Arm Your Educators With the Best Technology

A Reassessment of School Technology

A 2022 study revealed that nearly two-thirds of schools in the UK are using technology in everyday teaching practices. A separate study by The 21st Century Teachers report revealed that 48% of teachers use a variety of digital technologies with their students.

The use of technology in schools is only expected to increase in the coming years, meaning schools should start thinking now about how they can arm their teachers with the best tools to do their job well and collaborate with students both in-person and remotely.

Key Benefits of EdTech for Teachers

The Department of Education interviewed 17 schools that had successfully implemented new technology within the last two years to find out what benefits and challenges they now faced. They discovered that the teachers benefited heavily from the introduction of devices in their schools.

Benefits included:

• Lightened workload
• Reduced time spent on lesson-planning
• Improved grading process
• Enhanced creativity
• Increased collaboration
• Boost in confidence
• Ability to better track how learners are progressing

Use Cases for Teacher Devices

While many of the uses are similar, students and teachers have very different needs when it comes to their EdTech. Most teachers have heavy workloads that include content creation and editing, and running apps in virtualised environments.

It’s important to find devices that support heavy multitasking — i.e., large video calls with dozens of participants, multiple browser tabs, and Google Workspace. Because they’re often sharing lessons with the entire class, external monitors and displays are important as well.

How to Support Your Staff With the Right Software

Investing in teachers is one of the best ways schools can directly impact and improve the student experience. For teachers to feel successful in their role, they need the right tools in place. Here’s a peek at some of the Google for Education Software recommended specifically for teachers.

Easy-To-Use Tools

Providing your teachers with easy-to-use tools not only helps them simplify tasks, but it improves efficiency and saves time. With Google Workspace for Education, educators can build to-do lists, schedule meetings, read and respond to emails, and seamlessly collaborate with everyone in the school.

Apps That Support Communications

Applications like Google Meet and Google Classroom help teachers communicate with students and other staff members while managing multiple classes in one central destination.

Why Chromebooks Are the Best Choice for Educators

With 50 million students and educators using them to create, collaborate, and communicate, Chromebooks are the number one device in primary and secondary education worldwide. Here are just a few reasons why Chromebooks are a great option for teachers:

• They’re fast and reliable: Thanks to quick boot-up, rapid charging, and a battery life that lasts 10.5 hours, Chromebooks allow teachers to focus on educating instead of worrying about their devices.
• They foster collaboration: Tools like Screencast and Cast Moderator let educators share their screens, while built-in accessibility features remove barriers so everyone can work together.
• They encourage productivity: Chromebooks help teachers manage classes, create and grade assignments, and communicate with students — all in one place, and from the convenience of anywhere.
• They are safe and secure: With automatic updates every 4 weeks and built-in security that keeps personal data safe from cybercriminals (without antivirus software), Chromebooks offer peace of mind for educators.
• There’s a Chromebooks for every educator: From garaged stylus, to 1080p+ camera, to a convertible screen – Chromebooks offer valuable features for every educator no matter what specifications they require.

Transform Virtual Learning With These Two Tech Tools

To help make key workflows easier for educators, Google created Screencast and Cast Moderator — two powerful tools that are changing the way teachers conduct virtual classes and engage with their students. With Screencast, teachers can easily record and share their screen with students, making it an ideal tool for creating instructional video presentations or walkthroughs. Cast Moderator allows teachers to manage and control the screens of all the devices in their classroom to ensure students stay focused and on task.

Using these resources, teachers can create a more interactive and engaging virtual classroom experience for students in the classroom and remotely. Learn more about both resources HERE.