Technology is an integral part of a student's lives. As each year passes, it becomes more ingrained as students continue to move through their education. Like all things, some students may be more comfortable with technology than others. In general, most educators can acknowledge and support the idea that all students are not the same: in interests, learning styles, hobbies, or talents. However, children should be given the opportunity to present competencies in a modality that is most comfortable for them. For many years, the general frame of mind for learning was using the lecture plus assessment equals competency formula; nevertheless that doesn’t work for many students! There are so many different ways students can demonstrate competency in learning. Students deserve the opportunity to be creative and technology is an excellent support for this. Students can use technology to create videos or podcasts about themselves discussing a topic and answering questions about it, which demonstrates a level of understanding. Students can draw pictures or diagrams using apps and share them via online platforms. A specific idea that I have seen used in upper grades is to allow the student to take on the instructor role and create their own quiz, using websites like Kahoot. Students enjoy the role reversal and demonstrate competency by writing questions and giving correct answers as well as differentiating between correct and incorrect ones. Competency-based learning is prevalent in most educational settings, but the method of demonstrating competency varies. If students are given freedom to be creative in the method that they demonstrate their understanding, more of them are likely to be successful.
