education technology discussion questions

15 Questions To Ask About Tech Integration In Your Classroom

Have I started with purpose and pedagogy instead of the tech? How will this tech empower students to control their own learning?

contributed by Drew Perkins

Recently over Christmas–and the corresponding break from school for my daughters–come and go I was reminded of the fun technology toys can provide.

I was given a Google Home device and it’s entertaining for my daughters to ask it to make funny sounds, play silly games, set timers, and even ask it for help on their homework. For me, it’s a great way to start my day by asking it to tell me the news or play music throughout the house.

The flip side of that techno-circus is the trap of finding yourselves engaging with screens and those tech toys for hours on end and missing out on more analog-like experiences. Just like at home, there are so many great reasons for integrating technology into our schools and classrooms but we’re wise to keep our focus by asking whether we’re just playing with the edtech toys in our classrooms or truly using those edtech tools to leverage and grow student thinking and learning.

See also Books vs Google: The Benefits Of Researching Via Physical Text

When Should You Integrate Technology?

Perhaps the best answer to this question might be, whenever it helps. That might seem ridiculously simplistic but consider the alternative…when it doesn’t help. The complexity of integrating technology begs us to identify the positives and negatives, weigh those, and be sure we’re focused on what’s best for students. With that in mind, here are 15 questions to help you consider your technology integration.

Obviously, this is by no means exhaustive, in fact, I’d love to hear questions you think would be important to add to this list.

1. Will this help all students think and learn more deeply?

Not only should the technology tool you’re considering help students think and learn more deeply, but it should also help you differentiate instruction to help each and every student access that thinking and learning rather than just some students. Does yours? How might your use of technology leverage the 6 Elements of DI?

2. Will this tech lead to non-productive struggle and frustration?

If the technology is glitchy and problematic or just too difficult for the students and you to navigate you run the risk of running into a dead-end. We want students to struggle productively and frustration can be ok if the work interests them but we don’t want to lose them because the tool keeps halting their progress.

3. Will my students find this tech boring after the initial exposure?

Beware that myth about how great technology is at engaging students. Yes, new technology can indeed grab the attention of all of us but how quickly will that wear off? Any of us with small children can tell you it’s not uncommon for kids to unwrap those Christmas gift tech toys only to put them down in favor of a cardboard box. If you rely on technology as a classroom management tool you may quickly find yourself in trouble.

4. How will this tech empower students to control their own learning?

One of the goals of great learning environments should always be the empowerment of students. Does the technology help them ask and pursue their beautiful questions or is it limiting students? Turning a worksheet into a Google Doc isn’t empowering students unless the goal is to help them become more facile with Google Docs and even so aren’t there better ways to do that?

5. Is this a toy or a tool?

Few things raise questions in my head more quickly than seeing a teacher who can’t wait to show me their latest tech gadget. Don’t get me wrong, I find them fascinating and love the passion but just because a tool has captured your imagination doesn’t mean it necessarily has a place in your classroom or school. It might indeed be a great way to grow learning but starting your lesson planning by thinking, “How can I integrate this neat new tech toy?” more often leads you down a stray path.

6. How long will this tech be relevant and supported?

The speed at which technology evolves is staggering and while it’s not likely that your devices or tools will be outdated in a lesson or even a school year there are instances where resources go away unexpectedly. More likely is not having the tech support in the event of problems or needed updates either internally or externally. To add to that, some districts block web traffic that you might have counted on.

Better to be sure before starting than have to devise a workaround.

7. Does this tech prevent great ‘analog’ thinking and learning?

There are times when technology actually gets in the way of great communication, collaboration, and creativity. For example, we love the question-storming process of the Question Formulation Technique. While this can certainly be done digitally using Google Docs or something similar it would be hard to reproduce the synergy that occurs when a group is huddled around a large chart paper or whiteboard with markers building questions from the questions and thinking of others. Even in the most technology-rich settings, it’s often better to go analog.

8. Have I started with purpose and pedagogy instead of the tech?

This is related to #5 above but not exactly the same. Sometimes, teachers are directed to use a certain tech tool more often, or perhaps they’ve just learned about it in a recent faculty meeting or workshop. In this scenario, we often find teachers trying to figure out a way to use that tool without first considering their purpose and it usually feels like trying to fit a circle into a square.

What do we want students to think about and learn and what tools can better help us do that? As TeachThought PD facilitator Allan Carrington shows us with the Padagogy Wheel, It’s Not About The Apps, It’s About The Pedagogy .

9. Will all students be able to access and leverage this tech?

Do you have any students whose struggles to use certain technology tools might hinder their learning? That doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t use that particular tool but are there similar tools that might be more accessible? Or are there workarounds or supports you might consider to help them access the learning process? How might you make accommodations that don’t leave students behind?

10. How does this tech align with my school & class mission & vision?

Admittedly most school Mission and Vision statements are enigmatic and ambiguous but they shouldn’t be. Have you clarified a mission/purpose and vision for your classes? This can be a great way to stay on point and any lessons, units, including the use of technology should be aligned to help bring that mission/vision to life.

11. What level(s) of Bloom’s Taxonomy does this help students access?

The simplicity of Bloom’s Taxonomy can be helpful when thinking through lesson planning. Is your tech tool going to be solely focused on information gathering or will it be used to help students create? While there are times when using technology for lower-level Bloom’s tasks is appropriate we’re missing wonderful opportunities if we remain stuck there.

12. Is this the best tech to prepare students for the modern world?

21st Century Skills, NextGen Skills, call them what you like but we have to be focused on preparing students for the modern world. Whenever possible we want to engage students with technology that is closer to the cutting edge. Perhaps more importantly we want to be sure we’re facilitating in ways that push students to cognitively travel the landscape of the modern world.

13. Will parents think this tech threatens their child’s security?

Perceptions can become reality and as a parent, I’m leery of the threats that can gain access to my children via technology. Be sure that your use of technology is indeed safe for your students but it’s smart to get out ahead of the messaging with parents. I appreciate when the teachers of my daughters communicate well ahead of time and if there’s a tech tool that might cause apprehension from parents giving them a chance to investigate in advance can be very helpful. This is not a case where the saying “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission” holds true.

14. How might I combine this tech with other tools to grow learning?

Sometimes we get so focused on new technology that we don’t consider how we might creatively combine it with other tools (digital and analog) to better grow learning. This often becomes more evident after we use that technology a time or two. Google the tool or ask on Twitter or other social media and you might benefit from others who have more experience with that technology and have some great uses you haven’t considered.

15. What will you do when this tech doesn’t work?

To use another famous quote, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Be prepared for the inevitable tech glitches because we all know it will happen. Do you know the technology well enough to navigate through the glitches? Will you be able to continue with the learning you’d planned without the technology? Are there alternate activities and work your students can do, perhaps other parts of a project if you’re engaged in Project-Based Learning, and then return to the planned work later? Don’t be left scrambling with a class in disarray because the wifi went down or the website you’d planned to use is offline.

Your guiding questions?

The ever-changing terrain of integrating technology presents opportunities and challenges that can feel daunting but continually asking yourself important questions like these can be your best guide. What other questions would you add to this list?

Are You Using Technology Because You Can Or Because You Should?; 15 Questions To Ask About Tech Integration In Your Classroom

Formerly with the Buck Institute for Education and the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning after 15 years of classroom teaching. Passionate about the leading of learning through inquiry, I have been called a professional thought stretcher due to my love for questioning.

Technology in the Classroom: Best Questions to Ask Before Integration

There are so many developments in technology becoming a factor in how schools develop their curriculum. So it can be difficult to discern which technologies to implement and how effective they will be.

We’ve collected questions from our customers that are key when deciding whether or not to integrate technology into your school.

Will this help all students think and learn more deeply?

This is a great question! Not just because education is how students develop crucial critical thinking skills. But it also helps teachers differentiate instruction to help every student access that thinking instead of only some.

What student outcomes are you working towards?

You might ask this when you’re considering if an EdTech tool can and should be integrated into lessons. Ask yourself if that technology will help your students achieve specific curricular goals.

Is there ongoing support for this technology in the classroom?

Technology is constantly evolving, so we highly recommend that any tool you utilize is set up for ongoing support. No one wants to struggle to learn a new update without help!

How do you already use technology in the classroom?

This question depends on how you use technology with your students right now. The right EdTech tool has the potential to be a game-changer in digital skills learning. Consider how this technology will coexist alongside what you’re already using and how it will improve student learning outcomes.

How will this tech empower students to control their learning?

A t BSD, we’ve designed our online platform to follow an experiential learning cycle that encourages them to explore, learn and create. As a result, students can apply the digital skills of coding, programming, and web development (among others), to what they are learning in the classroom and what they are interested in.

Is this a toy or a tool?

By definition, education technology should always be considered a learning tool, not something to entertain them digitally. So when asking this question, consider how this technology integrates understanding and real-world application. Is it based on a pedagogical foundation? How will you be able to teach your students with this technology? Is this preparing students to be future-ready? If the answer to any of these is no, then it’s likely that this platform should not be an EdTech tool for schools to consider.

Is this the best technology to prepare my students for the modern world?

Ah! This is one of the most essential questions because the reality is that your students are experiencing the modern world. Students have already been introduced to technology, and one day, they will soon be in jobs that likely don’t even exist. That means they need tech tools that teach them more digital skills.

What are some deciding factors for you when choosing an EdTech tool for your school? We’d like to hear from you. Please send us a message at [email protected] or leave a comment below!

• Classroom Resources

Real-Life Work Experience For High School Students

A high school internship is the best way to gain work experience , develop your professional skills, and fast-track a career.

Need more students, courses, or support? Contact us to learn more about BSD BUILD

BSD Education (Build Something Different) partners with educators to bring technology education into classrooms through our programs of learning, online learning platform and professional development training.

REALIZING THE PROMISE:

Leading up to the 75th anniversary of the UN General Assembly, this “Realizing the promise: How can education technology improve learning for all?” publication kicks off the Center for Universal Education’s first playbook in a series to help improve education around the world.

It is intended as an evidence-based tool for ministries of education, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to adopt and more successfully invest in education technology.

While there is no single education initiative that will achieve the same results everywhere—as school systems differ in learners and educators, as well as in the availability and quality of materials and technologies—an important first step is understanding how technology is used given specific local contexts and needs.

The surveys in this playbook are designed to be adapted to collect this information from educators, learners, and school leaders and guide decisionmakers in expanding the use of technology.  

