For this week’s Hangout, we were joined by BIE National Faculty members Dayna Laur and Mike Gorman to discuss the technology tools available for teachers and students to help effectively manage the implementation of a project.

We focused on the following Driving Question:

“How can we use technology to manage a project?”

Here were some of the highlights:

Question 1: What tools have you found work well in keeping student work on track?

• AnswerGarden
• Socrative
• Scrumy
• Google Docs
• Edmodo

After the Hangout, Dayna suggested another website with lots of technology resources for teachers and schools:

• Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools

Question 2: What are some considerations when planning a project that will be housed and managed online?

• Choose multifaceted tools that aren’t just good for project management, but that also align with the pedagogy being used for the project.
• Consider the value of the tool, and look for free tools because there are plenty that are available for educators.
• Make sure that the tools won’t become outdated overnight because although there are usually alternatives, there will be a learning curve.
• Technology should be transparent not cumbersome – and teachers should be transparent with students, parents, and their district about the tools that they are using, too.

Question 3: What other lessons have you learned?

• Make sure that technology tools do not take over the learning.
• Look for tools that are intuitive for your students, or with resources available that help students learn the tools very quickly.
• Give students voice and choice in finding technology tools.