My Reflection on Teaching with Technology

Alyssa Davies

Technology allows teachers to expand students’ horizons while remaining inside the classroom

walls and also connect from wherever they are learning. This past year has shone a spotlight on the

power of technology, but it has also revealed the limitations of technology. In reflecting on my year

teaching with technology, I have learned about choosing apps and programs, finding a balance in the

frequency of using technology, and developing new classroom management strategies to ensure

appropriate student engagement with technology.

In my five years of teaching I have experienced teaching with limited available technology and

teaching with one-to-one technology. During my first three and a half years of teaching, I had limited

technology available to me. We had a computer lab and one computer cart per grade level. Due to the

limited access, technology was not integrated as a part of the lesson, but used as a separate element for

short term student engagement. I was excited this school year when my district announced that all

students would be receiving a device. After learning about teaching with technology in my grad classes, I

was ready to be able to use the technology on a daily basis as an integral part of my lessons.

When I learned that my students were going to have iPads, I began making a list of the apps and

programs I wanted. I started the list with some of the programs I had used in the past and then added

new programs that would enhance student learning. As I made the list, I kept in mind the age of my

students. I didn’t want to overwhelm them with too many applications that met similar objectives. I

slowly introduced the new programs to my students over the course of the first marking period. The

implementation process went smoothly. Students were excited to have iPads and use them in lessons.

They were fast learners when it came to the new programs.

During the year I have learned the importance of finding a balance between technology and

paper. Once my students had iPads, I quickly switched to having the students complete most of their
work on Seesaw. I was putting in the time to create all those lessons for the students learning at home,

so I figured I should use them in the classroom as well. I began to notice that the students would turn in

poorer quality work on their device than on a piece of paper. It also took longer for some students to try

to type on the iPad than write on a paper. In third grade, it is still important for students to be practicing

their handwriting. I now use a mix of both each day. Some activities we complete on the iPads, while for

others I pass out papers.

My district is using Seesaw as the learning management system for the elementary. At first I was

skeptical of Seesaw, because I had hoped that we would adopt Google Classroom. I have since been

converted. Seesaw is developmentally appropriate for third grade. When using Seesaw on the iPads,

students can write and draw with their Logitech Crayon. With Seesaw I can record directions for students

to listen to, and students can record themselves in response to a question. Seesaw provides an organized

format to collect and store student work. Now when students complete a paper activity in the

classroom, they take a picture of the activity and upload it to Seesaw. I can view their activities all on

Seesaw without having a large stack of papers. I can also review a student’s journal of work as I write

input for an IEP. When students are absent, I can direct them to the lessons they missed on Seesaw.

Some students even complete the work from home, unprompted, when they are absent.

Teaching with technology increases student engagement. They enjoy apps like Epic, Kahoot, and

Prodigy. Technology also makes it easier to differentiate to meet student needs. I can customize

students’ assignments on the apps that I use. I can also assign differentiated activities to specific

students on Seesaw.

As much as I love teaching with technology, there are some downsides. You never know when a

tech issue might arise or the internet might go down. Students sometimes leave their devices at home.

Fortunately, that has rarely happened this year. Students often forget to charge their iPads overnight, so

they get low battery alerts in the middle of an activity. Having technology in the classroom has also led to
some additional management. Students take selfies during class, talk to Siri, and quickly switch between

apps they should not be on.

After a year with one-on-one, I would struggle to go back to a techless classroom. I enjoy

creating digital lessons and activities on Google Slides and Seesaw. I also am more than happy to provide

tech support and unofficial training to colleagues. This year has been survival mode with not only

implementing more technology, but being required to convert all lessons to a digital format. I look

forward to expanding on what I did this year in future years. In future years I would like to use Google

Classroom or Clever to create a single sign on method for student accounts, create more lessons using

Nearpod, and create my own Boom Cards deck. With some students learning from home, limited small

group instruction, and identical lessons across a grade level, I look forward to being able to spread my

wings and gain more new skills.