Introduction

While technology has disrupted most sectors of the economy and changed how we communicate, access information, work, and even play, its impact on schools, teaching, and learning has been much more limited. We believe that this limited impact is primarily due to technology being been used to replace analog tools, without much consideration given to playing to technology’s comparative advantages. These comparative advantages, relative to traditional “chalk-and-talk” classroom instruction, include helping to scale up standardized instruction, facilitate differentiated instruction, expand opportunities for practice, and increase student engagement. When schools use technology to enhance the work of educators and to improve the quality and quantity of educational content, learners will thrive.

Further, COVID-19 has laid bare that, in today’s environment where pandemics and the effects of climate change are likely to occur, schools cannot always provide in-person education—making the case for investing in education technology.

Here we argue for a simple yet surprisingly rare approach to education technology that seeks to:

• Understand the needs, infrastructure, and capacity of a school system—the diagnosis;
• Survey the best available evidence on interventions that match those conditions—the evidence; and
• Closely monitor the results of innovations before they are scaled up—the prognosis.

RELATED CONTENT

Podcast: How education technology can improve learning for all students

To make ed tech work, set clear goals, review the evidence, and pilot before you scale

The framework.

Our approach builds on a simple yet intuitive theoretical framework created two decades ago by two of the most prominent education researchers in the United States, David K. Cohen and Deborah Loewenberg Ball. They argue that what matters most to improve learning is the interactions among educators and learners around educational materials. We believe that the failed school-improvement efforts in the U.S. that motivated Cohen and Ball’s framework resemble the ed-tech reforms in much of the developing world to date in the lack of clarity improving the interactions between educators, learners, and the educational material. We build on their framework by adding parents as key agents that mediate the relationships between learners and educators and the material (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The instructional core

Adapted from Cohen and Ball (1999)

As the figure above suggests, ed-tech interventions can affect the instructional core in a myriad of ways. Yet, just because technology can do something, it does not mean it should. School systems in developing countries differ along many dimensions and each system is likely to have different needs for ed-tech interventions, as well as different infrastructure and capacity to enact such interventions.

The diagnosis:

How can school systems assess their needs and preparedness.

A useful first step for any school system to determine whether it should invest in education technology is to diagnose its:

• Specific needs to improve student learning (e.g., raising the average level of achievement, remediating gaps among low performers, and challenging high performers to develop higher-order skills);
• Infrastructure to adopt technology-enabled solutions (e.g., electricity connection, availability of space and outlets, stock of computers, and Internet connectivity at school and at learners’ homes); and
• Capacity to integrate technology in the instructional process (e.g., learners’ and educators’ level of familiarity and comfort with hardware and software, their beliefs about the level of usefulness of technology for learning purposes, and their current uses of such technology).

Before engaging in any new data collection exercise, school systems should take full advantage of existing administrative data that could shed light on these three main questions. This could be in the form of internal evaluations but also international learner assessments, such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and/or the Progress in International Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS). But if school systems lack information on their preparedness for ed-tech reforms or if they seek to complement existing data with a richer set of indicators, we developed a set of surveys for learners, educators, and school leaders. Download the full report to see how we map out the main aspects covered by these surveys, in hopes of highlighting how they could be used to inform decisions around the adoption of ed-tech interventions.

The evidence:

How can school systems identify promising ed-tech interventions.

There is no single “ed-tech” initiative that will achieve the same results everywhere, simply because school systems differ in learners and educators, as well as in the availability and quality of materials and technologies. Instead, to realize the potential of education technology to accelerate student learning, decisionmakers should focus on four potential uses of technology that play to its comparative advantages and complement the work of educators to accelerate student learning (Figure 2). These comparative advantages include:

• Scaling up quality instruction, such as through prerecorded quality lessons.
• Facilitating differentiated instruction, through, for example, computer-adaptive learning and live one-on-one tutoring.
• Expanding opportunities to practice.
• Increasing learner engagement through videos and games.

Figure 2: Comparative advantages of technology

Here we review the evidence on ed-tech interventions from 37 studies in 20 countries*, organizing them by comparative advantage. It’s important to note that ours is not the only way to classify these interventions (e.g., video tutorials could be considered as a strategy to scale up instruction or increase learner engagement), but we believe it may be useful to highlight the needs that they could address and why technology is well positioned to do so.

When discussing specific studies, we report the magnitude of the effects of interventions using standard deviations (SDs). SDs are a widely used metric in research to express the effect of a program or policy with respect to a business-as-usual condition (e.g., test scores). There are several ways to make sense of them. One is to categorize the magnitude of the effects based on the results of impact evaluations. In developing countries, effects below 0.1 SDs are considered to be small, effects between 0.1 and 0.2 SDs are medium, and those above 0.2 SDs are large (for reviews that estimate the average effect of groups of interventions, called “meta analyses,” see e.g., Conn, 2017; Kremer, Brannen, & Glennerster, 2013; McEwan, 2014; Snilstveit et al., 2015; Evans & Yuan, 2020.)

*In surveying the evidence, we began by compiling studies from prior general and ed-tech specific evidence reviews that some of us have written and from ed-tech reviews conducted by others. Then, we tracked the studies cited by the ones we had previously read and reviewed those, as well. In identifying studies for inclusion, we focused on experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations of education technology interventions from pre-school to secondary school in low- and middle-income countries that were released between 2000 and 2020. We only included interventions that sought to improve student learning directly (i.e., students’ interaction with the material), as opposed to interventions that have impacted achievement indirectly, by reducing teacher absence or increasing parental engagement. This process yielded 37 studies in 20 countries (see the full list of studies in Appendix B).

Scaling up standardized instruction

One of the ways in which technology may improve the quality of education is through its capacity to deliver standardized quality content at scale. This feature of technology may be particularly useful in three types of settings: (a) those in “hard-to-staff” schools (i.e., schools that struggle to recruit educators with the requisite training and experience—typically, in rural and/or remote areas) (see, e.g., Urquiola & Vegas, 2005); (b) those in which many educators are frequently absent from school (e.g., Chaudhury, Hammer, Kremer, Muralidharan, & Rogers, 2006; Muralidharan, Das, Holla, & Mohpal, 2017); and/or (c) those in which educators have low levels of pedagogical and subject matter expertise (e.g., Bietenbeck, Piopiunik, & Wiederhold, 2018; Bold et al., 2017; Metzler & Woessmann, 2012; Santibañez, 2006) and do not have opportunities to observe and receive feedback (e.g., Bruns, Costa, & Cunha, 2018; Cilliers, Fleisch, Prinsloo, & Taylor, 2018). Technology could address this problem by: (a) disseminating lessons delivered by qualified educators to a large number of learners (e.g., through prerecorded or live lessons); (b) enabling distance education (e.g., for learners in remote areas and/or during periods of school closures); and (c) distributing hardware preloaded with educational materials.

Prerecorded lessons

Technology seems to be well placed to amplify the impact of effective educators by disseminating their lessons. Evidence on the impact of prerecorded lessons is encouraging, but not conclusive. Some initiatives that have used short instructional videos to complement regular instruction, in conjunction with other learning materials, have raised student learning on independent assessments. For example, Beg et al. (2020) evaluated an initiative in Punjab, Pakistan in which grade 8 classrooms received an intervention that included short videos to substitute live instruction, quizzes for learners to practice the material from every lesson, tablets for educators to learn the material and follow the lesson, and LED screens to project the videos onto a classroom screen. After six months, the intervention improved the performance of learners on independent tests of math and science by 0.19 and 0.24 SDs, respectively but had no discernible effect on the math and science section of Punjab’s high-stakes exams.

One study suggests that approaches that are far less technologically sophisticated can also improve learning outcomes—especially, if the business-as-usual instruction is of low quality. For example, Naslund-Hadley, Parker, and Hernandez-Agramonte (2014) evaluated a preschool math program in Cordillera, Paraguay that used audio segments and written materials four days per week for an hour per day during the school day. After five months, the intervention improved math scores by 0.16 SDs, narrowing gaps between low- and high-achieving learners, and between those with and without educators with formal training in early childhood education.

Yet, the integration of prerecorded material into regular instruction has not always been successful. For example, de Barros (2020) evaluated an intervention that combined instructional videos for math and science with infrastructure upgrades (e.g., two “smart” classrooms, two TVs, and two tablets), printed workbooks for students, and in-service training for educators of learners in grades 9 and 10 in Haryana, India (all materials were mapped onto the official curriculum). After 11 months, the intervention negatively impacted math achievement (by 0.08 SDs) and had no effect on science (with respect to business as usual classes). It reduced the share of lesson time that educators devoted to instruction and negatively impacted an index of instructional quality. Likewise, Seo (2017) evaluated several combinations of infrastructure (solar lights and TVs) and prerecorded videos (in English and/or bilingual) for grade 11 students in northern Tanzania and found that none of the variants improved student learning, even when the videos were used. The study reports effects from the infrastructure component across variants, but as others have noted (Muralidharan, Romero, & Wüthrich, 2019), this approach to estimating impact is problematic.

A very similar intervention delivered after school hours, however, had sizeable effects on learners’ basic skills. Chiplunkar, Dhar, and Nagesh (2020) evaluated an initiative in Chennai (the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu, India) delivered by the same organization as above that combined short videos that explained key concepts in math and science with worksheets, facilitator-led instruction, small groups for peer-to-peer learning, and occasional career counseling and guidance for grade 9 students. These lessons took place after school for one hour, five times a week. After 10 months, it had large effects on learners’ achievement as measured by tests of basic skills in math and reading, but no effect on a standardized high-stakes test in grade 10 or socio-emotional skills (e.g., teamwork, decisionmaking, and communication).

Drawing general lessons from this body of research is challenging for at least two reasons. First, all of the studies above have evaluated the impact of prerecorded lessons combined with several other components (e.g., hardware, print materials, or other activities). Therefore, it is possible that the effects found are due to these additional components, rather than to the recordings themselves, or to the interaction between the two (see Muralidharan, 2017 for a discussion of the challenges of interpreting “bundled” interventions). Second, while these studies evaluate some type of prerecorded lessons, none examines the content of such lessons. Thus, it seems entirely plausible that the direction and magnitude of the effects depends largely on the quality of the recordings (e.g., the expertise of the educator recording it, the amount of preparation that went into planning the recording, and its alignment with best teaching practices).

These studies also raise three important questions worth exploring in future research. One of them is why none of the interventions discussed above had effects on high-stakes exams, even if their materials are typically mapped onto the official curriculum. It is possible that the official curricula are simply too challenging for learners in these settings, who are several grade levels behind expectations and who often need to reinforce basic skills (see Pritchett & Beatty, 2015). Another question is whether these interventions have long-term effects on teaching practices. It seems plausible that, if these interventions are deployed in contexts with low teaching quality, educators may learn something from watching the videos or listening to the recordings with learners. Yet another question is whether these interventions make it easier for schools to deliver instruction to learners whose native language is other than the official medium of instruction.

