4 Criteria for Choosing Technology for your Classroom

We get lots of questions every day from teachers and administrators on how they should choose one technology over the other in their classrooms.

Here's our checklist. Ideally, we try score on all four points but if one is missing, it's not a real deal-breaker.

• Free
• Saves Time
• Increase & Improves the Learning
• Enhances & Improves Student Engagement

The order of importance should actually be reversed. We should always put learners and learning first, but 'Free' and 'Saves Time' helps teachers embrace new things quicker than their opposites.

If I were to pick three specific tools, I'd start here:

1. Blog or Wiki
2. Skype
3. Podcasting

These three tools have multiple learning components and engagement enhancements that build 21st Century skills and literacies.

When thinking about whether you should use a new technology tool, remember these questions in applying it to your classroom:

• How will it increase learning
• How will it improve student engagement
• Will it save time?
• Is it free (or real close to it)

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