Click above to listen to Podcast Episode 57: “Uses for Technology in the Classroom to Engage Students“
In today’s global society, students want to learn how to use the technology around them while understanding how classroom technology connects to life outside of school. Before exploring how to measure student engagement through digital tools, let’s examine how technology supports teachers in the classroom.
Many K-12 schools and school districts are turning to mobile devices like iPads and Chromebooks to keep students engaged and learning. These devices let the whole class interact, so no student feels left out or disconnected. Teachers can use this technology to facilitate lessons, creating a dynamic learning experience for both teacher and student.
When using mobile devices in the classroom, be aware of how your students choose to use them. This can change as technology becomes more popular, or it may depend on your school’s policy on different technologies and how they’re used. To track student choices, consider ways to measure engagement and how these tools can gather student input.
Many teachers feel students don’t like learning with technology, but this is a myth. When you properly introduce technology in your course and explain why it matters, students will love using it more than they think. Students also learn faster when they use new tools such as video conferencing platforms or other social networks. Don’t be afraid of introducing new technologies in the classroom. Your students will love it.
To encourage students to use the chat tool or any other technology you’ve introduced, set up incentives. Establish rules and tell them what they’re doing right and wrong so you can let them know in advance when their behavior is inappropriate.
There are many pieces to consider when making sure your uses of technology in the classroom aren’t only appropriate (an iPad isn’t a fancy worksheet tool) but also fit what you want your lesson to achieve.
Social Media Platforms
There’s a social network for just about everything these days. Students naturally gravitate to these networks because they can be addictive, but they have other uses.
Using something like Google Classroom to connect with students and see how they interact in groups or with learning activities can give you insight into their engagement. Google Classroom functions as a learning management system that many school districts already use, giving students and teachers easy access. By using Google Classroom’s communication features, you can see how often students interact and how much work they complete outside of class time.
These features show how much students communicate with each other, how often they log on, and how many messages they send. When you notice a group has been connected and communicating while working on a class project, it’s safe to say that shows how engaged they are in class-related activities.
Using Google Classroom to communicate with students makes it easier for them to share how they’re feeling, how their day went, and how engaged they were during class. The platform also integrates with Google Drive and Google Docs, so student work stays organized and accessible in one place.
Social Bookmarking Services
This comes in handy when you need a forum on how students are interacting with the lesson plan or how much they’ve learned. It’s one thing for students to tell you how engaged they are with class. It’s another when they show how much by sharing what they’ve learned on digital platforms or how well they work together as a group.
Bookmarking services like Diigo are a great way for students to create forums for what they learned in lessons and how well they applied what you taught them to real-life situations.
Students can share how the lesson plan was useful to them or how it helped their group work together on a project.
Teachers should monitor these sites regularly. Otherwise, students can create forums focused on how much time they spent doing other things rather than working on class-related activities.
Email Monitoring Services
Email monitoring services can track how many emails are sent and how often students communicate with each other. Even when they aren’t using technology to interact, you should still be able to see how engaged they are in the classroom by checking how much communication is happening between them.
Students can communicate much more effectively with one another today than they did even a few years ago. Send messages between students in real time through this solution, and you won’t have to work as hard to keep lines of communication open and strong. Make sure they’re monitored appropriately.
You want to keep tabs on all communication so you can see how much interaction there is between individuals in the class as well as with the team as a whole. The more they communicate, the better things will be for everyone.
Students need to understand how you want them to communicate with each other and what they need to know about proper communication etiquette in this setting. This is one way you can help them build digital literacy skills so they’re prepared for future careers.
By monitoring communication in your class, you can identify problems before they get out of hand. Communication problems can affect performance both inside and outside the classroom.
Polling Services
Students love to be asked how they felt about a lesson plan or how well the project went, but how can you find out this information when they don’t tell you?
A polling service lets you ask students how engaged they are with what you’re teaching. You can use this service to ask how they felt about how well the project went or how much they understood what you taught them. This provides real-time feedback that helps you adjust teaching methods on the spot.
When you notice how students answer the poll questions, that alone can tell you how engaged they are with the lesson plan. For example, when most students answer yes to the question, “Did you enjoy how the lesson was presented to you?” it’s safe to say they were engaged.
It’s a simple way to tell whether the lesson plan went well. Polling also helps you figure out what to improve for future lessons.
It really comes down to the type of polling service you use. Free online tools (and paid ones) do more than just ask questions. They also allow you to see the overall results of your polls.
In my experience, I always start with a free service to get a feel for how it works and whether enough data comes back from the poll I just created. Note any limitations or where the service falls short when using it in your classroom. If you use it a lot or could really benefit from the upgrades, move to a paid service.
Poll Everywhere is a good free polling service that lets you ask students questions via email. You just send an email to the class, and students reply with their answers. It’s that easy, and it takes less than a minute to set up.
The only downside I’ve found is that with a large class, the results don’t always come back in time for your lesson. You can also ask for anonymous answers, and after each response, the service removes email addresses from the results. This service is perfect for smaller class sizes or even one-on-one interactions.