Distance education

Technology can also allow learners living in remote areas to access education. The evidence on these initiatives is encouraging. For example, Johnston and Ksoll (2017) evaluated a program that broadcasted live instruction via satellite to rural primary school students in the Volta and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. For this purpose, the program also equipped classrooms with the technology needed to connect to a studio in Accra, including solar panels, a satellite modem, a projector, a webcam, microphones, and a computer with interactive software. After two years, the intervention improved the numeracy scores of students in grades 2 through 4, and some foundational literacy tasks, but it had no effect on attendance or classroom time devoted to instruction, as captured by school visits. The authors interpreted these results as suggesting that the gains in achievement may be due to improving the quality of instruction that children received (as opposed to increased instructional time). Naik, Chitre, Bhalla, and Rajan (2019) evaluated a similar program in the Indian state of Karnataka and also found positive effects on learning outcomes, but it is not clear whether those effects are due to the program or due to differences in the groups of students they compared to estimate the impact of the initiative.

In one context (Mexico), this type of distance education had positive long-term effects. Navarro-Sola (2019) took advantage of the staggered rollout of the telesecundarias (i.e., middle schools with lessons broadcasted through satellite TV) in 1968 to estimate its impact. The policy had short-term effects on students’ enrollment in school: For every telesecundaria per 50 children, 10 students enrolled in middle school and two pursued further education. It also had a long-term influence on the educational and employment trajectory of its graduates. Each additional year of education induced by the policy increased average income by nearly 18 percent. This effect was attributable to more graduates entering the labor force and shifting from agriculture and the informal sector. Similarly, Fabregas (2019) leveraged a later expansion of this policy in 1993 and found that each additional telesecundaria per 1,000 adolescents led to an average increase of 0.2 years of education, and a decline in fertility for women, but no conclusive evidence of long-term effects on labor market outcomes.

It is crucial to interpret these results keeping in mind the settings where the interventions were implemented. As we mention above, part of the reason why they have proven effective is that the “counterfactual” conditions for learning (i.e., what would have happened to learners in the absence of such programs) was either to not have access to schooling or to be exposed to low-quality instruction. School systems interested in taking up similar interventions should assess the extent to which their learners (or parts of their learner population) find themselves in similar conditions to the subjects of the studies above. This illustrates the importance of assessing the needs of a system before reviewing the evidence.

Preloaded hardware

Technology also seems well positioned to disseminate educational materials. Specifically, hardware (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, or tablets) could also help deliver educational software (e.g., word processing, reference texts, and/or games). In theory, these materials could not only undergo a quality assurance review (e.g., by curriculum specialists and educators), but also draw on the interactions with learners for adjustments (e.g., identifying areas needing reinforcement) and enable interactions between learners and educators.

In practice, however, most initiatives that have provided learners with free computers, laptops, and netbooks do not leverage any of the opportunities mentioned above. Instead, they install a standard set of educational materials and hope that learners find them helpful enough to take them up on their own. Students rarely do so, and instead use the laptops for recreational purposes—often, to the detriment of their learning (see, e.g., Malamud & Pop-Eleches, 2011). In fact, free netbook initiatives have not only consistently failed to improve academic achievement in math or language (e.g., Cristia et al., 2017), but they have had no impact on learners’ general computer skills (e.g., Beuermann et al., 2015). Some of these initiatives have had small impacts on cognitive skills, but the mechanisms through which those effects occurred remains unclear.

To our knowledge, the only successful deployment of a free laptop initiative was one in which a team of researchers equipped the computers with remedial software. Mo et al. (2013) evaluated a version of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program for grade 3 students in migrant schools in Beijing, China in which the laptops were loaded with a remedial software mapped onto the national curriculum for math (similar to the software products that we discuss under “practice exercises” below). After nine months, the program improved math achievement by 0.17 SDs and computer skills by 0.33 SDs. If a school system decides to invest in free laptops, this study suggests that the quality of the software on the laptops is crucial.

To date, however, the evidence suggests that children do not learn more from interacting with laptops than they do from textbooks. For example, Bando, Gallego, Gertler, and Romero (2016) compared the effect of free laptop and textbook provision in 271 elementary schools in disadvantaged areas of Honduras. After seven months, students in grades 3 and 6 who had received the laptops performed on par with those who had received the textbooks in math and language. Further, even if textbooks essentially become obsolete at the end of each school year, whereas laptops can be reloaded with new materials for each year, the costs of laptop provision (not just the hardware, but also the technical assistance, Internet, and training associated with it) are not yet low enough to make them a more cost-effective way of delivering content to learners.

Evidence on the provision of tablets equipped with software is encouraging but limited. For example, de Hoop et al. (2020) evaluated a composite intervention for first grade students in Zambia’s Eastern Province that combined infrastructure (electricity via solar power), hardware (projectors and tablets), and educational materials (lesson plans for educators and interactive lessons for learners, both loaded onto the tablets and mapped onto the official Zambian curriculum). After 14 months, the intervention had improved student early-grade reading by 0.4 SDs, oral vocabulary scores by 0.25 SDs, and early-grade math by 0.22 SDs. It also improved students’ achievement by 0.16 on a locally developed assessment. The multifaceted nature of the program, however, makes it challenging to identify the components that are driving the positive effects. Pitchford (2015) evaluated an intervention that provided tablets equipped with educational “apps,” to be used for 30 minutes per day for two months to develop early math skills among students in grades 1 through 3 in Lilongwe, Malawi. The evaluation found positive impacts in math achievement, but the main study limitation is that it was conducted in a single school.

Facilitating differentiated instruction

Another way in which technology may improve educational outcomes is by facilitating the delivery of differentiated or individualized instruction. Most developing countries massively expanded access to schooling in recent decades by building new schools and making education more affordable, both by defraying direct costs, as well as compensating for opportunity costs (Duflo, 2001; World Bank, 2018). These initiatives have not only rapidly increased the number of learners enrolled in school, but have also increased the variability in learner’ preparation for schooling. Consequently, a large number of learners perform well below grade-based curricular expectations (see, e.g., Duflo, Dupas, & Kremer, 2011; Pritchett & Beatty, 2015). These learners are unlikely to get much from “one-size-fits-all” instruction, in which a single educator delivers instruction deemed appropriate for the middle (or top) of the achievement distribution (Banerjee & Duflo, 2011). Technology could potentially help these learners by providing them with: (a) instruction and opportunities for practice that adjust to the level and pace of preparation of each individual (known as “computer-adaptive learning” (CAL)); or (b) live, one-on-one tutoring.

Computer-adaptive learning

One of the main comparative advantages of technology is its ability to diagnose students’ initial learning levels and assign students to instruction and exercises of appropriate difficulty. No individual educator—no matter how talented—can be expected to provide individualized instruction to all learners in his/her class simultaneously . In this respect, technology is uniquely positioned to complement traditional teaching. This use of technology could help learners master basic skills and help them get more out of schooling.

Although many software products evaluated in recent years have been categorized as CAL, many rely on a relatively coarse level of differentiation at an initial stage (e.g., a diagnostic test) without further differentiation. We discuss these initiatives under the category of “increasing opportunities for practice” below. CAL initiatives complement an initial diagnostic with dynamic adaptation (i.e., at each response or set of responses from learners) to adjust both the initial level of difficulty and rate at which it increases or decreases, depending on whether learners’ responses are correct or incorrect.

Existing evidence on this specific type of programs is highly promising. Most famously, Banerjee et al. (2007) evaluated CAL software in Vadodara, in the Indian state of Gujarat, in which grade 4 students were offered two hours of shared computer time per week before and after school, during which they played games that involved solving math problems. The level of difficulty of such problems adjusted based on students’ answers. This program improved math achievement by 0.35 and 0.47 SDs after one and two years of implementation, respectively. Consistent with the promise of personalized learning, the software improved achievement for all students. In fact, one year after the end of the program, students assigned to the program still performed 0.1 SDs better than those assigned to a business as usual condition. More recently, Muralidharan, et al. (2019) evaluated a “blended learning” initiative in which students in grades 4 through 9 in Delhi, India received 45 minutes of interaction with CAL software for math and language, and 45 minutes of small group instruction before or after going to school. After only 4.5 months, the program improved achievement by 0.37 SDs in math and 0.23 SDs in Hindi. While all learners benefited from the program in absolute terms, the lowest performing learners benefited the most in relative terms, since they were learning very little in school.

We see two important limitations from this body of research. First, to our knowledge, none of these initiatives has been evaluated when implemented during the school day. Therefore, it is not possible to distinguish the effect of the adaptive software from that of additional instructional time. Second, given that most of these programs were facilitated by local instructors, attempts to distinguish the effect of the software from that of the instructors has been mostly based on noncausal evidence. A frontier challenge in this body of research is to understand whether CAL software can increase the effectiveness of school-based instruction by substituting part of the regularly scheduled time for math and language instruction.

Live one-on-one tutoring

Recent improvements in the speed and quality of videoconferencing, as well as in the connectivity of remote areas, have enabled yet another way in which technology can help personalization: live (i.e., real-time) one-on-one tutoring. While the evidence on in-person tutoring is scarce in developing countries, existing studies suggest that this approach works best when it is used to personalize instruction (see, e.g., Banerjee et al., 2007; Banerji, Berry, & Shotland, 2015; Cabezas, Cuesta, & Gallego, 2011).

There are almost no studies on the impact of online tutoring—possibly, due to the lack of hardware and Internet connectivity in low- and middle-income countries. One exception is Chemin and Oledan (2020)’s recent evaluation of an online tutoring program for grade 6 students in Kianyaga, Kenya to learn English from volunteers from a Canadian university via Skype ( videoconferencing software) for one hour per week after school. After 10 months, program beneficiaries performed 0.22 SDs better in a test of oral comprehension, improved their comfort using technology for learning, and became more willing to engage in cross-cultural communication. Importantly, while the tutoring sessions used the official English textbooks and sought in part to help learners with their homework, tutors were trained on several strategies to teach to each learner’s individual level of preparation, focusing on basic skills if necessary. To our knowledge, similar initiatives within a country have not yet been rigorously evaluated.

Expanding opportunities for practice

A third way in which technology may improve the quality of education is by providing learners with additional opportunities for practice. In many developing countries, lesson time is primarily devoted to lectures, in which the educator explains the topic and the learners passively copy explanations from the blackboard. This setup leaves little time for in-class practice. Consequently, learners who did not understand the explanation of the material during lecture struggle when they have to solve homework assignments on their own. Technology could potentially address this problem by allowing learners to review topics at their own pace.

