Fifty Ways of Using Technology in Teaching

Each of the activities below can be used by teachers for their classes, but imagine how much more powerful they might be if students worked on these as class projects, under a teacher's direction. There are substantial opportunities for classroom creativity, student ownership, and integrating technology into the curriculum. Word Processing (with graphics and draw tools)
1.	Compose a story/news article/book review and illustrate it with clip art or graphics
2.	Expand vocabulary within any written work using the thesaurus in your word processing application
3.	Create a resume for any famous person in history
4.	Compare and contrast any two (or more) things using a Venn diagram
5.	Plan steps or activities with a concept web or map—or use special software designed for this purpose
6.	Devise a character comparison chart in table format
7.	Use a table to generate timelines for projects or to record historical events
8.	Design a postcard highlighting your school, local community, or Ohio (for the bicentennial!)
9.	Publish a class or grade "newspaper" or student-produced newsletter or flyer
Spreadsheets and Databases
10.	Document progress for a unit or an activity in your class
11.	Take a survey and chart the results
12.	Collect information about define the differences graphically—the heights of the tallest roller coasters
13.	Make a "real world" budget to learn about income, purchasing, and consumer science
14.	Do a "reality check" for a "dream car" or "dream house" by calculating payments with varied interest rates
15.	Strategize for a fund-raiser by working with supply, demand, and price
16.	Build a class "contact list" for homework help and information sharing
17.	Keep an updated inventory of class materials and resources
18.	Measure and record data to show cumulative results—"Hands Across the Class" or a "Dance-a-Thon"
Internet
19.	Go on an Internet Scavenger Hunt
20.	Explore places you could never visit through streaming video
21.	Investigate any situation through a WebQuest—created by someone else or you can create your own
22.	Track data—the weather over time, or in different places, or changes in the Stock Market
23.	Start the day or week with "Current Events," even in a content area, from major news sources
24.	Watch or join an adventure online
25.	Contribute to a research team—student data contributions and tracking are used for many projects
26.	Research what happened the day you were born
27.	Play a role in an online simulation—there is even a United Nations simulation for Middle School
28.	Test your knowledge with daily quizzes—the National Geography Bee posts new questions daily
29.	Become a "Jason Project" member
30.	Follow the Iditarod
Email
31.	Ask an expert or an author for his or her opinion or insight on a topic you are studying
32.	Become an "e-pal" to someone anywhere in the world
33.	Contact your Congressional Representative, Senators, or state officials with your concerns or questions
34.	Share your expertise or opinion, or post a question on a message board
35.	Initiate a friendly competition in reading or physical fitness activities with another class or school and share results
Presentation Software
36.	Pull group work together in a class presentation with each group having a few slides in a presentation
37.	Compile information into a common format—"Math Formulas We Use" created by and for students
38.	Record "class info and rules" for new student orientation
39.	Make a digital "memory book" for the year
Digital Camera
40.	Capture the moment—class presentations, field trips, or activities!
41.	Provide supporting "evidence" in a project or report
Digital Video
42.	Document processes for use and review—lab equipment and procedures
43.	Record a class project or event, such as a field trip or guest speaker, for further learning activities
44.	Create a "newscast" of some event—current or historical—students presenting the information
Web Page
45.	Design a web page or site to direct students’ learning activities in a class or for a project
46.	Upload a page with results of students’ work—art, maps, or even digital presentations
47.	Share the results of student investigations by posting results on the Web
48.	Use web page creation software to create a portfolio on a CD-ROM
Videoconferencing
49.	Converse and collaborate with another class on a project
50.	Take a course, in real time, from an instructor and with other students at various locations. (Taken from http://www.classroomtech.org/integration/50ways.htm)