What Technology Can I Use For...?
On this page:
Overview
These pages are intended to help you if you know what activity you want your students to do and want ideas for the sort(s) of technology that you might use. See What can I do with...? if you want ideas for what to do with a specific tool.
Every teacher has their own words for describing a particular learning activity, so we list the main forms of activity below as a set of general descriptions. To find out how you can use technology to enhance the students’ experience (and yours!) of a particular activity, choose the description that most closely matches what your students will be doing in order to achieve the desired outcome. To help you, each description has set of keywords for the activity and its constituents.
General learning activities
These activities are carried out primarily by students, although the teacher may be doing a parallel activity at the same time (e.g. coaching the students while they conduct an experiment). Although the order in which they are listed below may correspond roughly to the progression through an activity sequence, it is not intended to be prescriptive: i.e. activities can occur in any order and can even be repeated: see Sequence structures.
Cognitive activities tend to occur in traditional “academic” subjects and are associated with analytical or problem-solving tasks, although they may have practical aspects (e.g. doing an experiment).
Practical activities are mainly (but not always) associated with vocational subjects; making (and repairing) things in manual and craft subjects, the fine arts, performing arts, physical exercise and sport.
| Description | Keywords | Technologies to consider |
| Receive instructions | Listen, read, view | * Email * Instant messaging * Mobile phones * Newsfeeds * Digital audio * Text-messaging * Podcasts * VOIP |
| Receive or take in information | Listen, (skim-)read, scan, view, watch, observe, take notes, annotate | * Blogs * Mobile devices * Digital video * Podcasts * Interactive whiteboards * E-books * Mashups * Webinars * Discussion forums |
| Define problem | Review current knowledge and understanding, formulate a (research) question, formulate a hypothesis, scope the problem | * Blogs * Concept-mapping tools * Collaborative writing tools * Discussion forums * Wikis |
| Research, gather information for either a cognitive or practical task | Search, locate, identify/select (relevant information), record | * Blogs * Search engines * Repositories * Social bookmarking * E-books * Collaborative writing tools * Citation tools * Newsfeeds |
| Develop an understanding of (comprehend) a particular skill, piece of knowledge or concept | Visualise, describe, define, summarise, annotate, classify, select, organise, answer questions (and receive feedback) | * Collaborative writing tools * Blogs * Concept-mapping tools * Discussion forums * Wikis * Spreadsheets |
| Apply a specific skill, piece of knowledge or concept in a cognitive task | Apply a method, solve a problem, translate, infer, use, select, modify, extend, edit, manipulate, model, simulate, design | * Virtual learning worlds * Spreadsheets * Databases (of online resources) * Simulations * Games * Remote instrumentation |
| Investigate | Carry out an experiment, investigation or research project in the classroom or laboratory, or on a field trip. Explore a problem or situation, build a model, run a simulation, play a game | * Blogs * Virtual learning worlds * Databases (for storing and analysing data) * Simulations * Games * Remote instrumentation * Mobile devices |
| Analyse information or data | Break down, compare (and contrast), critique, differentiate, distinguish | * Concept-mapping tools * Collaborative writing tools * Blogs * Statistical analysis tools * Wikis |
| Synthesise knowledge or understanding; make new connections between pieces of knowledge | Explain, give arguments for & against, justify, generalise, summarise, refine concepts, refine hypothesis | * Argumentation visualisation tools * Wikis * Discussion forums * Blogs * Concept-mapping tools * Conferencing |
| Communicate, articulate knowledge or understanding | Write (an essay, report, dissertation etc.), give a speech or presentation, draw, recall, interpret, take a test or exam, express opinion in a vote | * Writing tools * Wikis * Blogs * Concept-mapping/mind-mapping tools * Discussion forums * Electronic voting systems * Presentation tools * Mashups * Argumentation visualisation tools |
| Apply a practical, vocational or creative skill in a training/learning task | Apply a technique or method, follow instructions, use a tool, try, practise, rehearse, copy, imitate, play a game or match | * Games * Simulations * Virtual learning worlds |
| Respond to a kinaesthesic or aesthetic experience | See, notice, hear, feel/sense (sensory/aesthetic/affective), respond (aesthetically, affectively) | * Digital media |
| Demonstrate, show, give evidence of a practical, vocational or creative skill | Perform, design, create, construct, interpret, compose, arrange, recite | * Presentation tools * Blogs * Wikis * Virtual learning worlds * Modelling tools * Digital media * E-portfolios |
Evaluation and assessment activities
Either the teacher or the students can carry out these activities. Where students carry them out, they can promote self-assessment and peer-assessment.
