How can you stay on top of technology?
The career network linkedin summarized the 5 top ways to familiarize and stay on top of technology in education (https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/how-can-you-stay-top-new-technology-education-skills-k-12-education-kmsqc)
- Follow relevant blogs and podcasts.
The easiest and most comprehensive ways. They exist for every education sector, subjects and as well on general topics, such as Open Educational Resources. Some examples of blogs and podcasts that focus on education technology are EdSurge, The EdTech Podcast, The Cult of Pedagogy, and Edutopia. -
Join online communities and networks.
You can participate in discussions, ask questions, share resources, and learn from others’ experiences and perspectives. Beside commercial networks such as linkedin, xing or researchgate you can join professional networks such as EPALE or School Gateway.
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Attend webinars and workshops.
In the seminars you can try-out tools hands on, but as well ask questions and discuss with peers. At fairs or conferences you can as well network and explore the current offer of the market but as well learn about new trends and experiment with prototypes.
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Experiment with new tools and platforms.
You can try out different apps, websites, software, or devices that offer new functionalities, features, or modes of learning. You can also test them with your students, colleagues, or yourself and see how they work in practice. Often tools provide a free trial version or offer reduced fees for educators. Still test them always with the purpose of your lesson in mind.
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Seek feedback and reflection.
Seek feedback and reflection on your technology use and choices. You can ask for feedback from your students, colleagues, administrators, or parents and see how they perceive and experience the technology you use in your classroom. You can also reflect on your own goals, challenges, successes, and failures and see how they relate to your technology use and choices. This is a self-centered approach, which best should be combined with the previous mentioned points.