Time How Long Students Stay on a Page
When students work through a particular website, how many are really engaging with it? How much of their attention is held by how they feel about how well the project is going?
When most of them spend most or all their time looking at one another’s computer screens or how they’re putting their homework together, it’s safe to say students are wasting time and not even reading the content you’re showing them.
To put it bluntly: when your students aren’t actively working with the content, they’re wasting both their time and yours. How do you fix this? You can either eliminate the problem by collaborating with teachers who have more successful projects, or you can design scaffolding that gets students involved enough that they’ll want to use it.
The most common way to do a website-based project is to have kids visit the site and then work on an assigned activity. Even if you’re sitting in front of them as they do it, they still spend too much time doing unnecessary things. For example:
When students are using the time to watch you type, they aren’t engaging with the site in any way. They’re just watching you do something. Sure, it may interest them to see what happens when a teacher makes mistakes while typing on the computer, but when that’s all they see, and they don’t learn anything from it, it’s a waste of time.
When students use that time to watch you try to figure out what to do, they aren’t engaging with the site at all. If they instead read or looked at something that taught them anything, it would be better than watching you fumble around.
When students are using the time to watch each other work on something else, they aren’t engaging with the site in any way. When they compare their own efforts with one another’s, that’s a positive change from just watching them do it together.
When students are using the time to visit unrelated websites or ask you about things for their homework, they aren’t engaging with the site in any way. When a few students need help or have questions, you could use your time more productively by either answering them individually or asking them to save their questions for later.
This is all a big piece to monitor when using technology.
How Much Time They Spend Doing a Certain Digital Assignment
When you notice that some students spend most of their time doing one thing or another, you can see how engaged they are with the lesson plan. When most of them work together to complete an assignment, they’re clearly more engaged than students who aren’t.
It’s important to assign specific technology tools in the lesson plan to divide up the required parts and monitor student progress.
This will help you collect data and watch for disengaged students. When a student isn’t doing something, you know it’s time to intervene and see the problem.
However, one of the most important pieces of data for instructional support is whether students are doing an activity or product in class. Chances are they’re engaged. Checking email during class? Probably not so much.
How Much Energy They Have
Students with high energy can be so hyperactive that it’s hard to stop them from doing different things. Students with low energy will drag around as if they’re tired. They may feel restless or have no motivation to get work done until a certain amount of time has passed.
No amount of technology sparkle will counter this physiological issue. You could even argue that screens make it worse.
You can easily substitute that with the point where students are working together in class for whatever lesson plans you have. You’ll notice when any of the students are hyperactive or hypoactive, then adjust the technology accordingly.
If a student is hyperactive or hypoactive and technology sparks their interest, use it. Technology can be very effective at this point.
There are different degrees of the two things I just mentioned. Some students may not be able to sit still but can focus enough to read a book (primarily print) but can’t read a book with pictures or use other multimedia.
You can use all the technology in the world to educate these students, but it won’t help them when it isn’t engaging them properly.
When you do have a student who is hyperactive or hypoactive, find the medium that works best for them.
I personally know many high-functioning students with ADHD who love technology because it engages them in an efficient manner and also gives them something to focus on. Research in the Journal of Attention Disorders shows that students with ADHD often demonstrate improved focus and task completion when educational apps and interactive activities are integrated into specific lessons. They may have been told they can’t use computers in class (which is what they do at home anyway), but that doesn’t mean they can’t use technology.
On the flip side, technology can help students who struggle with motivation when you distribute it properly. It has to be used correctly and at the right time. This is where scaffolding comes into play. First, engage them with the technology you’re using, then provide clear, incremental expectations.
This is also true for high-functioning students, but it will take longer for them to adjust to this kind of scaffolding.
The next step is to create a routine for the student (when he or she has trouble with that, too). Digital technologies can easily be used on an individualized basis, but it will take a lot of effort and time from you and the student to make this work. The more students you have doing this, the more time it will take.
First, identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses, then create a lesson plan that fits their needs.
After implementation, collect data to see whether it is working. When it isn’t, try another strategy or modify your current one based on what you learned from your data.
When you can’t implement this kind of technology in class, at least use it to help that student outside of the classroom. This is where a solid relationship with students comes into play, because they won’t open up about their strengths and weaknesses unless they’re comfortable around you.
How Much Fun They Are Having
Students who are fully engaged in what you’re teaching and have no other place to go will feel like their day is going by too fast. They’ll ask you how much time they have left in class and watch the clock constantly until you tell them it’s time to go. On the other hand, tired or disengaged students will just sit there looking around, thinking about what they’ll do for fun when they get home from school.
Technology can be a huge piece in counteracting this. I often have students do projects or research through technology, which can be thought of as a pay-to-play service. This way, they can use their cellphones or iPads for my lesson instead of putting them away during class.
This way, students are paying with their time by completing the assignment. When they have nothing to do in class, they no longer have a reason to use a digital device. This not only increases motivation, but also lets you show examples or demonstrate concepts with technology.
