Last week I talked about how living in a digital world makes it easier to connect with people all over the world, or in your own backyard.  In addition to allowing us to communicate so easily, technology can make us all more efficient.  While there are times that technology might seem to make life more difficult, there are so many benefits that it’s hard to ignore.

Here are just a few ways that tech can help us transform teaching and learning:

-Field trips – instead of spending weeks planning and preparing for a field trip (think scheduling the trip, collecting money, permission slips, scheduling buses, etc.) you can create a field trip experience during a class period without leaving the room. Skype or Google Hangouts can let you chat with people almost anywhere in the world.

-Grading – instead of sitting at your desk with a stack of papers, you can use online methods to assess your students. In the case of simple assignments, they can be auto-graded through apps and websites.  Something more complicated can be assessed and returned to students anytime of the day.

-Materials – no more digging through file cabinets, folders, or binders. Now you can do a quick keyword search in Office 365 or Google Drive to find the document you need.

-New ideas – you don’t have to spend hours flipping through books to find new ideas, now a quick search on Google or communication through social media could come up with new ideas in a matter of minutes.

Those of you who know me well know that I am pretty “techy.”  If any of the ideas above sound like something you’d like to learn more about, let me know.  I can help you find resources to use the digital world to allow yourself to be more efficient.

What tech have you used to make life easier in your classroom?  Share some ideas in the comments below so that others can learn from you!