{"id":10463,"date":"2022-12-08T08:35:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T08:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=10463"},"modified":"2025-04-06T14:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T13:14:05","slug":"meaningful-use-of-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2022\/12\/meaningful-use-of-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Meaningful use of technology"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"info\"> By Sammy White <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhatTheTrigMath\">@WhatTheTrigMath<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FE is the most inclusive sector of education, everyone is welcome to come and learn with us. Yet it can be exclusive in its application of technology. From campus to campus within the same college group levels of access to technology can vary wildly. Examples of Level 3 graphics work on the latest Mac&#8217;s yet entry 1 ESOL have one hour a term in the library on the campus desktops are sadly common. How with such varied levels of access to technology do we ensure that when we do use technology, it has meaning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine that dreaded OfSTED deep dive into your area and that conversation about your use of technology. What does a good use of technology look like for you? There are models of SAMR or TPACK to help reflect, but ultimately you know your subject and you know your students. Therefore you know how to make the use of technology meaningful in your setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is obvious to a visitor when students are doing something new and special because of the need to use technology in the session. Routine therefore becomes important but how do you avoid a tokenistic routine where you use technology for the sake of it? A formative assessment done on a device using technology might be a great routine but what do you do with the results of that formative assessment? How do you adjust the direction of learning informed by those results?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In truth that can be challenging to do without the use of technology. But having to access the results on an online quiz platform, digest students results and then adjust mid session can be cognitively challenging. Another option might be an exit ticket reflection where students share their thoughts on the session and describe what they learned. A quick rating of their progress against the learning intention with a follow up question where students describe their learning or define where they want toe extend their learning is a simple 2 question format.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Capturing this digitally in a Form that results in a spreadsheet means you can digest the results, when you have time, and adjust the direction of learning, ready for the next session. Students could access this form via a link shortener every lesson, building that routine or via a QR code on the wall. With date and time stamps allocated in the spreadsheet this could be routine across all your groups. Could you capture this student reflection in another way? Yes, but would students be as honest? This might make technology a good option to elevate this learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professional trust is a key part of making the use of technology meaningful for students. Teachers, lecturers, workshop leaders are the experts on their students, they know what works best. Let&#8217;s trust professionals to find meaning for their use of technology in their classroom, with their students.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"info\"> This blog was written as a draft formulation of the author&#8217;s ideas before submitting her contribution to the new open source journal Future FE Pedagogies. Sammy would welcome your thoughts, ideas and comments to help her extend her thinkpiece. You can share them via a Mentimeter poll here: https:\/\/www.menti.com\/alf51ub9pomt <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style='padding-bottom: 56.25%;padding-top: 35px;height: 0;overflow: hidden'><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"@WhatTheTrigMath FE is the most inclusive sector of education, everyone is welcome to come and learn with us. Yet it can be exclusive in its application of technology. From campus to campus within the same college group levels of access to technology can vary wildly. Examples of Level 3 graphics work on the latest Mac&#8217;s [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1970,"featured_media":10465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1499],"tags":[1258,1412,1504,2089,2106,2102,2104,2105,2103],"class_list":["post-10463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amplifyfe","tag-altc-2","tag-amplifyfe","tag-further-education-2","tag-futurefe-pedagogies","tag-meaningful-use-of-technology","tag-sammy-white","tag-samr","tag-tpack","tag-whatthetrigmath"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2022\/12\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Blog-Cover-700-%C3%97-216px.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12844,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/02\/empowering-teachers-to-create-and-curate-with-echo360s-action-research-opportunities\/","url_meta":{"origin":10463,"position":0},"title":"Empowering teachers to create and curate with Echo360\u2019s action research opportunities.","author":"ALT","date":"5 February 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The FE sector, with its diverse range of learners and educational goals, requires innovative and flexible approaches to teaching and learning. Echo360\u2019s e3 Tech Grant program offers FE practitioners and their institutions a unique opportunity to advance equity, engagement, and evidence-based practices using the powerful Echo360 technology platform. The Echo360\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;#AmplifyFE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"#AmplifyFE","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/amplifyfe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12605,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/10\/my-journey-with-the-crdl-and-winning-the-ufi-voctech-award\/","url_meta":{"origin":10463,"position":1},"title":"My Journey with the Crdl and Winning the UFI VocTech Award","author":"ALT","date":"1 October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I am incredibly honoured and excited to share that Burton and South Derbyshire College has won the inaugural Association for Learning Technology (ALT) Award for Use of Technology in Vocational Education, in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust. This achievement is the result of our work integrating the Crdl device into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;#AmplifyFE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"#AmplifyFE","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/amplifyfe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-534-x-200-px.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-534-x-200-px.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-534-x-200-px.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13454,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/12\/immersive-futures-for-adult-learners-why-winning-the-alt-award-for-technology-in-adult-learning-matters-to-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":10463,"position":2},"title":"Immersive futures for adult learners: why winning the ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning matters to us","author":"ALT","date":"1 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Metaverse Learning Team We\u2019re absolutely delighted that Metaverse Learning has been named the winner of the ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning (in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust) at the 2025 ALT Awards.For us, this award is about much more than technology. It is recognition from the FE\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;#AmplifyFE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"#AmplifyFE","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/amplifyfe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"AmplifyFE Community Space logo and ALT and Ufi logos","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13482,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/12\/25-days-of-amplifyfe-celebrating-community-practice-and-professional-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":10463,"position":3},"title":"25 Days of AmplifyFE: Celebrating Community, Practice and Professional Learning","author":"ALT","date":"20 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re delighted to share\u00a025 Days of AmplifyFE, a festive countdown celebrating the knowledge, collaboration, and innovation that make our FE community so special. Each day we've highlighted a resource, event, opportunity or moment from across the AmplifyFE network: from thought-provoking blog posts and inspiring webinar recordings, to community calls to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;#AmplifyFE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"#AmplifyFE","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/amplifyfe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"AmplifyFE community space","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13086,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/05\/digital-spaces-for-professional-development-benefits-and-challenges-of-online-communities-in-further-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":10463,"position":4},"title":"Digital Spaces for Professional Development: Benefits and Challenges of Online Communities in Further Education","author":"ALT","date":"1 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog post shares key findings from my doctoral research examining how online Communities of Practice support professional development in the Further Education sector.\u00a0 The Research Context As the FE sector faces ongoing resource constraints and growing digital demands, traditional professional development models are increasingly insufficient (Broad, 2015). My mixed-methods\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;#AmplifyFE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"#AmplifyFE","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/amplifyfe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"AmplifyFE Community Space logo and ALT and Ufi logos","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13207,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/06\/give-me-access-to-college-blind-and-partially-sighted-students-remain-locked-out-of-college\/","url_meta":{"origin":10463,"position":5},"title":"Give me Access to college: Blind and Partially Sighted Students Remain Locked Out of College\u00a0","author":"ALT","date":"30 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Thomas Pocklington Trust\u2019s (TPT) latest\u00a0\u2018Give Me Access to College;\u00a0report reveals that blind and partially sighted students continue to face significant barriers in accessing specialist vision impairment (VI) support in post 16 education. Despite efforts to reform education for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). 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