Tool #9: Incorporating Classroom-Based Devices as Tools for Learning

1. Technology used in a lesson should be tied to the lesson's objective(s) so it benefits and enhances the lesson's objective(s) without distracting students from the lesson itself.
2. Students should be held accountable for the assignments using technology so that they take the lesson seriously and so that the lesson doesn't degenerate into just fun time.
3. Most of the sites listed in this tool are not applicable to my courses. However, my Gateway students us an interactive site, Auto Desk Inventor, daily on their laptops. I hold the students accountable for their work on this site by having them post their drawings to the teacher drop folder provided by the district ("Poland"). Sometimes my wood shop kids have trouble with measurement. I found an interactive program on Thinkfinity called "Measure Up" that struggling students could use to improve their measurement skills.
4. Occasionally some students complete projects faster than others. These students could use apps such as Animoto and iMovie to create "tutorial" or how-to videos for future students to use when creating projects.
5. Also occasionally, some students find the atmosphere in the shop distracting and have difficulty focusing with everything going on around them. These students could use the devices to listen to music while drafting in order to block out the distractions.