Practice exercises

Technology can help learners get more out of traditional instruction by providing them with opportunities to implement what they learn in class. This approach could, in theory, allow some learners to anchor their understanding of the material through trial and error (i.e., by realizing what they may not have understood correctly during lecture and by getting better acquainted with special cases not covered in-depth in class).

Existing evidence on practice exercises reflects both the promise and the limitations of this use of technology in developing countries. For example, Lai et al. (2013) evaluated a program in Shaanxi, China where students in grades 3 and 5 were required to attend two 40-minute remedial sessions per week in which they first watched videos that reviewed the material that had been introduced in their math lessons that week and then played games to practice the skills introduced in the video. After four months, the intervention improved math achievement by 0.12 SDs. Many other evaluations of comparable interventions have found similar small-to-moderate results (see, e.g., Lai, Luo, Zhang, Huang, & Rozelle, 2015; Lai et al., 2012; Mo et al., 2015; Pitchford, 2015). These effects, however, have been consistently smaller than those of initiatives that adjust the difficulty of the material based on students’ performance (e.g., Banerjee et al., 2007; Muralidharan, et al., 2019). We hypothesize that these programs do little for learners who perform several grade levels behind curricular expectations, and who would benefit more from a review of foundational concepts from earlier grades.

We see two important limitations from this research. First, most initiatives that have been evaluated thus far combine instructional videos with practice exercises, so it is hard to know whether their effects are driven by the former or the latter. In fact, the program in China described above allowed learners to ask their peers whenever they did not understand a difficult concept, so it potentially also captured the effect of peer-to-peer collaboration. To our knowledge, no studies have addressed this gap in the evidence.

Second, most of these programs are implemented before or after school, so we cannot distinguish the effect of additional instructional time from that of the actual opportunity for practice. The importance of this question was first highlighted by Linden (2008), who compared two delivery mechanisms for game-based remedial math software for students in grades 2 and 3 in a network of schools run by a nonprofit organization in Gujarat, India: one in which students interacted with the software during the school day and another one in which students interacted with the software before or after school (in both cases, for three hours per day). After a year, the first version of the program had negatively impacted students’ math achievement by 0.57 SDs and the second one had a null effect. This study suggested that computer-assisted learning is a poor substitute for regular instruction when it is of high quality, as was the case in this well-functioning private network of schools.

In recent years, several studies have sought to remedy this shortcoming. Mo et al. (2014) were among the first to evaluate practice exercises delivered during the school day. They evaluated an initiative in Shaanxi, China in which students in grades 3 and 5 were required to interact with the software similar to the one in Lai et al. (2013) for two 40-minute sessions per week. The main limitation of this study, however, is that the program was delivered during regularly scheduled computer lessons, so it could not determine the impact of substituting regular math instruction. Similarly, Mo et al. (2020) evaluated a self-paced and a teacher-directed version of a similar program for English for grade 5 students in Qinghai, China. Yet, the key shortcoming of this study is that the teacher-directed version added several components that may also influence achievement, such as increased opportunities for teachers to provide students with personalized assistance when they struggled with the material. Ma, Fairlie, Loyalka, and Rozelle (2020) compared the effectiveness of additional time-delivered remedial instruction for students in grades 4 to 6 in Shaanxi, China through either computer-assisted software or using workbooks. This study indicates whether additional instructional time is more effective when using technology, but it does not address the question of whether school systems may improve the productivity of instructional time during the school day by substituting educator-led with computer-assisted instruction.

Increasing learner engagement

Another way in which technology may improve education is by increasing learners’ engagement with the material. In many school systems, regular “chalk and talk” instruction prioritizes time for educators’ exposition over opportunities for learners to ask clarifying questions and/or contribute to class discussions. This, combined with the fact that many developing-country classrooms include a very large number of learners (see, e.g., Angrist & Lavy, 1999; Duflo, Dupas, & Kremer, 2015), may partially explain why the majority of those students are several grade levels behind curricular expectations (e.g., Muralidharan, et al., 2019; Muralidharan & Zieleniak, 2014; Pritchett & Beatty, 2015). Technology could potentially address these challenges by: (a) using video tutorials for self-paced learning and (b) presenting exercises as games and/or gamifying practice.

Video tutorials

Technology can potentially increase learner effort and understanding of the material by finding new and more engaging ways to deliver it. Video tutorials designed for self-paced learning—as opposed to videos for whole class instruction, which we discuss under the category of “prerecorded lessons” above—can increase learner effort in multiple ways, including: allowing learners to focus on topics with which they need more help, letting them correct errors and misconceptions on their own, and making the material appealing through visual aids. They can increase understanding by breaking the material into smaller units and tackling common misconceptions.

In spite of the popularity of instructional videos, there is relatively little evidence on their effectiveness. Yet, two recent evaluations of different versions of the Khan Academy portal, which mainly relies on instructional videos, offer some insight into their impact. First, Ferman, Finamor, and Lima (2019) evaluated an initiative in 157 public primary and middle schools in five cities in Brazil in which the teachers of students in grades 5 and 9 were taken to the computer lab to learn math from the platform for 50 minutes per week. The authors found that, while the intervention slightly improved learners’ attitudes toward math, these changes did not translate into better performance in this subject. The authors hypothesized that this could be due to the reduction of teacher-led math instruction.

More recently, Büchel, Jakob, Kühnhanss, Steffen, and Brunetti (2020) evaluated an after-school, offline delivery of the Khan Academy portal in grades 3 through 6 in 302 primary schools in Morazán, El Salvador. Students in this study received 90 minutes per week of additional math instruction (effectively nearly doubling total math instruction per week) through teacher-led regular lessons, teacher-assisted Khan Academy lessons, or similar lessons assisted by technical supervisors with no content expertise. (Importantly, the first group provided differentiated instruction, which is not the norm in Salvadorian schools). All three groups outperformed both schools without any additional lessons and classrooms without additional lessons in the same schools as the program. The teacher-assisted Khan Academy lessons performed 0.24 SDs better, the supervisor-led lessons 0.22 SDs better, and the teacher-led regular lessons 0.15 SDs better, but the authors could not determine whether the effects across versions were different.

Together, these studies suggest that instructional videos work best when provided as a complement to, rather than as a substitute for, regular instruction. Yet, the main limitation of these studies is the multifaceted nature of the Khan Academy portal, which also includes other components found to positively improve learner achievement, such as differentiated instruction by students’ learning levels. While the software does not provide the type of personalization discussed above, learners are asked to take a placement test and, based on their score, educators assign them different work. Therefore, it is not clear from these studies whether the effects from Khan Academy are driven by its instructional videos or to the software’s ability to provide differentiated activities when combined with placement tests.

Games and gamification

Technology can also increase learner engagement by presenting exercises as games and/or by encouraging learner to play and compete with others (e.g., using leaderboards and rewards)—an approach known as “gamification.” Both approaches can increase learner motivation and effort by presenting learners with entertaining opportunities for practice and by leveraging peers as commitment devices.

There are very few studies on the effects of games and gamification in low- and middle-income countries. Recently, Araya, Arias Ortiz, Bottan, and Cristia (2019) evaluated an initiative in which grade 4 students in Santiago, Chile were required to participate in two 90-minute sessions per week during the school day with instructional math software featuring individual and group competitions (e.g., tracking each learner’s standing in his/her class and tournaments between sections). After nine months, the program led to improvements of 0.27 SDs in the national student assessment in math (it had no spillover effects on reading). However, it had mixed effects on non-academic outcomes. Specifically, the program increased learners’ willingness to use computers to learn math, but, at the same time, increased their anxiety toward math and negatively impacted learners’ willingness to collaborate with peers. Finally, given that one of the weekly sessions replaced regular math instruction and the other one represented additional math instructional time, it is not clear whether the academic effects of the program are driven by the software or the additional time devoted to learning math.

The prognosis:

How can school systems adopt interventions that match their needs.

Here are five specific and sequential guidelines for decisionmakers to realize the potential of education technology to accelerate student learning.

1. Take stock of how your current schools, educators, and learners are engaging with technology .

Carry out a short in-school survey to understand the current practices and potential barriers to adoption of technology (we have included suggested survey instruments in the Appendices); use this information in your decisionmaking process. For example, we learned from conversations with current and former ministers of education from various developing regions that a common limitation to technology use is regulations that hold school leaders accountable for damages to or losses of devices. Another common barrier is lack of access to electricity and Internet, or even the availability of sufficient outlets for charging devices in classrooms. Understanding basic infrastructure and regulatory limitations to the use of education technology is a first necessary step. But addressing these limitations will not guarantee that introducing or expanding technology use will accelerate learning. The next steps are thus necessary.

“In Africa, the biggest limit is connectivity. Fiber is expensive, and we don’t have it everywhere. The continent is creating a digital divide between cities, where there is fiber, and the rural areas.  The [Ghanaian] administration put in schools offline/online technologies with books, assessment tools, and open source materials. In deploying this, we are finding that again, teachers are unfamiliar with it. And existing policies prohibit students to bring their own tablets or cell phones. The easiest way to do it would have been to let everyone bring their own device. But policies are against it.” H.E. Matthew Prempeh, Minister of Education of Ghana, on the need to understand the local context.

2. Consider how the introduction of technology may affect the interactions among learners, educators, and content .

Our review of the evidence indicates that technology may accelerate student learning when it is used to scale up access to quality content, facilitate differentiated instruction, increase opportunities for practice, or when it increases learner engagement. For example, will adding electronic whiteboards to classrooms facilitate access to more quality content or differentiated instruction? Or will these expensive boards be used in the same way as the old chalkboards? Will providing one device (laptop or tablet) to each learner facilitate access to more and better content, or offer students more opportunities to practice and learn? Solely introducing technology in classrooms without additional changes is unlikely to lead to improved learning and may be quite costly. If you cannot clearly identify how the interactions among the three key components of the instructional core (educators, learners, and content) may change after the introduction of technology, then it is probably not a good idea to make the investment. See Appendix A for guidance on the types of questions to ask.

3. Once decisionmakers have a clear idea of how education technology can help accelerate student learning in a specific context, it is important to define clear objectives and goals and establish ways to regularly assess progress and make course corrections in a timely manner .

For instance, is the education technology expected to ensure that learners in early grades excel in foundational skills—basic literacy and numeracy—by age 10? If so, will the technology provide quality reading and math materials, ample opportunities to practice, and engaging materials such as videos or games? Will educators be empowered to use these materials in new ways? And how will progress be measured and adjusted?

