Tips for Embracing Technology to Support Student Success

In today’s classrooms, technology is no longer optional—it’s essential. The right tools can enhance learning, improve engagement, and prepare students for the future. But how can educators maximize technology’s potential to support student success? These tips can help you embrace technology effectively and ensure it makes a lasting impact.

Build a Strong Digital Foundation with Consistent Tools

When schools and districts adopt consistent tech tools across classrooms, everyone benefits. A unified approach reduces the learning curve for students, streamlines teaching, and creates a sense of familiarity for families. It also fosters better collaboration between educators, enabling them to share resources and strategies seamlessly. Creating a cohesive digital environment with a Learning Management System (LMS) is a critical first step in delivering impactful learning experiences. A solution like Canvas LMS serves as a centralized hub for teaching and learning, seamlessly integrating curricula, content, and classroom tools. This approach ensures consistency while remaining flexible enough to meet each classroom’s unique needs.

Pro tip: when evaluating learning management systems, look for platforms that integrate well with your existing tools.

Fuel Personalized Learning with Assessment

Assessment data serves as the foundation for informed instruction, giving teachers the insights they need to understand individual student needs. Once this data is collected, tools like an LMS enable educators to meet students where they are by tailoring the learning journey for each student and delivering personalized learning experiences. Adopting an assessment management system (AMS) that seamlessly integrates with your LMS streamlines the process, allowing educators to quickly identify areas of need and develop targeted learning plans that set students up for success.

Real-World Example: Learn how one district uses Canvas LMS and Mastery Connect to provide personalized, standards-aligned instruction and as a result, achieve a more holistic picture of student learning.

Prioritize Feedback and Connection

We are all in this together—teachers, students, and families—and technology is the vehicle that makes it possible. The use of technology means students stay engaged, parents stay informed, and learning never stops. Timely, meaningful feedback is crucial for student growth, and tools like discussions, quizzes, and video feedback makes it easier than ever to provide. With an LMS, educators can stay connected with students and foster a collaborative learning environment. Beyond day-to-day communication, building meaningful relationships with students and families provides a solid foundation for learning outside of the classroom. And by using an LMS with student and parent-friendly mobile apps, schools can promote engagement that drive positive outcomes.

Best Practice: Use technology to encourage peer-to-peer feedback alongside teacher input. This not only builds critical thinking skills but also strengthens classroom community.

Ensure Equity and Accessibility

While technology has great potential, it’s essential to ensure it’s accessible to all students. Addressing the digital divide and prioritizing tools that meet diverse needs create a more equitable learning environment. Because student needs are nuanced, teachers' technology and strategies in the classroom should meet students where they are and lessen the barriers to equal learning opportunities. Increasing accessibility for all learners starts with understanding the importance of accessibility and each of its categories, evaluating existing barriers, and adapting both pedagogy and technology that improve every student’s access to a better feature.

Ready to get started? Read more about how accessibility transforms education.

Support Educators with Professional Development

To truly harness the power of technology, educators need ongoing training and professional learning opportunities. Because supporting high-quality teachers is so critical to student learning and outcomes, creating a professional development experience that gives teachers the support they need should be a top priority for school districts. Consider investing in relevant and flexible development opportunities, and an ecosystem that can support equitable, scalable professional learning.

Resource Highlight: Creating an equitable, differentiated, scalable professional development program is complex. Instructure sees the challenges that come with personalizing PD and offers solutions that elevate educators.

Take the Next Step

A massive benefit of technology in the classroom is student success. To learn more about tackling the challenges associated with technology in the classroom, start by downloading our ebook Removing Roadblocks to Teaching with Technology, or request a personalized demo of Canvas LMS to see how we can support your goals.