How Integrated Edtech Tools Help Meet the Needs of K-12 Students and Teachers

Technology integration is the use of technology resources—think computers, mobile devices, digital cameras, social networking platforms, software applications, and the internet—in daily practices, like teaching and learning or school operations. But simply having and using multiple technology resources does not mean it’s “integrated.” Successful integration of edtech tools is when the technology students and teachers use is: 

• Accessible and available for the task at hand  
• Routine and transparent  
• In support of students reaching their curricular goals 

At its best, technology integration allows students and teachers to be actively engaged in a seamless learning experience without interruptions like logging on multiple times or opening a new application. Uninterrupted technology integration only happens when students use various edtech tools daily that help them complete their work and offer the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of content. 

Seamless integration also depends on the kinds of technology available, how much access one has to technology, and who uses the edtech tools. Willingness to embrace technology—from both teachers and students—is also a requirement for successful edtech integration.    

Integrated Edtech Tools Can Help Meet Student Needs 

When effectively woven into the curriculum, technology tools can enhance student engagement and extend learning in new and exciting ways. Properly integrated technology provides students with: 

• Access to up-to-date primary source materials  
• Opportunities to express understanding and mastery on multimedia platforms  
• Relevant learning that meets them where they are  
• Formative assessment that guides further instruction  

Additionally, effectively integrated edtech tools aid students in developing 21st-century skills, including:  

• personal and social responsibility  
• planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity  
• interpersonal communication 
• cross-cultural understanding  
• visualization and decision-making  
• digital citizenship

Effective edtech integration across the curriculum goes beyond teaching basic computer skills and can truly deepen and enhance the learning process for students. When edtech integration supports four key learning components—active engagement, group participation, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts—students are more equipped to take responsibility for their learning outcomes. 

Integrated Edtech Tools Can Help Meet Teacher Needs, Too

For teachers, the first step in successfully integrating technology tools is understanding the shift in their approach to teaching. When introducing new edtech tools into the classroom, the teacher is no longer the center of attention. The amount of refocused attention will typically depend on the type of technology brought into the classroom and the level of technology integration

It’s important to note that the teacher still plays a critical role in the learning process for students, regardless of the classroom technology. Effectively integrated edtech tools provide teachers with practical benefits as well, including:

• Ways to collaborate with students, other teachers and colleagues, and subject matter experts  
• Cohesive methods of collecting and recording student data   

 To experience the maximum benefit from integrating technology in the classroom, keeping in mind the levels of technology integration can be helpful. Instructional technology specialist Mary Beth Hertz summarizes the four levels of technology integration as:

1. Sparse: Technology is rarely used or available. Students rarely use technology to complete assignments or projects  
2. Basic: Technology is used or available occasionally—often in a lab rather than the classroom. Students are comfortable with one or two tools and sometimes use these tools to create projects that show understanding of content  
3. Comfortable: Technology is used in the classroom on a semi-regular basis. Students are comfortable with a variety of tools and often use these tools to create projects that show understanding of content  
4. Seamless: Students employ technology daily in the classroom using a variety of tools to complete assignments and create projects that show a deep understanding of content1  

Integrated Technology Moves Education Forward

Technology is continuously and rapidly evolving—an ongoing process that demands continual learning. Of course, the closer we can get to seamless integration, the more beneficial technology tools will be for teaching and learning.