4. How this kind of reform is approached can matter immensely for its success.

It is easy to nod to issues of “implementation,” but that needs to be more than rhetorical. Keep in mind that good use of education technology requires thinking about how it will affect learners, educators, and parents. After all, giving learners digital devices will make no difference if they get broken, are stolen, or go unused. Classroom technologies only matter if educators feel comfortable putting them to work. Since good technology is generally about complementing or amplifying what educators and learners already do, it is almost always a mistake to mandate programs from on high. It is vital that technology be adopted with the input of educators and families and with attention to how it will be used. If technology goes unused or if educators use it ineffectually, the results will disappoint—no matter the virtuosity of the technology. Indeed, unused education technology can be an unnecessary expenditure for cash-strapped education systems. This is why surveying context, listening to voices in the field, examining how technology is used, and planning for course correction is essential.

5. It is essential to communicate with a range of stakeholders, including educators, school leaders, parents, and learners .

Technology can feel alien in schools, confuse parents and (especially) older educators, or become an alluring distraction. Good communication can help address all of these risks. Taking care to listen to educators and families can help ensure that programs are informed by their needs and concerns. At the same time, deliberately and consistently explaining what technology is and is not supposed to do, how it can be most effectively used, and the ways in which it can make it more likely that programs work as intended. For instance, if teachers fear that technology is intended to reduce the need for educators, they will tend to be hostile; if they believe that it is intended to assist them in their work, they will be more receptive. Absent effective communication, it is easy for programs to “fail” not because of the technology but because of how it was used. In short, past experience in rolling out education programs indicates that it is as important to have a strong intervention design as it is to have a solid plan to socialize it among stakeholders.

Beyond reopening: A leapfrog moment to transform education?

On September 14, the Center for Universal Education (CUE) will host a webinar to discuss strategies, including around the effective use of education technology, for ensuring resilient schools in the long term and to launch a new education technology playbook “Realizing the promise: How can education technology improve learning for all?”

file-pdf Full Playbook – Realizing the promise: How can education technology improve learning for all? file-pdf References file-pdf Appendix A – Instruments to assess availability and use of technology file-pdf Appendix B – List of reviewed studies file-pdf Appendix C – How may technology affect interactions among students, teachers, and content?

About the Authors

Alejandro j. ganimian, emiliana vegas, frederick m. hess.

• Media Relations
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy

Conversation Questions

600 Best ESL Conversation Questions on Talking About Technology

A H M Ohidujjaman

Affiliate Disclosure : ESL Info participates in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Associate Program. This means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through links on our site, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting us! Access our full disclosure .

Technology is an inseparable part of our lives and it seems that we talk about technology all the time whether it’s about smart devices, the internet, social media, e-commerce, or artificial intelligence.

Learning to talk about technology is important for ESL students because it helps them practice English related to modern tools, new advancements, and how technology affects their lives and society at large.

ESL teachers can use these conversation questions to prompt technology-related conversations in class, help the students learn new words, and boost their confidence  whenever they participate in  everyday conversations , especially while talking about technology.

Whether they are beginners or advanced learners (A1 to C2), students can have meaningful conversations about how technology affects their lives and the world.

These 600 questions are divided into 10 categories and six skill levels. They are great for ESL speaking activities like group discussions, debates, or presentations. By joining these talks, students can improve their English while learning about technology.

Table of Contents

Why talking about technology is a good esl conversation topic.

Talking about technology is a good ESL conversation topic because it helps students practice English in a relevant and engaging way. Technology is a part of everyone’s daily life, making it a relatable subject that sparks interest and discussion.

By discussing technology, students can:

• Learn new vocabulary related to modern tools and advancements.
• Improve their speaking and listening skills through meaningful conversations.
• Gain confidence in using English to talk about everyday topics.

This topic also allows students to share their own experiences, ask questions, and understand different perspectives. This makes learning English more interesting and applicable to their real-life situations.

Using a variety of questions, teachers can motivate students to talk about technology based on their experiences and opinions. Let’s explore 600 conversation questions in 10 categories for 6 proficiency levels to encourage technology discussions in your ESL classroom.

Category 1: Talking About Digital Devices

Beginner (A1) :

• Do you have a smartphone? What do you use it for?
• How often do you use a computer or a tablet?
• What is your favorite app on your phone?
• Can you name some common digital devices?
• What is the difference between a phone and a computer?
• How do you turn on a smartphone?
• What colors can smartphones come in?
• Do you know what a charger is used for?
• Can you describe what a tablet looks like?
• What do you use headphones for?

Elementary (A2) :

• How do you take a photo with your phone?
• What’s the difference between a laptop and a desktop computer?
• Can you explain what a touchscreen is?
• Do you know how to send a text message?
• What do you do if your phone battery is low?
• Have you ever used a digital camera?
• How do you delete apps from your phone?
• Can you describe the process of turning on a computer?
• What are some features of a smartwatch?
• How do you connect to the internet with a smartphone?

Intermediate (B1) :

• Have you ever had to troubleshoot a problem with your computer or phone? What was it?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a tablet instead of a laptop?
• How do you keep your digital devices organized?
• Can you explain how to download an app onto your phone?
• What measures do you take to protect your privacy online?
• Do you know how to update the software on your phone or computer?
• How has technology changed the way we communicate with each other?
• Have you ever used voice recognition technology? What for?
• What do you think the future of digital devices will look like?
• How do you back up your data from your phone or computer?

Upper Intermediate (B2) :

• What role do digital devices play in your daily life?
• How do you feel about the increasing integration of technology into everyday objects (Internet of Things)?
• Have you ever experienced addiction to digital devices? How did you deal with it?
• Can you explain the concept of “cloud computing”?
• What are some common security threats for digital devices, and how can they be prevented?
• How do digital devices impact our attention spans and productivity?
• What do you think are the most important factors to consider when buying a new digital device?
• How do you think digital devices will continue to evolve in the next decade?
• Have you ever participated in a virtual meeting or conference? How was your experience?
• How do you think digital devices have changed the way we learn?

Advanced (C1) :

• In what ways can digital devices improve accessibility for people with disabilities?
• How do you think digital devices have changed the landscape of journalism and media consumption?
• Can you explain the concept of “digital footprint” and its implications?
• What ethical considerations should be taken into account in the development and use of digital devices?
• How do digital devices contribute to globalization and cultural exchange?
• What are the potential risks of relying heavily on digital devices for tasks like banking and healthcare?
• How do you see artificial intelligence shaping the future of digital devices?
• What impact do digital devices have on our relationships and social interactions?
• How can governments regulate the use of digital devices to protect citizens’ rights and privacy?
• Do you think digital devices have a positive or negative overall impact on society? Why?

Proficient (C2) :

• How do digital devices influence economic structures and markets?
• Can you discuss the role of digital literacy in navigating the complexities of modern technology?
• How do digital devices impact political activism and social movements?
• What are some potential solutions to address the problem of electronic waste generated by digital devices?
• Can you analyze the role of big tech companies in shaping global technological trends and policies?
• How do cultural differences influence the adoption and use of digital devices around the world?
• What are the implications of the increasing use of facial recognition technology in public spaces?
• How might quantum computing revolutionize the capabilities of digital devices in the future?
• How do digital devices influence urban planning and the design of public spaces?
• Can you envision a future where humans and digital devices are seamlessly integrated? What challenges and opportunities might arise from this scenario?

Category 2: Talking About Internet and Social Media

• What is the internet?
• Do you use the internet every day?
• Can you name some websites you visit often?
• What do you use the internet for?
• What is a website?
• Do you know what a web browser is?
• How do you connect to the internet?
• What is social media?
• Do you have any social media accounts?
• What do you do on social media?
• How do you add a friend on social media?
• What’s the difference between Facebook and Instagram?
• Have you ever posted a photo on social media? What was it?
• What does it mean to “like” something on social media?
• Do you follow any celebrities or famous people on social media?
• How do you share a link on the internet?
• What’s your favorite thing to do online?
• Can you explain what a hashtag is used for?
• Have you ever participated in an online chat?
• Do you watch videos on the internet? What kind?
• How has social media changed the way we communicate?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of using social media?
• Have you ever bought something online? What was it?
• How do you stay safe while browsing the internet?
• Can you explain the concept of “viral” content?
• What role do social media influencers play in marketing?
• Have you ever joined an online community or forum? What was it about?
• How do you decide whether to trust information you find online?
• Do you think social media platforms should have age restrictions? Why or why not?
• Have you ever experienced cyberbullying? How did you handle it?
• How do algorithms affect what you see on social media?
• What measures can individuals take to protect their privacy on social media?
• Do you think social media has a positive or negative impact on mental health? Why?
• How do social media platforms make money?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in political movements and activism?
• How do you think social media has changed the way we form relationships?
• What do you think are the biggest challenges facing social media platforms today?
• Have you ever used social media for professional networking? How was your experience?
• How do you think social media will evolve in the next decade?
• Can you explain the concept of “filter bubbles” and their implications for online discourse?
• How do social media platforms handle issues of misinformation and fake news?
• Can you analyze the role of social media in shaping public opinion and discourse?
• How do social media algorithms contribute to echo chambers and polarization?
• What strategies can be implemented to foster more meaningful interactions on social media?
• How do social media platforms influence consumer behavior and purchasing decisions?
• Can you discuss the ethical implications of data mining and targeted advertising on social media?
• How do social media platforms balance freedom of speech with moderating harmful content?
• What impact do social media influencers have on society and culture?
• How do different cultures approach the use of social media?
• Can you envision a future where social media platforms are regulated by international standards?
• How do social media platforms shape cultural norms and values?
• Can you analyze the role of social media in the spread of misinformation during major events like elections or crises?
• How do social media platforms influence political discourse and democracy?
• What ethical considerations should be taken into account when designing social media algorithms?
• How might emerging technologies like AI and VR impact the future of social media?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in fostering global connections and understanding?
• How do social media platforms address issues of online harassment and hate speech?
• What measures can be taken to combat addiction to social media?
• How do social media platforms contribute to the commodification of personal data?
• Can you propose ways to promote digital literacy and critical thinking skills in the context of social media use?

