If you are an effective educator, you know how to use technology in your classroom. This doesn't mean that you have to know how to program or fix computers, but it does mean you need a working knowledge of basic technology tools that have the potential to make any lesson more attention-grabbing.

How You Use It Matters More Than What You Use
You can take a semi-outdated form of technology, such as the overhead projector, and turn it into a powerful tool that your lesson can't do without. The overhead projector can be a signal that class has begun if you use it in conjunction with a warm-up or some other brain-teasing, attention-grabbing activity such as a word jumble puzzle. English teachers can do a quick editing exercise on the overhead with students each day as a way to start class and focus attention.

However, teachers are not the only people who can write on the overhead; when students are given the opportunity to come to the overhead and write their answer or complete a math problem, they are excited to participate, and the other students are more likely to pay attention to a peer.

Additionally, you can use something as simple as the overhead projector to develop higher order thinking skills. You might have students work in teams to create an advertisement for a product. Then the students draw a representation of their ad and write a blurb about what they did on an overhead transparency, which is a clear sheet of film that is used to show text or pictures on an overhead projector. A designated student reporter comes to the overhead, displays her team's ad, and explains the final product. The overhead allows students to share their work with the class and provides a visual for certain times in the lesson.

More Than PowerPoints
You can also take something like the Liquid Crystal Display projector and use it for more than just PowerPoint presentations. For instance, if you have instructed students to discuss with their team a question that relates to a short story they just read, you can open a Microsoft Word document and type their responses as students report back to the class on what they discussed. This allows you to provide a helpful record of what has been said, and it gives a professional look to your classroom since you don't have to worry about neat handwriting.

Although sometimes it's easier to add color by switching to a different marker if you were using the overhead transparency, all you have to do on the computer is change the color of the font or choose to highlight text. Also, you can adjust the font size so that students in the back can easily read each word.

Furthermore, using your computer when it's hooked up to an LCD projector also gives you access to online video and music clips that enhance the interest level of any lesson.

Give Students Practice
Put as much technology into your students' hands as possible. This means signing up for the computer cart and giving your students time to work on the laptops as they compose and edit their writing pieces. If your school doesn't have any computer carts, reserve time in the computer lab.

In addition to scheduling class time with computers, assign projects that may require your students to use scanners, digital camera and video recorders. Many schools have some of these available for check out from your library or technology resource room.