20 Tips for Teachers New to Using Technology

In this post I want to share with you some of the amazing advice other teachers posted when I posed this question on Instagram: What is your Best Advice for a teacher that is new to using tech in their classroom.

Almost 300 teachers chimed in with advice! There were some repeated themes, so I’ve aggregated the advice into this nice list.

1. Be open-minded

2. Make it meaningful, not just have your students “sit and get”

3. Try out the website or app first

4. Take it slow and ask for help

5. Start small, with one program at a time

6. Have a place to store all student account information

7. Keep a journal or reflection notes

8. Be sure you are monitoring students

9. Have a back up plan

10. Follow great teacher tech blogs

11. Learn right along with your students

12. Go observe other teachers using tech

13. Google it (or YouTube it)

14. Routines when using tech are just as important as all other classroom routines

15. Make sure the website/app/program works on a student computer

16. Turn off the light of the document camera when you’re not using it

17. Start with Digital Citizenship

18. Encourage students to take ownership of the final outcome

19. No tech savvy teacher ever started out tech savvy! Practice makes “perfect”!

20. Never give up

What would you add to the list? What advice do you have for teachers new to using technology? If you are one of those teachers, what questions do you have?

Looking for click and go technology lessons? Check these out for grades Kindergarten through Fifth.

Want to connect with like-minded teachers? Join the Technology Teacher Talk on Facebook.

Would you like a free sample of 21 Technology I Can Statements? Just click the button below and I will send them to you.