Category 3: Talking About Emerging Technologies

• What is technology?
• Have you heard of new technologies like robots or drones?
• Can you name some things that use technology?
• What do you think the future of technology will look like?
• Have you ever seen a smartwatch or a smart speaker?
• What are some benefits of technology?
• How do you use technology in your daily life?
• Have you ever used a touchscreen device?
• Do you know what virtual reality is?
• What is a computer?
• How do you think technology has changed the world?
• Can you explain what a drone is used for?
• Have you ever played a video game?
• What is the difference between a robot and a human?
• Do you know what 3D printing is?
• What are some examples of wearable technology?
• Have you heard of self-driving cars?
• How do you think technology can help people in the future?
• What is the internet of things?
• Can you name some famous inventors?
• How do you think artificial intelligence will change the world?
• Can you explain the concept of machine learning?
• Have you ever used a voice assistant like Siri or Alexa?
• What are some potential drawbacks of technology?
• How do you think technology can help with environmental issues?
• Can you discuss the impact of technology on employment?
• What are some examples of renewable energy technology?
• How do you think technology can improve healthcare?
• Can you explain the concept of blockchain?
• What are some emerging technologies in the field of transportation?
• How do you think technology will impact education in the future?
• Can you discuss the ethical implications of gene editing technology?
• Have you ever used augmented reality apps?
• What role do you think drones will play in the future?
• How do you think technology will change entertainment in the future?
• Can you explain the concept of quantum computing?
• How do you think technology will impact the way we work in the future?
• Can you discuss the potential benefits and risks of nanotechnology?
• How do you think technology will change the way we travel in the future?
• Can you explain the concept of biotechnology?
• How do you think emerging technologies will reshape urban planning and infrastructure?
• Can you analyze the role of technology in addressing global challenges like climate change and poverty?
• How do you think advances in robotics will impact industries like manufacturing and agriculture?
• What are some potential risks associated with the development of artificial intelligence?
• Can you discuss the potential impact of space exploration technology on humanity’s future?
• How do you think emerging technologies will impact the global economy and trade?
• Can you explain the concept of CRISPR technology and its potential applications?
• How do you think advances in biotechnology will impact healthcare and medicine?
• Can you discuss the role of technology in addressing issues of social inequality and injustice?
• How might emerging technologies like brain-computer interfaces revolutionize human-computer interaction?
• Can you analyze the role of emerging technologies in shaping geopolitics and international relations?
• How do you think advances in artificial intelligence will impact the future of work and employment?
• Can you discuss the potential risks and benefits of genetic engineering technology?
• How might emerging technologies like nanobots transform healthcare and medical treatment?
• Can you propose strategies to ensure that emerging technologies are developed and deployed ethically and responsibly?
• How do you envision the integration of virtual reality and augmented reality into everyday life in the future?
• What are some potential implications of advances in quantum computing for cybersecurity?
• Can you analyze the role of emerging technologies in addressing challenges related to food security and agriculture?
• How might advances in space exploration technology contribute to our understanding of the universe and our place in it?
• Can you discuss the potential societal impacts of advanced biometric technologies like facial recognition and DNA profiling?

Category 4: Talking About E-commerce

• What is online shopping?
• Have you ever bought something online?
• Can you name some things you can buy online?
• How do you pay for things online?
• What is a website where you can buy things?
• Do you know what a shopping cart is?
• How do you know if a website is safe for shopping?
• What do you need to do if you want to return something you bought online?
• Have you ever received a package in the mail?
• What is your favorite thing to buy online?
• Can you explain how to create an account on an online store?
• What do you do if you forget your password when shopping online?
• Have you ever used a discount code when shopping online?
• What is the difference between online shopping and shopping in a physical store?
• How do you know if an online store has the item you want in stock?
• Have you ever read product reviews before buying something online?
• How do you track a package that you’ve ordered online?
• What do you do if your package doesn’t arrive on time?
• Can you name some popular online payment methods?
• Have you ever sold something online? What was it?
• What are some advantages of shopping online?
• How do you think e-commerce has changed the way people shop?
• Have you ever had a negative experience with online shopping? What happened?
• How do you compare prices when shopping online?
• Can you explain the concept of “one-click ordering”?
• What are some factors to consider when choosing an online store?
• How do online retailers use data to personalize your shopping experience?
• Have you ever used a virtual fitting room when shopping online for clothes?
• Can you discuss the environmental impact of e-commerce?
• How do you think e-commerce will continue to evolve in the future?
• How do online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay work?
• Can you discuss the role of customer reviews in online shopping?
• How do online retailers use algorithms to recommend products to customers?
• What are some challenges faced by brick-and-mortar stores in the age of e-commerce?
• Can you explain the concept of “last-mile delivery” in e-commerce logistics?
• How do you think e-commerce has impacted traditional retail industries?
• What are some strategies that online retailers use to attract and retain customers?
• Can you discuss the rise of mobile commerce (m-commerce) and its implications?
• How do you think virtual reality and augmented reality will impact the future of e-commerce?
• Can you analyze the role of e-commerce platforms in facilitating global trade and cross-border transactions?
• How do you think e-commerce has influenced consumer behavior and purchasing habits?
• Can you discuss the role of big data analytics in e-commerce marketing and sales?
• How do you think e-commerce platforms handle issues of privacy and data security?
• What are some emerging trends in e-commerce, such as subscription services and direct-to-consumer brands?
• Can you analyze the impact of e-commerce on traditional advertising and marketing channels?
• How do you think e-commerce has contributed to the globalization of markets and economies?
• What are some regulatory challenges faced by e-commerce companies operating across multiple jurisdictions?
• How do you think e-commerce has impacted small businesses and entrepreneurship?
• Can you discuss the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in optimizing e-commerce operations?
• How might blockchain technology revolutionize trust and transparency in e-commerce transactions?
• Can you analyze the role of e-commerce in reshaping supply chain management and logistics?
• How do you think e-commerce platforms can address issues of counterfeit products and fraud?
• Can you discuss the potential social and cultural implications of the dominance of e-commerce giants like Amazon?
• How might advances in drone delivery and autonomous vehicles transform the future of e-commerce logistics?
• Can you propose strategies to ensure equitable access to e-commerce opportunities for all communities?
• How do you think e-commerce will impact traditional notions of ownership and consumption?
• What are some potential challenges and opportunities of integrating virtual reality shopping experiences into e-commerce platforms?
• Can you analyze the role of e-commerce in driving innovation and competition in the global marketplace?
• How do you think e-commerce will evolve in response to changing consumer preferences and behaviors?
• Can you discuss the potential societal impacts of a fully digitalized economy driven by e-commerce?

Category 5: Talking About Cybersecurity and Privacy

• What is cybersecurity?
• Do you know what a password is?
• How do you keep your online accounts safe?
• Can you name some personal information that you shouldn’t share online?
• What is a virus?
• How do you protect your computer from viruses?
• Have you heard of cyberbullying?
• What do you do if someone tries to hack your account?
• What is privacy?
• Why is it important to keep your personal information private?
• Can you explain what a firewall is?
• Have you ever received a suspicious email? What did you do?
• What are some common signs that your computer might have a virus?
• How do you create a strong password?
• Can you name some ways to protect your privacy online?
• What do you do if you see someone being cyberbullied?
• How do you know if a website is secure?
• Can you explain what encryption is?
• What should you do if you lose your phone?
• How do you know if someone is trying to scam you online?
• How do you think cyberattacks can affect individuals and businesses?
• Can you explain the difference between phishing and malware?
• What are some measures individuals can take to protect themselves from identity theft?
• How do you think social media platforms handle users’ privacy?
• Can you discuss the importance of software updates for cybersecurity?
• What role do passwords play in protecting online accounts?
• How do you recognize a secure website when making online transactions?
• Can you explain what two-factor authentication is?
• How do you think cybersecurity laws and regulations impact internet users?
• What are some common cybersecurity threats faced by mobile device users?
• Can you discuss the ethical implications of data collection by companies and governments?
• How do you think emerging technologies like AI and machine learning impact cybersecurity?
• Can you explain the concept of a data breach and its consequences?
• How do you think cybersecurity measures differ between personal and professional use of technology?
• What are some best practices for securely managing passwords?
• Can you analyze the role of social engineering in cyberattacks?
• How do you think cybersecurity threats have evolved over time?
• Can you discuss the role of cybersecurity in protecting critical infrastructure?
• What are some strategies individuals can use to detect and prevent online scams?
• How do you think cybersecurity concerns impact international relations and diplomacy?
• Can you discuss the role of encryption in protecting data privacy and security?
• How do you think cybersecurity impacts the development and adoption of emerging technologies?
• Can you analyze the role of cybersecurity in protecting intellectual property and trade secrets?
• What are some challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in combating cybercrime?
• How do you think cybersecurity concerns influence consumer trust in online services and products?
• Can you discuss the role of cybersecurity in protecting democratic processes and elections?
• How do you think cybersecurity concerns intersect with issues of surveillance and civil liberties?
• Can you analyze the role of cybersecurity in addressing global challenges like terrorism and organized crime?
• What are some potential implications of quantum computing for cybersecurity?
• How might international cooperation enhance cybersecurity efforts and mitigate global cyber threats?
• Can you discuss the impact of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Internet of Things (IoT) devices?
• How do you think cybersecurity concerns impact the development and regulation of autonomous systems?
• Can you analyze the role of cybersecurity in protecting human rights in the digital age?
• What are some potential implications of cybersecurity threats for financial systems and markets?
• How do you think cybersecurity concerns influence the development and adoption of smart cities and digital infrastructure?
• Can you discuss the role of cybersecurity in addressing challenges related to data sovereignty and international data flows?
• How do you envision the future of cybersecurity in the face of evolving cyber threats and technologies?
• What are some potential ethical dilemmas faced by cybersecurity professionals in their work?
• How might advances in quantum cryptography impact the future of cybersecurity?
• Can you propose strategies to promote cybersecurity awareness and education among individuals and organizations worldwide?