| Description | Keywords | Technologies to consider |
| Be assessed | Carry out any of the above general learning activities in order to show that one’s skills, knowledge and understanding meet the assessment criteria. Take a test or exam (written, oral, practical); audition; submit a project/report/dissertation/thesis; submit a portfolio or e-portfolio. | Any of the above tools * Assessment banks * Assessment tools * E-portfolios * Quiz tools |
| Evaluate (own, other’s work) | Judge, criticise, draw conclusions, decide, give feedback, peer review/assessment | * Assessment tools * (Collaborative) writing tools * Blogs * E-portfolios * Quiz tools * Wikis |
| Conduct assessment | Set assignment, review work, diagnose, assess, mark, score, critique, give feedback | * Assessment banks * Assessment tools * (Collaborative) writing tools * Electronic voting systems * Blogs |
Management/metacognitive activities
Either the teacher or the students can carry out these activities. Having students carry them out can be beneficial in a number of ways:
- Co-ordination and information-giving activities are useful in collaborative learning.
- Supportive activities can be used to promote peer-learning.
- Learning to plan, review and reflect on one’s own work are integral to the development of active, autonomous learners.
| | Description | Keywords | Technologies to consider |
| Co-ordinate, manage, orchestrate, give instructions | Chair (discussion), lead, co-ordinate (group work), assign tasks | * Email * Instant messaging * Mobile phones * Newsfeeds * Digital media * Podcasts * Telephony |
| Present information, share content | Present, read out, tell, inform, instruct | * Presentation tools * Blogs * Mobile devices * Digital video * Podcasts * Interactive whiteboards * E-books * Mashups * Webinars * Discussion forums |
| Support | Coach, demonstrate, model (task, skill), scaffold, mentor, supervise, tutor, advise, counsel, give feedback | * (Collaborative) writing tools * Blogs * Discussion forums * Telephony * Chat |
| Plan | Decide goals, decide tasks, decide criteria for success, plan task, acquire and manage resources | * Telephony * Wikis * Chat * Collaborative writing tools * Concept-mapping tools |
| Review, reflect | Evaluate actual outcomes against intended outcomes, evaluate task performance, evaluate changes in skill/knowledge/understanding, review goals | * Blogs * Wikis * E-portfolios |
Collaborative dimensions of learning
These are not activities as such; rather, they suggest ways in which you can foster social skills and collaborative learning within the other activities on this page.
| Where the focus is on: | Consider encouraging students to: | Using these technologies: |
| Interactivity (e.g. developing communication skills) | Participate, discuss, listen, explain, facilitate | * Email * Instant messaging * Mobile phones * Newsfeeds * Digital audio * Text-messaging * Podcasts * VOIP |
| Clarifying and developing individual points of view | Discuss, debate, argue, question, clarify, explain, justify, dispute, support, evaluate/critique | * Discussion forums * Wikis * Electronic voting systems * Blogs * Collaborative writing tools * Webinars |
| Collective outcome or product | Seek opinions, express opinions, reach decisions, agree and assign tasks, collaborate, work in pairs/groups, integrate outcomes, reach consensus | * Social bookmarking * Discussion forums * Wikis * Collaborative writing tools * Social networking |
| Creating and sharing content | Any of the above | * Wikis * Blogs * Webinars * Mashups * Podcasts * Social software |
