A Deeper Dive into Educational Technology

I love Ed Tech as much as the next person, but I can see how it might get overwhelming for learners and educators. In today's blog post, I'll be diving into Ed Tech, what it is, why it is important, how you can use it to enhance your online course, and some points to keep in mind when selecting the right ones for your course. At the end I will share a link to an assignment I created using Google Slides and VoiceThread in my Health Policy course to enhance the course topic.

What is Ed Tech?

In case you're not familiar with Ed Tech (short for Educational Technology), in it's most simplest description, it refers to any type of technology that enhances education. During my search for a more comprehensive definition, I came across the article, entitled What is truly meant by Educational Technology? by Renee Davis of ProDevo Design & Consulting that provided the following definition:

• Hardware or software that actually facilitate learning.
• A systematic, iterative process for designing instruction or training used to improve performance
• A variation of ways of dealing with learning processes
• The theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of processes and resources for learning.

Why is the use of Ed Tech important in online education?

Technology is an inherent part of online education by definition. So it's not too much of a stretch to understand why it might be important in online education. Online education can leverage Ed Tech in a magical way. Rather than an online class being akin to an ebook with multiple readings and text everywhere, Ed Tech can transform an online class into an engaging platform of learning that includes images, videos and interactive links.

How you can use of Ed Tech in your online courses?

Ed Tech can be used in a variety of ways. You can use Ed Tech to:

• Enhance learning
  
  • You can use Ed Tech to help you present/enhance a course topic. One example is to create a video lecture or even link to other videos via YouTube or TED Talks
• Enhance assessment
  • You can use Ed Tech to create innovative and engaging assessments that really help students to connect with materials. For instance, you can use tools like VoiceThread and Flipgrid to have students create videos and presentations.
• Enhance communication
  • You can use Ed Tech to communicate more effectively with students through the use of email, message boards and video. For instance, I create a weekly overview video of each Module in my course using Camtasia.
• Save time
  • Ed Tech can help save you time in grading and course prep through the use of an electronic rubric, or electronic resources such as Open Educational Resources (OER's) so you don't have to create everything from scratch.

Some points to keep in mind when selecting the right Ed Tech for your online course

One of the most important things to consider when selecting Ed Tech for your course is determining the purpose of it. One big mistake you want to avoid is using an Ed Tech tool just because it exists or looks like fun. There must always be a purpose behind it's use. This purpose should be closely tied to your course learning objectives so this is a good place to start when selecting Ed Tech for your course. This may not always be an easy task. One thing I do is read journal articles or look through teaching strategies from other educators and consider a course/topic that I teach and think about how I might be able to adapt it to my course. You can use the tips above to consider the following:

• Does this Ed Tech tool help me present course material in a more engaging and easy to understand way?
• Does this Ed Tech tool help students demonstrate their understanding of the material in an effective way?
• Does this Ed Tech tool help me to communicate with students more clearly?
• Can I this Ed Tech tool to save time on grading, communicating, or prepping my course?

An Ed Tech example from my course

Here is an example of an assignment I created for a Health Policy course using Google Slides and VoiceThread to help students become more aware of Congressional Representatives and their views on various key issues.

- The Congressional Squares

These are just a few different ways you might be able to use Ed Tech Tools to enhance your online classroom but I'd LOVE to hear your ideas of how you can effectively use Ed Tech in your courses. Share your thoughts, experiences and ideas in The Online Educator Facebook Group by clicking the link HERE. Also, as a treat don’t forget to GRAB YOUR FREE GUIDE to the 3 Secrets to Teaching Online Successfully.

I'm also proud to share that the founder of ProDevo Design & Consulting, Renee Davis, will be sharing an amazing presentation on how you can use Ed Techh Tools like Kahoot in your online class in the Online Educator Membership in 2021. Join the wait-list to be notified when the membership will be open for new members.