Electronic Versus Traditional Learning
As a teacher, I’ve realized the best learning environments use technology alongside traditional methods. Technology isn’t going away any time soon, so we might as well make the most of it. Blended approaches that pair digital resources with traditional whiteboards and overhead projectors still have a place in modern classrooms, especially when teaching younger students who benefit from hands-on learning.
The benefits of technology in education extend well beyond engagement. Students develop critical thinking skills when they evaluate online resources, collaborate through digital platforms, and build a digital portfolio that showcases their growth over time. Online courses and educational games give students easy access to learning materials at their own pace, while interactive whiteboards and interactive displays transform whole-group instruction into something closer to a shared educational experience.
For K-12 classrooms, the digital divide remains a real concern. Not every student has internet access or their own devices at home, and school districts must account for this when assigning digital resources. Free online tools and short videos from subject matter experts can supplement instruction without requiring every student to own a device. YouTube videos, virtual field trips to places like the Great Barrier Reef, and discussion boards all expand the learning environment beyond the classroom walls.
Artificial intelligence is also playing an important role in education. AI tools can provide real-time feedback on student writing, suggest new ideas for group projects, and help teachers personalize instruction for different learning styles. Used responsibly, these powerful tools free up time for interactive lessons that keep students’ attention and support success in higher education and beyond.
As you can see, using technology in the classroom has far more advantages than disadvantages. I’m sure you’ve seen how this marvelous device has revolutionized everyday tasks, and there’s no doubt it can do the same for education. As long as we respect students’ privacy, avoid plagiarism, and use technology responsibly, it has a bright future in classrooms around the world.
How do you handle student privacy and data security when using digital tools in the classroom?
Student privacy is one of the most overlooked pieces of classroom technology adoption. Before introducing any digital platform, check whether it complies with FERPA, COPPA, and your district’s privacy policy. Read the terms of service carefully, because many free online tools monetize user data in ways that aren’t obvious. Avoid platforms that require students to create accounts with personal email addresses when a district-managed Google Classroom or learning management system account will work instead. Teach digital citizenship alongside the tool itself so students understand what information is safe to share and what isn’t. When you use AI tools, never input student names, grades, or identifying details into a public chatbot. Finally, document which tools you’re using and why, so parents and administrators can review your technology use when they ask.
What should a teacher do when the technology fails mid-lesson?
Every teacher who relies on classroom technology eventually faces a dead battery, a dropped Wi-Fi connection, or a platform outage during a lesson. The best defense is a low-tech backup plan you can pivot to within thirty seconds. Keep a printed version of the activity, a traditional whiteboard alternative, or a discussion prompt that works without devices. Before class, test your links and log into your learning management system early. When something breaks, don’t panic or waste instructional time troubleshooting in front of students. Assign a quick pair-share activity while you diagnose the problem, or move forward with the offline version and revisit the digital component later. Over time, build a folder of backup lesson plans that don’t depend on internet access.
How much screen time is appropriate for younger students versus high school students?
Screen time recommendations vary significantly by age, and the right answer depends on whether the screen time is passive or active. For younger students in early elementary grades, many pediatric guidelines suggest limiting recreational screen time to about one hour per day, with classroom technology used in short, purposeful bursts rather than long stretches. High school students can handle longer sessions, but even then, breaks every twenty to thirty minutes support focus and reduce eye strain. The key distinction isn’t the clock alone; it’s whether students are creating, collaborating, or problem-solving on the device versus passively consuming content. A twenty-minute session where students build something in Google Docs is more valuable than an hour of watching videos. Track how much time students spend on devices across all their classes, not just yours, because the cumulative load matters.
What’s the best way to get buy-in from parents who are skeptical about classroom technology?
Parent skepticism usually comes from three places: concerns about screen time, worries about privacy, or frustration when technology feels like a replacement for good teaching rather than a supplement. Address each one directly. Send home a short letter at the start of the year explaining which digital tools you’ll use, why you chose them, and how they support student learning. Offer a parent night or a recorded video walkthrough so families can see the platforms themselves. When you communicate about assignments, explain the purpose behind the technology, not just the task. Invite parents to share concerns early rather than letting frustration build. Most importantly, be willing to adjust. If a parent raises a legitimate issue about a specific tool, take it seriously and offer an alternative when possible. Transparency builds trust faster than any policy document.
How do you assess student work when it’s created on a digital platform rather than on paper?
Assessing digital student work requires different habits than grading a stack of worksheets. Rubrics still work, but they need to account for multimedia elements, collaboration, and process, not just the final product. Use Google Docs version history to see how a project evolved over time, giving you insight into effort and revision that a printed final draft hides. For group projects on digital platforms, build in individual accountability through reflection questions or separate contribution logs. When students submit video, audio, or interactive displays, grade against clear criteria shared in advance so they know what quality looks like. Digital portfolio tools let you track student progress across a semester or year, which supports more meaningful feedback than a single grade. Finally, consider allowing students to choose their format when the learning objective doesn’t require a specific one, because assessing understanding matters more than assessing format.
This article was originally published on July 15, 2021.