Category 6: Talking About Technology in Education

• What is technology in education?
• Have you ever used a computer at school?
• Can you name some things technology can help us learn?
• How do you think technology can make learning more fun?
• What is an educational app?
• Do you know what a tablet is used for in school?
• How do you feel about using technology to learn?
• Have you ever used a digital whiteboard?
• What do you think a classroom of the future might look like?
• How do you use technology at home to help with learning?
• How do you think technology has changed education?
• Can you name some subjects you can learn about using technology?
• Have you ever used a website to help with homework?
• What are some benefits of using computers in school?
• Do you know what online courses are?
• How do you think technology can help teachers teach better?
• Have you ever watched an educational video online?
• What is your favorite thing to learn about using technology?
• How do you think technology can help students with disabilities?
• Can you name some educational games you’ve played?
• How do you think technology can personalize learning for students?
• Can you explain the concept of blended learning?
• Have you ever taken an online course? What was it about?
• What role do you think virtual reality can play in education?
• Can you discuss the impact of technology on student collaboration and teamwork?
• How do you think technology can help students stay organized?
• Have you ever used a learning management system like Moodle or Canvas?
• Can you discuss the role of educational technology in addressing learning gaps and inequalities?
• How do you think technology can enhance teacher professional development?
• Can you explain the concept of digital citizenship and its importance in education?
• How do you think artificial intelligence can be used in education?
• Can you discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of online learning?
• How do you think technology can support project-based learning?
• Can you explain the concept of gamification in education?
• What are some challenges faced by educators in integrating technology into the classroom?
• How do you think technology can facilitate global collaboration among students and teachers?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in education?
• How do you think technology can be used to assess student learning?
• What are some emerging trends in educational technology?
• Can you analyze the impact of remote learning on education during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Advanced (C2) :

• How do you think technology can foster creativity and innovation in education?
• Can you discuss the potential impact of virtual reality simulations on hands-on learning experiences?
• How might adaptive learning platforms revolutionize personalized education?
• What are some potential ethical considerations in the use of student data in educational technology?
• Can you analyze the role of open educational resources (OER) in expanding access to quality education?
• How do you think technology can be used to promote lifelong learning and professional development?
• Can you discuss the role of digital literacy in preparing students for the 21st-century workforce?
• How might blockchain technology be used to credentialize and verify educational achievements?
• What are some strategies for fostering digital citizenship and responsible technology use among students?
• Can you propose ways to ensure equitable access to technology and digital learning resources in education?
• How do you envision the future of education in the digital age?
• Can you discuss the potential impact of artificial intelligence tutors on personalized learning experiences?
• How might immersive technologies like augmented reality and holographic displays transform classroom instruction?
• What are some potential implications of using brain-computer interfaces for enhancing learning and cognition?
• Can you analyze the role of educational technology in addressing global challenges like poverty and inequality?
• How might advances in neuroeducation and cognitive science inform the design of effective learning technologies?
• What are some potential risks and benefits of using predictive analytics in education?
• Can you discuss the role of social-emotional learning and well-being in educational technology design?
• How might decentralized technologies like blockchain disrupt traditional models of accreditation and credentialing in education?
• Can you propose strategies for fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation in educational technology research and development?

Category 7: Talking About Entertainment and Gaming

• What is entertainment?
• Have you ever played a game?
• Can you name some types of games?
• What do you like to do for fun?
• Have you ever watched a movie?
• What is your favorite TV show?
• How do you feel when you watch something funny?
• Do you like to listen to music?
• Have you ever been to a concert?
• What do you do when you’re bored?
• Can you explain what a video game is?
• Have you ever played a board game?
• What’s the difference between watching a movie and watching TV?
• Do you know any famous actors or actresses?
• What is your favorite type of music?
• How do you feel when you listen to sad music?
• Have you ever been to the theater?
• Can you name some sports you like to watch?
• How do you feel when you play with friends?
• What is your favorite book or story?
• How do you think technology has changed the entertainment industry?
• Can you discuss the role of storytelling in entertainment?
• Have you ever attended a live performance or event?
• What are some popular video game genres?
• Can you explain the concept of streaming services like Netflix and Spotify?
• How do you think entertainment influences culture and society?
• Have you ever created your own content for others to enjoy?
• Can you discuss the impact of social media on entertainment consumption?
• What role do you think nostalgia plays in entertainment?
• How do you think virtual reality will impact the future of entertainment?
• Can you discuss the role of representation and diversity in entertainment media?
• How do you think gaming can be educational or beneficial?
• Can you explain the concept of esports and its growing popularity?
• What are some ethical considerations in the gaming industry?
• Can you analyze the impact of piracy on the entertainment industry?
• How do you think the rise of user-generated content has changed entertainment consumption?
• Can you discuss the influence of celebrity culture on entertainment trends?
• How do you think artificial intelligence will impact the creation and consumption of entertainment?
• Can you analyze the role of fan communities in shaping entertainment franchises?
• What are some emerging trends in interactive storytelling and immersive entertainment experiences?
• How do you think virtual reality and augmented reality will revolutionize the entertainment industry?
• Can you discuss the impact of globalization on the production and distribution of entertainment media?
• How might blockchain technology disrupt traditional models of content creation and distribution in entertainment?
• What are some potential implications of deepfake technology for the future of entertainment?
• Can you analyze the role of algorithmic recommendation systems in shaping entertainment consumption?
• How do you think the convergence of entertainment and technology will impact traditional media industries?
• Can you discuss the role of user privacy and data protection in online entertainment platforms?
• How might emerging technologies like 5G and edge computing enhance the delivery of streaming entertainment content?
• Can you analyze the role of nostalgia marketing in driving consumer engagement with entertainment franchises?
• What are some potential challenges and opportunities of virtual influencer marketing in the entertainment industry?
• How do you think artificial intelligence will impact the creation and distribution of music, film, and other forms of entertainment?
• Can you discuss the potential implications of immersive technologies like brain-computer interfaces for interactive entertainment experiences?
• How might advances in neuroentertainment and neurofeedback technologies transform the way we consume entertainment?
• What are some potential ethical dilemmas in the development and use of virtual reality entertainment?
• Can you analyze the role of user-generated content platforms in empowering creators and disrupting traditional entertainment industries?
• How do you think virtual worlds and metaverse platforms will shape the future of social entertainment?
• What are some potential implications of virtual celebrity and influencer culture for the entertainment industry?
• Can you discuss the impact of streaming wars and content fragmentation on the entertainment landscape?
• How might emerging technologies like holographic displays and volumetric video revolutionize live entertainment experiences?
• Can you propose strategies for promoting diversity, inclusion, and ethical responsibility in the entertainment industry?

Category 8: Talking About Health and Wellness Tech

• What is health?
• Have you ever used a thermometer?
• Can you name some healthy foods?
• What do you do to stay healthy?
• Have you ever taken medicine when you were sick?
• How do you feel when you get enough sleep?
• What is exercise?
• Do you know what vitamins are?
• What do you do when you have a headache?
• How do you stay clean and hygienic?
• Can you explain why it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables?
• Have you ever used a fitness tracker?
• What are some ways to stay active?
• Do you know what a first aid kit is used for?
• How do you know if you’re sick?
• Have you ever visited a doctor or a nurse?
• What is stress?
• Can you name some ways to relax and unwind?
• How do you take care of your teeth?
• What do you do to stay safe when playing sports?
• How do you think technology can help people lead healthier lives?
• Can you discuss the role of wearable health devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers?
• What are some benefits of regular exercise?
• How do you think diet and nutrition affect overall health?
• Can you explain the concept of telemedicine and its advantages?
• How do you think technology can assist in managing chronic health conditions?
• Have you ever used a meditation app or mindfulness tool?
• Can you discuss the impact of social media on mental health and well-being?
• What role do you think sleep plays in maintaining good health?
• How do you think technology can help address public health challenges?
• Can you discuss the potential impact of AI and machine learning on personalized healthcare?
• How do you think technology can support mental health awareness and treatment?
• Can you explain the concept of digital therapeutics and its applications?
• What are some challenges in ensuring the privacy and security of health data?
• How do you think technology can improve access to healthcare services in rural areas?
• Can you analyze the role of health apps in promoting preventive care and wellness?
• How do you think technology can assist in managing medication adherence?
• Can you discuss the potential benefits and risks of genetic testing and personalized medicine?
• What role do you think virtual reality can play in medical training and therapy?
• How might emerging technologies like nanotechnology impact the future of healthcare?
• Can you discuss the potential of blockchain technology in healthcare data management and interoperability?
• How do you think precision medicine will revolutionize healthcare delivery and patient outcomes?
• Can you analyze the role of telehealth in improving access to mental health services?
• What are some potential implications of using big data analytics in population health management?
• How might wearable biometric sensors and continuous monitoring devices transform healthcare monitoring and diagnostics?
• Can you discuss the ethical considerations in the use of AI-driven diagnostic tools and decision support systems?
• How do you think technology can address healthcare disparities and inequities?
• Can you analyze the potential impact of remote patient monitoring on healthcare costs and outcomes?
• What role do you think virtual reality therapy will play in mental health treatment?
• How might emerging technologies like CRISPR gene editing revolutionize healthcare and biomedicine?
• Can you discuss the potential of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in treating chronic diseases and injuries?
• How do you think brain-computer interfaces will impact the future of assistive technologies and rehabilitation?
• Can you analyze the potential of 3D printing in personalized healthcare and medical device manufacturing?
• What are some potential applications of robotics and automation in surgical procedures and patient care?
• How might advances in pharmacogenomics and drug discovery technologies transform the pharmaceutical industry?
• Can you discuss the potential of bioinformatics and computational biology in understanding complex diseases?
• How do you think technology can be leveraged to improve global health outcomes and achieve sustainable development goals?
• Can you analyze the potential impact of virtual reality simulations on medical education and training?
• What are some potential challenges and opportunities of implementing digital health initiatives in low-resource settings?
• How might emerging technologies like quantum computing and synthetic biology revolutionize healthcare research and innovation?

Category 9: Talking About Social Media and Communication Technology

• Have you ever used a smartphone?
• Can you name some social media platforms?
• How do you communicate with your friends and family?
• Have you ever sent a text message?
• What is a selfie?
• How do you feel when you get a like or a comment on a post?
• Do you know what a hashtag is used for?
• What do you do if you want to talk to someone online?
• How do you share photos with friends?
• Can you explain what a profile is on social media?
• Have you ever used emojis when chatting online?
• What are some ways to stay safe when using social media?
• Do you know what a video call is?
• How do you feel when you get a friend request?
• Have you ever posted something on social media?
• What is your favorite social media platform?
• Can you name some famous people on social media?
• How do you know if someone is your friend online?
• What is your favorite thing to do on social media?
• How do you think social media has changed the way people communicate?
• Can you discuss the impact of social media on relationships and friendships?
• What are some benefits of using social media?
• How do you think social media affects self-esteem and mental health?
• Can you explain the concept of digital footprint and its importance?
• What are some strategies for managing screen time and digital well-being?
• How do you think social media platforms handle issues of privacy and data security?
• Can you discuss the role of influencers and content creators on social media?
• How do you think social media has influenced popular culture and trends?
• What are some potential dangers of using social media?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in shaping public discourse and political engagement?
• How do you think social media algorithms impact the content we see?
• Can you explain the concept of fake news and its spread on social media?
• What are some challenges faced by social media companies in moderating content?
• How do you think social media has impacted journalism and news reporting?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in activism and social movements?
• How do you think social media has influenced the way we form and express our identities?
• Can you analyze the impact of social media on cultural exchange and globalization?
• What role do you think social media plays in fostering community and social support?
• How might emerging technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality impact the future of social media?
• Can you discuss the potential impact of social media on democracy and civic engagement?
• How do you think social media platforms can address issues of misinformation and online harassment?
• Can you analyze the role of social media in shaping consumer behavior and marketing strategies?
• What are some potential implications of social media addiction on mental health and well-being?
• How might advances in artificial intelligence and natural language processing improve content moderation on social media?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in facilitating global communication and cross-cultural understanding?
• How do you think social media platforms can promote digital literacy and critical thinking skills?
• Can you analyze the role of social media in influencing public opinion and attitudes towards social issues?
• What are some potential ethical dilemmas faced by social media companies in data collection and privacy practices?
• How might emerging technologies like blockchain disrupt centralized social media platforms and empower users?
• Can you discuss the potential impact of deepfake technology on trust and authenticity in social media?
• How do you think social media platforms can address issues of echo chambers and filter bubbles?
• Can you analyze the role of social media in surveillance and government censorship?
• What are some potential implications of social media for the future of democracy and governance?
• How might advances in network science and computational social science inform our understanding of social media dynamics?
• Can you discuss the role of social media in shaping cultural norms and collective behavior?
• How do you think social media platforms can promote diversity, equity, and inclusion?
• What are some potential strategies for combating online radicalization and extremism on social media?
• How might emerging technologies like decentralized social networks and privacy-preserving technologies redefine the future of social media?
• Can you propose strategies for fostering responsible and ethical use of social media among individuals and society?

