This past school year, my school went all "Google" and so I have been exploring the new opportunities that has brought to my classroom as well as how I can help you get comfortable going digital too!

I recently asked "Team Resource Force" (my lovely email subscribers!) what some of the barriers to going digital were, and there were an overwhelming number of you who said you had fears of students being off-task or being irresponsible online during lessons. A valid point! So I have been doing some thinking and I have come up with a range of ideas for how you can encourage responsibility and keep students on task when going digital in your classroom.

1) Start at home:
If you're new to going digital in your classroom and want to ease things in slowly and let them get the novelty out of their system a bit, then why not start with digital homework? You can give students a Google Slides resource or Google Form for example, and ask students to complete the activity at home. If you have Google Classroom set up (I highly recommend it!) then your students can submit their work to your classroom at any time and you can then check and grade it all remotely! It does eliminate all those creative "no homework" excuses though! Bummer...

2) Keep things engaging:
Although technology can definitely be a distraction for students, I've found that generally if they're kept fully engaged in an activity, the chances of them wandering off task are definitely reduced! Give them engaging activities to be completing and also try setting strict time limits during the lesson to maintain the pace so they don't have time to be messing about! If you want to try it out with something small first, give your students a digital exit ticket to complete at the end of the lesson on their phones, for example. You can inform them that it's their ticket out of the door so only students who complete it and submit it on Google Classroom are able to leave the lesson - no time for messing about and a clear incentive to get it done without being distracted!

3) Let them get it out of their system:
You know your students best so you might decide to give them the benefit of the doubt first and see how they get on, or if you think your students are very likely to take advantage, it might be worth doing a quick lesson on expectations first. Now, I think my students are generally pretty good, but when we first got on Google Classroom, the chat feature was extremely novel to them and they went a bit crazy writing to each other (while they were in the same room - don't ask...). It was harmless really. It started with someone writing "Hello", then someone followed with "it's me" and then it ended up with people taking it in turns to quote Adele's lyrics...! I decided to just let them get it out of their system until they got bored (which they did pretty quickly!). I did have one group with some members who were a little less mature and so for one or two individuals in that group, I just ended up muting them and they soon got the message! I un-muted them a week later and they didn't even notice as the novelty had well and truly worn off by then, ha! I chose to not do the heavy "lecture" with my students and just let them get it all out, and that worked. If you feel your students are still being irresponsible, then maybe a class discussion of expectations is in order first and a reminder that this technology is a privilege, not a right! If you're looking for some Technology rules prompts to spark discussions and use as classroom posters, check these out!

4) Block and watch:
If all else fails, your school / district might be able to block certain websites or even keywords using school devices or WiFi. You might also benefit from software like this that allows you to view your students' screens: this is a big deterrent as you can catch them in the act and record it as evidence, then issue any sanctions you see fit.

I hope that is helpful and gives you some ideas and confidence to get started with digital learning in your classroom!

Over the past few years I have been taking steps to make my classroom more digital and integrate modern technology, however it has been a challenge as I moved to a new school which wasn't very tech savvy or well-equipped. So, I've really had to get creative in not only how to bring technology to my own classroom, but in how I could help my "tech-phobic" team of veteran teachers gently embrace more digital learning too!


As teachers, we are generally known for having a love of all things paper and stationery! However, we are teaching a generation of students who are growing up in a technological world which we cannot ignore. By teaching them using the media they are familiar with, we will benefit their learning greatly and help prepare them for the world of work they will be entering.


Yes, it can be a challenge to go digital, especially if you've been teaching for a while and have always done well the "old school" way. Furthermore, sometimes the lack of technology available to you can feel like a barrier in integrating technology, but it doesn't have to be that way!


If you are wanting to start embracing technology but don't know where to start or going completely paperless scares you, then this will give you some easy ways to begin. You don't need to be a 1:1 school to start embracing technology and including digital learning in your classroom.

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By making an effort to integrate technology in our students' learning, we can find ways to increase engagement, different learning and help better prepare our students for their future lives in the workforce!

If you're stuck for ideas of how to do this or want some to get you started, check out the following digital resources that can be used for any subject:

​Both of these units are forms of exit ticket activities that can be completed using technology. With the emoji exit tickets, students can type straight onto the document and share it with you so you can immediately see their level of understanding (plus it is so wonderful not having to deal with loads of paper!). The one on the right is an interactive exit activity where students click on a number which will reveal an activity they have to do in class - no need to share any resources with this one! 


If you're looking for somewhere to start you off gently, I recommend trying one or both of these out at first, and as your confidence builds you can explore more ways to integrate technology in your classroom.


Keep checking back as I'll be sharing more ideas with you for how to embrace technology in your classroom soon!