How to Use Technology to Boost Student Engagement

How to Use Technology to Boost Student Engagement

Students in traditional classroom settings are having more trouble staying focused and engaged, partly due to the over-reliance on technology and the instant gratification it provides through screens. Instead of banning all technology to boost engagement, teachers can utilize it to create more engaging lesson plans that cater to students of all learning styles. Certain educational technologies can also make teaching easier in remote or hybrid settings. If you’re struggling to get students to pay attention to your lessons, you may want to learn how technology can improve student engagement, participation, and comprehension.

Multimedia for Diverse Learning

It’s no secret that everyone learns uniquely. Students can benefit from a wider variety of educational methods that cater to visual, audio, and tactile learning in addition to traditional methods. Varying educational formats can also allow you to create more engaging lesson plans and learning materials. 

Visual

For visual learners, consider creating helpful image charts to accompany your lessons in a PowerPoint presentation or other visual format. You can incorporate videos into your lessons that you make yourself; you can easily convert a script to video with AI. There are also numerous educational movies, films, and YouTube videos that cover a wide range of topics in an engaging manner. Many students rely on platforms such as YouTube to learn.

Auditory

For auditory learners, you can create audio messages or snippets in your lectures or presentations. Include quotes from educational experts, historical figures (when able), or film portrayals. Some podcasts encompass many educational topics to help serve as background noise or supplementary education while students are busy with other classwork.

Tactile

For tactile learners, educational software that offers virtual labs or hands-on experiences can be highly effective. Interactive simulations can help tactile learners visualize concepts more tangibly. Kinesthetic educational materials can often entertain all types of learners and help diversify your lesson plans to boost engagement.

Gamification and Interactivity

Traditional teaching methods can easily allow students to check out mentally, but incorporating interactivity can make even difficult subjects more engaging. Platforms like Wayground (formerly Quizzizz) can turn quizzes and lessons into engaging games by encouraging real-time participation, providing immediate feedback, and hosting fun competitions. Gamification with programs such as Kahoot! turn lessons into fun games and easily digestible concepts for increased comprehension and engagement. Polls, interactive quizzes, and lesson “side quests” can help students naturally engage in active listening instead of passive listening. They’ll be waiting for every lesson to gain more points or gain a competitive advantage against their classmates. 

Real-Time Collaboration

While the traditional classroom is a collaborative environment, software can make it easier for even the quiet students to engage in lessons. Platforms such as Google Workspace or Padlet can help students collaborate and engage with each other in real-time, even outside of school hours, for homework, project completion, or online learning. Collaborative technology fosters peer-to-peer learning, communication skills, and better responsibility. Teachers can also collaborate with students using these methods, providing an easy and quick way for students to ask questions or for teachers to approve ideas at any time, thereby eliminating many logistical concerns.

Personalization and Adaptability

Students often learn at different paces, and these paces can vary between subjects or individual lessons. Technology can help students adapt at their own pace, without slowing down others or racing ahead of the class. Utilizing learning technology platforms such as Khan Academy, Rosetta Stone, and Smart Sparrow, students can access tailored challenges that match their learning pace and style, as well as remediation support for those who require additional resources. These tools can complement any teacher to help students build confidence and learn in a way that works best for them. When lessons are optimally challenging and tailored, students are more focused and engaged with what they learn.

Virtual Field Trips

Not all schools or teachers have the time or budget for a physical field trip. While physical trips are ideal, you can mimic the learning experiences of one with virtual visits. From aquariums to art museums, technology allows you to bring the outside world (and the learning experiences that come with it) to your classroom. You can incorporate guest speakers via video conferencing technology, such as Zoom or Google Meet, along with interactive exhibits and tours, to enhance the engagement and enjoyment of virtual experiences. Virtual field trips can be very enjoyable for visual and tactile learners.

Student-Led Real-Time Feedback

As an educator, student feedback is invaluable for improving your craft. Asking for feedback directly can often feel awkward, and students may not know what to say in the moment. Certain teaching platforms, such as Formative or Socrative, can help teachers gain insight into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to their lesson plans and teaching styles. This technology enables you to adjust your lessons more easily, address student confusion, and facilitate seamless input from students without negative consequences. You can strengthen your connection and communication with your students by encouraging and adapting to feedback.

Project-Based Learning

Many schools are incorporating project-based learning (PBL) into their curricula, a teaching method that translates concepts into real-world projects that pose complex problems or questions to solve. Students are assigned or choose groups to work in and collaborate on the best ways to solve a problem. PBL offers numerous benefits to students, including the development of collaborative teamwork and problem-solving skills. It fosters engagement through collaboration and interactive problem-solving, and numerous websites and tech platforms make the experience easier. Educational PBL software, such as Moodle or PBLWorks, can create a seamless platform that enables students and teachers to collaborate and complete project assignments more easily. Technology like this makes it easier for both teachers and students who are beginners to PBL.

Conclusion

Technology isn’t the ultimate solution to improving student engagement. Even if a teacher uses every interesting educational technology available, students can still struggle to engage or learn. The secret to student engagement is to make learning accessible by translating concepts into real-world scenarios, adapting lesson plans to student feedback, and catering to more learning styles and paces. Certain technology can assist teachers in making lessons more accessible and engaging for more students with less effort and resources. When appropriately used as a tool, education technology can foster creativity and connection in the classroom.