, Flux, Google Forms, Moodle Choice), but it is better to be consistent and choose one that best meets your needs that you can use throughout your teaching.

  4. Consider the student user experience

    It is important that you support students and minimise unnecessary stress and complexity by providing students with important guidelines/instructions for technology use. Not every student is at the same level with the chosen technology. The Monash Library also has a lot of useful student guides that you can link to your activity to help them.

  5. Have a back up plan

    No technology is perfect and sometimes things don’t always go as planned, therefore it is a good idea to have a backup plan, such as an alternative tool or activity. Especially if you are using synchronous technologies as there may be issues with students’ bandwidth.  For example, if you are running a livestream session, you can record this and make it available to students who couldn’t attend. Students’ location can also affect their ability to access the activity or the resource. For instance, if your students are in China they may not be able to collaborate in Google docs, so you might consider using OneNote instead. When deciding on the technology, it's advisable to check  whether there might be any issues with accessing or completing the activity.

There are a variety of technologies to choose from at Monash. Different technologies allow students to collaborate, reflect, communicate, analyse, synthesis or assimilate content in a variety of ways. Take the time to look at the different learning technology guides, workshops and support available to you at Monash.

Here are some great resources to get you started with using new technologies: