Re-Evaluating Digital Technology to Enhance Learning 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇩🇪 🇷🇴 🇹🇷 🇪🇪 Project Details ................................................................................................ 4 Chapter 1 ....................................................................................................... 5 Project Overview ...................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 7 Impacts of the Project ................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2: Learning Styles & Digital Technology ............................................ 8 Learning Styles And Digital Technology Overview ....................................................... 9 Visual and Aural learning Styles ............................................................................... 10 Physical Learning Styles ........................................................................................... 11 Logical Learning Styles without technology integration .............................................. 12 Logical learning styles with technology integration .................................................... 14 Solitary learning styles with technology integration ................................................... 15 Integrating technology with The Elements of Learning ................................................ 18 Integrating technology with The SAMR Model ........................................................... 19 Integrating technology with Universal Design For Learning ........................................ 20 Motivation, Homework and Study ............................................................................ 21 Motivation and Learning Styles ................................................................................ 22 Strategies for motivating students ............................................................................. 23 Digital technology for Motivation, Homework and Study ........................................... 24 Chapter 3: Digital Resources for teachers & Students ................................... 25 Digital Resources For Teachers And Students ............................................................ 26 Digital Books in Education ....................................................................................... 27 VHS Lernportal ....................................................................................................... 28 Weebly.com ........................................................................................................... 29 Open Broadcasting Software (OBS) ......................................................................... 30 Augmented Reality .................................................................................................. 31 E-Learning Platforms ................................................................................................ 32 Chapter 4: Digital technologies for SEN students ......................................... 33 Digital Technology to Assist Students With Additional Learning Needs ....................... 34 Working with visually impaired students in an inclusive environment ........................... 35 Case Studies - students with visual impairments ......................................................... 36 Accessible videos .................................................................................................... 37 Blogging with SEN students ..................................................................................... 38 Skills Centre – Use of Supportive Technology ........................................................... 39 Improving Digital Competences and Computational Thinking of SEN students in VET ... 40 Chapter 5: Sample Lesson Plans ................................................................... 41 Sample Lesson Plans ............................................................................................... 42 Digital Art for pre-school teachers ............................................................................ 43 English Language - Inventions & Inventors ................................................................. 44 English Language - Discussion Skills, Clothes ............................................................ 45 Music is Great! Music Festival Project ....................................................................... 46 Discovering Ancient Civilisations .............................................................................. 47 Heritage Studies: Primary Sources ........................................................................... 48 General Data Protection Regulations ........................................................................ 49 Data Types in Computer Science .............................................................................. 50 Markup language and management systems ............................................................. 51 Database Management Systems and Administration .................................................. 52 Teaching Applied Physics for Traditional Video Game Development ........................... 53 Coding traf fi c lights with push button ........................................................................ 54 Tourism Studies: Package Holiday Elements .............................................................. 55 Converting Currency ............................................................................................... 56 Chapter 6: School Experiences of Adapting to Covid-19 Restrictions ............ 57 Teaching during Covid-19 Restrictions. ...................................................................... 58 Ireland: The St. John’s Central College experience .................................................... 59 Ireland: The St. John’s Central College student experience ........................................ 60 Estonia: Haapsalu Vocational Education and Training Centre ..................................... 61 Romania: Everyone was more united that before ....................................................... 62 Spain: restrictions through the experiences of teachers, parents and students. ............. 63 Turkey: Experiences and challenges with Web Tools .................................................. 64 Germany: The Classroom Post Restrictions ................................................................ 65 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 66 Project in Pictures ......................................................................................... 67 P R O J E C T D E T A I L S Project Reference: 2018-1-IE01-KA202-038790 Project Title: Re-Evaluating Digital Technology to Enhance Learning (RED) Project Co-Ordinator Cork Education and Training Board, Ireland European Engagement Co-Ordinator: Gerald Brennan Digital Book: Miriam Walsh Project Partners Inspectoratul Scolar Judeaten Bacau, Romania Ana Maria Rotaru Haapsalu Kutsehariduskeskus, Estonia Liis Rüü IES Ribera Del Tajo, Spain Ivan López Montalbán Hasan Fatma Onal Anadolu Lisesi, Turkey Simge Akoz Volkshochschule Arberland, Germany Lieselotte Joacham This project is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme. C H A P T E R 1 Overview Methodology Impact P R O J E C T O V E R V I E W The use of digital technology in education has been actively promoted for a number of years throughout the EU and generally teachers and educational management have responded positively to the introduction and use of digital technology in the classroom. Many vocational schools strive towards digital maturity as outlined in the eSchools programme and the partners in this project are all actively using digital technology in their vocational education and are all well advanced towards digital maturity. However we have now reached a point where we need to examine the effectiveness of this use, not only a self evaluation of our digital maturity but also of our response to the learning needs of students. Each teacher has to question why they have decided to use digital technology in a particular lesson? How does it add to the student learning? Do different students respond differently to the digital technology used and which students bene fi t most? Can some students be disadvantaged in their learning through the use or overuse of digital technology? It would seem that in many cases digital technology has been used to substitute for existing teaching tools. Students often use tablets or laptop computers as a substitute for books. Teachers use digital projectors and digital presentations as a substitute for the traditional blackboard. The Internet is being used to replace the students trip to the library. While there is nothing wrong with this as such it demotes digital technology's role in education to one of substitution for existing technology. As educationalists we should be asking if we can we get more from digital technology? How can we employ digital technology in a more productive way to enhance vocational learning. In fact how can we harness the full potential of digital technology so that our students gain the maximum vocational educational bene fi t from its use? In many instances the things we know about how students learn, their attention span, different types of learning and other educational theories have not been employed in deciding how, when and why we should use digital technology. The purpose of this Erasmus+ project was to address these questions at a practical level in the following way: By conducting a critical examination of how digital technology is currently being used in vocational education. By identifying digital resources currently available that may be used to enhance student learning. This will include the identi fi cation and evaluation of online educational resources as well as a more general evaluation of the Internet as a learning resource. Areas such as independent e-Learning, digital technology in classroom gami fi cation and the use of Alternate reality software will also be considered. We re-examined how students learn with the goal of developing a better strategy for the use of digital technology in the vocational classroom. This included an examination of the different types of learning : Visual, Aural, Verbal, Physical, Logical, Solitary and how digital technology can be used to deliver each of these. We also examined how we can better use digital technology to assist students with learning dif fi culties, disadvantaged students and minority groups. This included examining digital technology as a learning supports, as an accessible resource and study support, types of digital assistive technology, focusing on the stronger learning styles of the individual student. From this we developed sample vocational lessons using digital technology to enhance student learning and demonstrate how a more professional application of digital technology can add signi fi cantly to the students learning. These lessons cover a wide range of vocational subjects. We will then tested and evaluated these sample lessons in a real vocational classroom situation so as to fi ne tune our examples of a better way to use digital technology in vocational education. Primarily the project gave participating teachers the opportunity to examine in detail how they currently use digital technology in vocational education, question whether this use is educationally sound and work to develop a better strategy for digital technology use to enhance student learning. In so doing also to examine how students with dif fi culty can be helped by using digital technology to deliver course material targeted towards their stronger learning type. The importance of recording and sharing the project experience was fully recognized. There is a project website and public Facebook group which recorded project activity and learning as each phase of the project progressed. The project ebook entitled “Effective use of Digital Technology for Vocational Learning” records the learning from the project, contains many of the project presentations and contains the sample lessons as well as a detailed rationale behind each lesson outlining why the approach taken enhances student learning, student evaluation of the lesson and suggestions as to how the lesson may be adapted to other subject areas or age groups. It should be stressed that all of the partners in this project currently use digital technology in their vocational classrooms; the critical question we wish to answer is how can teachers use that technology more effectively. M E T H O D O L O G Y Teachers from each partner institute conducted a critical examination of how digital technology is currently being used for vocational education and training. What exactly do we use digital technology for, what type of resources have we developed for digital technology, what range of equipment do we have available. We then re-examined how students learn with the goal of developing a better strategy for the use of digital technology in vocational education. This included an examination of the different types of learning and how digital technology can be used to deliver to different student learning styles: Visual, Aural, Verbal, Physical, Logical and Solitary. Topics such as student attention span and aids to memory were also explored. This is crucial as only by understanding fully how students learn can we hope to fi nd more productive ways to use digital technology to enhance that learning. Once we understand how students learn we sought to identify digital resources currently available that may be used to enhance student learning. This phase include the identi fi cation and evaluation of online vocational educational resources, as well as a more general evaluation of the internet as a learning resource. Areas such as independent e-Learning, digital technology in classroom gami fi cation and the use of Alternate reality software were considered. We recognised that the opinion of students on the use of digital technology during classes is important as they may fi nd certain types of digital resources stimulating and others not so useful. We engaged with them to better understand what works well and what does not and adjust our own thinking accordingly. We also explored the topic of how we can better use digital technology to assist students with learning dif fi culties, disadvantaged students and minority groups. This included examining digital technology as a learning supports, as an accessible resource and study support, types of digital assistive technology, focusing on the stronger learning styles of the individual student. Having gathered all of this knowledge we worked to put this into practice so that we can show how digital technology should be used in class to enhance learning. To this end we produced sample lesson plans with a digital technology content so as to demonstrate better ways of using the technology. The work of the project was conducted through a series of Teacher Training Events as well as through ongoing communication and sharing of best practice between project partners. These events combined formal presentations, brainstorming and discussion sessions, practical demonstrations and site visits. The teacher training events were structured into the following thematic areas: Learning Styles And Digital Technology Digital Resources For Teachers And Students Digital Technology to Assist Students With Learning Dif fi culty Designing Lesson Plans that incorporate best practice use of digital technology. Two of these training events were organised in conjunction with student blended learning events so as to gain greater insight into the student views and experiences of the use of digital technology within their studies. Presentations were recorded and presentation material gathered for inclusion in the project eBook and website. I M P A C T S O F T H E P R O J E C T The main impact of this project will be a more educationally based use of digital technology in vocational education. Teachers will not only use digital technology but will ask themselves how it might best be employed to serve the needs of the vocational students in their institutes. Teachers will better understand the different learning styles that students employ and will adjust their digital technology use to take into account the different types of learning. We expect that there will also be a signi fi cant impact on student’s vocational learning as they will bene fi t directly from the better educational use of digital technology in the classroom. Digital Technology use that it geared towards their individual needs and which can contribute to a greater diversity in the way that vocational education can be delivered and assessed. C H A P T E R 2 : L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S & D I G I T A L T E C H N O L O G Y CHAPTER 2 Learning Styles & Digital Technology L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S A N D D I G I T A L T E C H N O L O G Y O V E R V I E W Digital Technology as a learning tool cannot be divorced from the fundamental fact that students are all different, learn in different ways, at different speeds and have an in fi nite variety of interests. This is important as a digital approach to curricular delivery may work very well with one student but may fail totally to achieve the learning goals of another. In seeking to re-evaluate the use of digital technology in the classroom the teacher must fi rstly gain an understanding of the students in the class, their individual learning style, their level of digital competence, their level of motivation, ability to concentrate and their ability to engage in self directed learning. Overuse of digital technology or inappropriate use is likely to hamper learning. Consequently the teacher needs to evaluate where and to what degree digital technology should be incorporated into their lesson plans. Prior to discussing digital technology use in the classroom we will fi rstly examine how vocational students learn, this will including discussion on learning styles and how this can fundamentally effect the students ability to concentrate and absorb the vocational material being presented. This will then lead on to consideration on developing a better strategy for the use of digital technology, to harness its ability to present vocational learning material in a way that is appropriate to the individual students learning style.. This will include an examination of how digital technology can be used to deliver to the student with any preferred learning style./ These learning styles include: • Visual • Aural • Verbal • Physical • Logical • Solitary This examination sets the foundation on which our project is based as it is from this re-examination of how students learn that we will adopt a better digital use strategy. Visual Aural Verbal Physical Logical Solitary V I S U A L A N D A U R A L L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S In general learning styles are divided into three types: Visual, aural, kinaesthetic. For every student it is important to understand his preferred learning style. Once they identi fi ed their learning preference, students can do better in courses. For teachers it is important to use a variety of learning styles when planning lessons, so that they can focus on every type of learner. Visual learners typically remember what was read or seen in a presentation and think in pictures. They have vivid imaginations and associate colour with information. They also like written reports better than verbal ones. Visual learners like drawing pictures, games, graphics, videos, art media, they need a “being there” experience. Visual learners learn best through taking notes and making lists, they can read later., They learn from books, videotapes, fi lmstrips and printouts. These type of learners are writing out everything for a quick and frequent visual review. Aural learners remember what they hear in a lecture, presentation or during a conversation. They talk while they write and are sophisticated speakers. They remember things by listening. Aural learners like to play word games for vocabulary, they like to explain ideas, tell jokes, explain, describe and discuss. They learn best through listing to lectures, audio sources and by discussing ideas. They also learn through preparing oral presentations for others or by using speech recognition software. Aural learners should read written material aloud, verbally review the spelling of words and the contents of lectures with another person. It is also good for these type of learners to record notes through speech recognition software, record lectures to listen again, to read aloud or sing information and to make a list of keywords. Kinaesthetic learners typically are well coordinated and want to move all the time, they are “doers" not “talker”. They need a concrete experience as a learning aid, they like to take things apart and put them together to learn how things works. When it comes to digital technology for aural and visual learning styles huge investments were made in technology in public schools. The results are often negative, because leisure-time tech skills don’t translate to educational and training use of technology. The general distinctions of students are different. They want to be connected, but to one another, they also want to be entertained by games, music and movies and they want to present themselves and their work. E-learning at its best is seen as a convenience and at its worst as a distraction. Since neuroscience revealed that 90% of the what the brain processes is visual information, the primary learning modality is visual. Therefore teachers should compliment text-based presentations with visual components. The German Federal Of fi ce of Education claims that digital technology as separate subject is not enough. A change of the educational system is necessary and digital technology should be used in every subject. The use of audio, visual and digital technologies in teaching should engage more of the learners senses and build multiple cognitive connection to the content. When using digital technology different skills are trained. The classroom collaboration is on the rise and educators need visual and aural learning solutions that can link multiple students simultaneously to a shared screen. The touch interactivity is becoming more sophisticated, helping to get students engaged. Large-screen displays used in classroom have become more affordable and teachers spend less time in front of the classroom, they have more time for smaller groups inside the class. Digital technology can serve a solution for every need. Teachers and students can use a lot of different free platforms supported by government. The students favourite in Germany is called “The simple Club”. It offers short videos for a lot of subjects for all school types. With terms like “industry 4.0” or “working environment 4.0” playing a dominant role in public debates, it is clear that the ongoing digitalisation will have also large effects on the future working environment. There is also a Digital Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu) which describes what it means for educators to be digitally competent. It provides a general reference frame to support age development of educator-speci fi c competences in Europe. It is directed towards educators at all levels of education, including general and vocational education and training, special needs education, and non-formal learning contexts. Visual In visual learning a learner utilises graphs, charts maps and diagrams.For example a timeline in which students are introduced to the timeline of the solar system. Aural Aural learning refers to a style in which individuals learn best through hearing directions and speech. For example directions given in a different language. P H Y S I C A L L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S Digital Technology for Physical Learning Styles presented by Estonia Here we will look at examples of digital technology and its usage with learners whose main learning style is physical based on vocational school environment. The reasons why this methodology is used in our school: • We are a vocational school (everything is done by practicing); • A person learns the best through action; • Diversi fi cation of teaching; • Digital tools are favoured in Estonia (Estonia is the e-country); • It is a natural environment for physical learners Examples of physical learning styles in practice in our school The European Day of Language: orienteering game The groups of learners with physical learning styles had to go through 5 different language points (destination) on the basis of the instructions they had received, where the language task had to be done. In addition, at each point they had to make a photo of their group and upload it to a folder created by the teacher (Google Photos). Passing the trail took about 60 minutes. QR-code hunt: Nature Festival: nature topic QR- game QR-codes are laid out all over the landscape, they need to be searched and answered Science Photohunt: nature trip. Learning about local fl ora and fauna. T aking pictures with your own device. Each student chooses one wildlife species to present to the others Software suggestions for a photo hunt. Action Bound Loquiz Physical Learning Style Aural learning refers to a style in which individuals learn best through hearing directions and speech. For example directions given in a different language. L O G I C A L L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S W I T H O U T T E C H N O L O G Y I N T E G R A T I O N Due to fact that we are different, the way we learn is different. Students prefer learning experiences in which they are actively involved, so they will achieve better results and be successful in school. They learn faster when new acquisitions are useful and can be practiced in everyday life as well as in the future. Students who know their learning style are more engaged in the learning process, trust them, and feel more independent. The latest research states that when the learning modalities are adapted to the results obtained by analysing or testing learning styles, students will retain effortlessly and will be able to achieve increased school performance. The key to actively engaging students in learning is to understand their preferences for learning. Students who do not know how to learn will not be able to become responsible, autonomous, with useful skills and attitudes throughout their lives, necessary for school and social success. Learning is never complete, but it is a complex process that involves bene fi ts and means change; learning is an individual process which can be fun and active. Talking about learning styles, about the different ways of knowing, about the differences between learners may be less important than the actual strategies appropriate to each learning style and the speci fi c learning materials used. The specialists emphasize the special role teachers play, their contribution to “the task of teaching the students how to learn” adapted to their needs, interests, personal qualities, aspirations, or learning style. Each individual has his or her unique learning style. It is vital for teachers to use a variety of methods to “enrich” students with strategies for developing identi fi ed learning styles. It is not strange to use different learning styles for different learning tasks, for example in different school subjects or even within the same subject. To illustrate this aspect we have selected six logical learning and teaching methods that can be used in class with students and through which we can encourage co-operation learning, teamwork, and achieve better results in class, that is: the cluster technique ; “What I know/ What I want to know/ What I have learned”; the pyramid ; Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats , the chinquapin and the cubing technique . In the PowerPoint presentation we provided a short description and a few examples for each method. To conclude we will quote Benjamin Franklin who said “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. Knowledge is valuable when useful. And what we know determines what we can learn. Logical learning develops critical thinking, a clear, rational and free thinking which is not based on the accumulation of information, but on developing the ability to process information. This is why it is useful to identify our students’ learning styles in order to understand and help them make logical connections between ideas and arguments. The logical-mathematical learning style The left parietal lobes are in charge of logical thinking and understanding of information. The log-mathematical learning style refers to one’s ability to rationalize, to solve problems and to learn through the use of numbers, abstract visual information and the cause-effect analysis. Strategies and activities which can be used at school or at home for logical-mathematical children: Games or kits (example: building games) which include calculations, puzzles; Game creation that incorporates mathematical concepts ; Categorizing and classifying, achieving rewards ; Producing life based problems or stories ; Building Legos models ; Making calendars; Assembling models/ artistic prototypes based on mathematical data, studying models and playing with patterns Studying number sequences or divisions of an event ; Analyzing systems ; Roleplaying about mathematicians or scientist ; Computing, creating programs, graphics or computer games ; Creating graphics, maps, diagrams, symmetry study ; Using statistics concepts, probability games ; Problems recognition and solving them ; Interdisciplinary activities containing mathematics or logic, syllogisms ; Designing maps ; Planning projects ; Deciphering codes, playing with numbers ; Visiting museums or science galleries, computer and science fairs ; Researching projects, doing scienti fi c experiments, applying methods, interpreting data Learning methods for mathematical-logical students A person with mathematical-logical learning tendencies should discover the reasons behind school work. This type of person shouldn’t just memorize words or theoretical notions, but he/she should understand the details behind the requested content that helps interpreting the lesson. You should create and use lists by extracting key point of text while you study. Also, you can use other methods to outline for indentifying important domains. Be aware of your physical condition, i.e. breathing and stress level. It is possible you isolate your body from your rational thinking. Remember that this is part of the whole system, the equipment you are using- you can’t learn or memorize just by using the brain, you learn with the whole body. Remember that connections work well both when it comes to logical questions and when it comes to irrational things. It does not matter how well two things fi t together. You have more chances to remember them later if you have made illogical associations. Your brain may protest at fi rst, but it works! If you write down your thoughts, underline thoughts and logical behaviors. This highlights your ability to choose systems and procedures and the fact that you can fi gure out when to change a set of procedures. Use your systematic thinking to better understand the links between the different parts of the systems. An important point here is that systematic thinking helps you better understand the overall view. Often this is greater than the sum of the parts. For example, you could understand the individual systems of an airplane and the fl ight surfaces, but you could not have the vision of how these systems support the fl ight in balance. System charts can help you win this understanding. You may fi nd it dif fi cult to change your behavior or habits. You can rationalize everything you want about why you should change the behavior you have and the one you want to get, but it can happen that the old one persists. Try the shunt technique to understand the current and desired behavior. Once you understand that, use the deviation technique from the old to the new behavior. If you do not succeed alone, ask for someone else's help. Sometimes you can over-analyze certain parts of learning or engaging in a skill/ability. This may lead to an analysis paralysis. You're busy, but you're not moving towards your goal. If you fi nd yourself analyzing too much with what subjects to start or super-planning the course maps, stop and re-focus on progress. Consider how much you will get from yourself, because you have lost more time than necessary. Measure your activities according to the speed at which you have achieved your goals. Planning exactly how much you spend on each chapter of theory does not help if you are not even close to grasping your learning! If you often get stuck in the analysis, write in big letters: Make it NOW! on a poster, plaque or stickers that you can see around the place where you study. L O G I C A L L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S W I T H T E C H N O L O G Y I N T E G R A T I O N Example 1 of didactic activity Description: Notes on a computer's memory (computing system), organization and classi fi cation of memory (memory types) Class : IX, Discipline : ICT. Competences: Identifying hard and soft components of a personal computer. Using online resources to locate and extract useful information, Content: Memory Unit, Methods: explanation, conversation, exercise, interactive teaching, modelling, Teaching tools: computer network, whiteboard, AEL application Didactic scenario: By using interactive knowledge presentation software - Ael platform, students will learn about computer memory (memory organization, memory types). At the beginning of the lesson, following the teacher's instructions and under his supervision, the pupils will connect to the Ael platform and access the indicated lesson. Students are actively participating in the teaching-learning lesson, carefully following the simulations, studying the models contained, and solving work tasks step by step, ensuring interactive teaching of concepts. In order to fi x the acquired notions, at the end of the lesson, an interactive game is proposed which consists in discovering in a few ways the notion of presentation. Example 2 of didactic activity: Class: XI, Discipline: Computer Science, Learning Unit: Dynamically allocated data structures. Competences: Description of operations speci fi c to the single-linked lists and development of some subprograms to implement these operations. Content: Stack. Elementary operations on the stack. Methods: explanation, heuristic conversation, questioning, case study, discovery, Teaching tools: computer network, video projector, AEL application. Didactic scenario: Using the Ael platform and the lesson package Lists, stacks, queues. From this package, the lessons are selected: Stack-Presentation, Application Stack and Knowledge Stake-Test. Students will acquire elementary concepts about stacks: representation mode and elementary operations (element insertion, element deletion, scroll). At the beginning of the lesson, following the teacher's instructions and under his supervision, the pupils will connect to the Ael platform and access the indicated lesson. Students actively participate in the teaching-learning lesson, carefully analyzing the case study, following the implemented simulations and solving the work tasks step by step. In order to fi x the acquired notions, a grid evaluation test is proposed at the end of the lesson. Teaching is interactive. Ael provides multimedia tutorials and manuals. Ael forum is the communication and collaboration tool used for questions, discussions, information and debates. Example of some available platforms for teaching with technology. Code.org The Hour of Code is addressed to anyone who wants to write lines of code of a game.In code.org the instructions are replaced by blocks. The blocks are used just like the pieces of a puzzle. W3 Schools This platform is one of the most complete websites with Web tutorials. They are grouped by categories: HTML Tutorials, Tutorials for script languages, XML Tutorials, Server Scripting Tutorials. The proposed tutorials are accessible, reduced to the essence. Open Educational Resources (OER) Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve curriculum. Advanced eLearning (AeL) The entire educational process is conducted in a virtual, secure environment controlled by ef fi cient, intuitive and attractive technologies for pupils. S O L I T A R Y L E A R N I N G S T Y L E S W I T H T E C H N O L O G Y I N T E G R A T I O N According to a study by Think with Google, “ 67% of millennials agree that they can fi nd a YouTube video on anything they want to learn”. For big projects and small fi xes, people look for how-to videos on YouTube, increasingly on mobile. Of smartphone users, 91% turn to their devices for ideas while completing a task. Amongst the most popular searches you can fi nd: - How do you tie a tie? - How do you curl your hair with a straightener? - How to make a cake? The process of learning is a slow-time consuming process that might discourage students to keep on working on their studies: You can easily notice that in vocational schools, most of our students avoid reading text books, written notes or instructions manuals and rely on videos to learn. Sometimes they do not even pay attention to teachers’ explanations and instructions. That is because being constantly connected has trained students to expect immediacy and relevance in moments of intent—the I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to- do, and I-want-to-buy moments. From questions like “How to install a webserver?” to “How to change the air fi lter of a motorbike?”, people are using their mobile devices and technology in general to satisfy their “I-want-to-do” moments. As said above, learning how to do these sorts of things used to be time-consuming. Now, it is as easy as opening a video and fi nd a reliable source of information. So, sometimes, the problem the students have to solve is how to deal with infoxication , or information overload. That is, the phenomenon related to the development of the Internet, and which refers to the dif fi culty or impossibility of taking a decision or keeping informed about a particular subject, due to the endless amount of data and content that exists on the web. In other words, sometimes fi nding something useful is as dif fi cult as fi nding a needle in a haystack. I would like to divide the proposed technologies into 4 categories. Within each category I would propose a tool to be used with both social and solitary learning pointing out which tool fi ts better which way of learning. These technologies are being tested now in our school, sometimes with great success sometimes with a bit of disappointment. 1. Technologies used to access and share information in a structured way The fi rst category would include virtual learning environments platforms like Moodle. With those applications the teacher can organize a whole course grouping activities, texts, videos, articles and the rest of the materials into weeks or units, creating tasks, self-correcting questionnaires with feedb