The use of instructional technology in the classroom is beneficial in creating an environment where students are part of the learning process rather than just following along with it. Students are provided with the opportunity to explore, synthesize, share, and reflect upon material while developing lifelong learning skills.

There are a variety of digital presentation materials that students can use in their learning including Nearpod, Keynote,  Explain Everything. Videos created on EDpuzzle and Educreations can be smashed with these apps and can be of great benefit as they include audio, text, assessment, and pauses for reflection added by the teacher.

Instructional technology also provides students with the opportunity to apply and share their learning and to create something meaningful to them. Rather just writing an essay or taking a test, students can create storybooks in Storybird, flyers using Smore, comics on Pixton, and videos on YouTube online. Collaboration can also occur when learning as students can create blogs on Glogster, voicethreads online, and wikis on Wikispaces to share and explore.

One of the greatest teachings that these media provides to our students is the ability to become lifelong learners. Students are learning more about the learning process and becoming actively involved in their own. Students are no longer given information to memorize and recall. They are now learning how they can find information, apply it, and use it to create a representation of what they have learned. Our world has changed so much with the use of technology becoming increasingly relevant in our daily lives. For us as educators to not prepare our students for this technological world is doing them a great disservice. Although the technology media may change, the ability for students to access information, apply it to their own lives, and share it are all important processes in the learning process.

Technology has allowed students to gradually take more responsibility for their own learning. For example, students in a flipped classroom setting or those involved in project based learning. As students learn about different media and how to navigate using them, they are able to gradually take more responsibility for their own learning while engaged and motivated. As an educator, a goal for me is to help develop engaged and motivated learners who are taking responsibility for their own learning throughout their lifetime. The use of instructional technology, and all that it has to offer, is a great way to achieve this.

*all opinions my own*