Category 10: Talking About Emerging Technologies

• Have you heard of robots?
• Can you name some things that use batteries?
• How do you feel when you see a drone?
• What is a smartwatch?
• Do you know what a self-driving car is?
• How do you feel about talking to a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa?
• Have you ever used a touchscreen?
• What do you think about virtual reality?
• How do you feel when you see someone wearing augmented reality glasses?
• Can you explain what a robot does?
• Have you ever used a remote control?
• What are some things that use solar power?
• How do you think drones can be used?
• Can you name some smart devices you’ve heard of?
• What do you think about artificial intelligence?
• How do you think self-driving cars work?
• Can you explain what virtual reality is used for?
• What are some benefits of wearable technology?
• How do you think augmented reality can be helpful?
• How do you think robots might change the way we work?
• Can you discuss the potential uses of drones in various industries?
• What are some environmental benefits of renewable energy technologies?
• How do you think smart home devices can make life easier?
• Can you explain the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT)?
• What are some ethical considerations in the development of artificial intelligence?
• How do you think self-driving cars will impact transportation?
• Can you discuss the potential applications of virtual reality in education and training?
• How might wearable health devices improve healthcare monitoring?
• What are some potential uses of augmented reality in entertainment and gaming?
• Can you discuss the impact of automation on the future of work and employment?
• How do you think drones can be used for humanitarian purposes?
• Can you analyze the role of renewable energy in combating climate change?
• What are some potential risks and benefits of connected smart cities?
• How do you think artificial intelligence will transform industries like healthcare and finance?
• Can you discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing 5G technology?
• How might autonomous vehicles impact urban planning and infrastructure?
• Can you analyze the potential impact of virtual reality on tourism and travel experiences?
• What role do you think wearable technology will play in the future of healthcare?
• How might augmented reality enhance customer experiences in retail and marketing?
• Can you discuss the potential of robotics in space exploration and colonization?
• How do you think drones can be used for environmental monitoring and conservation?
• Can you analyze the role of renewable energy in achieving global sustainability goals?
• What are some potential implications of artificial intelligence for privacy and surveillance?
• How might self-driving cars disrupt traditional automotive industries and transportation systems?
• Can you discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing smart grid technologies?
• How do you think virtual reality can revolutionize remote collaboration and communication?
• Can you analyze the potential impact of wearable biometric sensors on personalized healthcare?
• What role do you think augmented reality will play in the future of urban design and architecture?
• How might emerging technologies like quantum computing and nanotechnology revolutionize various industries?
• Can you discuss the potential of robotics and automation in reshaping global supply chains and manufacturing processes?
• How do you think drones can be used for disaster response and emergency services?
• Can you analyze the role of renewable energy in achieving energy independence and security?
• What are some potential ethical dilemmas in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence?
• How might self-driving cars transform mobility-as-a-service and urban mobility ecosystems?
• Can you discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing smart city initiatives at scale?
• How do you think virtual reality can be used to simulate and study complex systems and phenomena?
• Can you analyze the potential impact of wearable technology on personalized medicine and health interventions?
• What role do you think augmented reality will play in the future of human-computer interaction and interface design?
• How might emerging technologies like bioprinting and gene editing revolutionize healthcare and biotechnology?

In conclusion, talking about technology in ESL classes is very useful. It helps students practice English and learn new words about modern tools and advancements.

With these 600 questions divided into 10 categories and six skill levels, teachers can create interesting activities like discussions, debates, and presentations.

These activities help students improve their language skills and feel more confident talking about technology.

By exploring how technology impacts their lives and the world, students can better understand and use English in real-life situations.

Share this:

Discover more from esl info.

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Type your email…

1 thought on “600 Best ESL Conversation Questions on Talking About Technology”

• Pingback: Talking About Technology: Best ESL Practice Conversations - ESL Info

Comments are closed.

FREE E-Book

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

IT Teaching Resources

Classroom resources, questioning and discussion techniques, techniques to promote engagement and participation in discussions.

This article is part of a series around bridging synchronous and asynchronous learning, including guides on direct instruction , learning activities, and assessment and feedback . To learn more about the basis for synchronous and asynchronous learning, see our guide here .

Lively classroom conversation is often an indicator that teaching and learning are going well. Hosting these conversations digitally, however, upends many of the traditional techniques honed by faculty. Still, online discussions have the potential to enhance community ( Dawson, 2006 ) and accelerate information flow ( Carr et al., 2004 ) allowing effective feedback ( Giesbers et al., 2013 ; Hrastinski et al., 2010 ), direct correction of misconceptions, and high student engagement ( Hrastinski et al., 2010 ; Strømsø et al., 2007 ). Whether the class discussions are hosted synchronously (through video conferencing) or asynchronously (e.g, using Canvas discussion boards), ensuring student participation, student-student interaction, and faculty-student clarity requires creative problem-solving techniques. The following promising practices can help address a range of challenges.

Challenge: Make everyone feel comfortable participating

• Start synchronous classes with paired conversations as a helpful way to structure and introduce topics while promoting camaraderie (GSE instructors)
• Students type questions privately to the instructor(s) in the videoconference chatbox, and instructors address them anonymously with the class
• Students type questions in the chat and signal to the instructor to read aloud (e.g., “Could you explain what the authors meant by controlled sample? (read aloud)”)
• Students hold up post-it notes with premeditated thoughts to inspire group discussion
• Students voluntarily unmute and speak in whole-class discussions
• Instructors refer to shared ideas heard in breakout rooms without requiring students to report out 
• Establish classroom norms and design for building community and trust to create a classroom environment conducive to discussion.

Challenge: Promote critical thinking in live discussions

• Have two instructors model effective discourse for students – such as premise reflection and Socratic questioning ( Curtis, 2006 ; Yang et al., 2005 )
• Use groups of 3-4 students to increase participation back in the whole class discussion (Psychology Teaching Town Hall: Lessons Learned from Spring Online, July 29, 2020)
• Assign students with roles such as a starter, skeptic, or wrapper that are responsible for getting discussions started, challenging arguments from other students, and summarizing key points, respectively. This increases instances of integration, social knowledge construction, and collaborative learning ( Olesova & Lim, 2017 ) 
• Scaffold discussions by using Teaching Assistants (if available) in breakout rooms to pose questions to advance the conversation ( Kanuka et al., 2007 ) 
• Enter individual breakout rooms as the instructor and make comments or ask questions without interrupting flow of the conversation. By popping into smaller group discussions, instructors can more easily read the room and provide guidance and encouragement to students. A shared outside resource (e.g, shared Google Slides , where each breakout group takes notes on their own slide) can help instructors know which groups most need their support.
• Use multimedia tools (videos, podcasts, interviews) to set up discussions in both synchronous and asynchronous formats. 

Challenge: Delve deeper using discussion boards and other forms of asynchronous communication

• Use asynchronous discussions for expressing content-related opinions, and for expressing complex ideas, which benefits from more time for reflection ( Bonk et al., 1998 , Chou, 2002 ; Davidson-Shivers et al., 2001 )
• Ask students to submit discussion questions articulating themes or tensions in the readings, giving students time to prepare and articulate their thoughts ( Interview with Alvin Pearman )
• Use guidelines or a word limit to avoid these becoming mini-essays and protect spontaneity in conversation ( Interview with Victor Lee )
• Hold virtual gallery walks so students can view and discuss each other’s thinking. Ask each student to put their thoughts/solutions/quick sketch, or whatever they are comfortable producing, on a dedicated Google Slides in a shared deck so others can scroll through, add comments, and discuss (GSE instructors; Lunch-n-Learn Student Voices Panel, June 15, 2020 )
• Use collective reading annotation to allow students and instructors work together to comment on, highlight the main points of, and discuss reading assignments. Examples of tools for this include Perusall and Hypothesis ( Lunch-n-Learn Instructor Panel #2, May 27, 2020 ) 
• Allow multiple types of responses to discussion prompts, such as uploading a visualization or generating a meme (setting norms for appropriateness) to capture an important point
• Create a dedicated discussion board for the prompts in your LMS (e.g. Canvas ) prior to class
• Require students to submit discussion questions before class, allowing instructors to integrate the questions at strategic points to promote deeper learning or to serve as segues to new topics ( Interview with Alvin Pearman )
• Break students up into small groups to discuss questions during class, prompting them to refer to the discussion board, and include their group responses to prompts on the board ( Lunch-n-Learn Student , Voices Panel, June 15, 2020 ) 
• Have students take communal notes on a shared platform to allow for joint sense-making in a document that persists as a resource throughout the course ( Interview with Victor Lee )

Recommended Zoom meeting security settings

Managing the Zoom security settings to protect your classes from unwanted interactions

How to utilize Padlet, a customizable bulletin board

Padlet is a virtual, customizable ‘bulletin board’ with options to populate with text, images, audio, videos, and links

Informal trust-building in an online environment

A GSE-inspired collection of practices for positive relationships in the digital classroom

Along with Stanford news and stories, show me:

• Student information
• Faculty/Staff information

We want to provide announcements, events, leadership messages and resources that are relevant to you. Your selection is stored in a browser cookie which you can remove at any time using “Clear all personalization” below.

Image credit: Claire Scully

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately worried that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the AI + Education initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of CRAFT (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the Digital Learning initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of virtual field trips to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

Global Education Monitoring Report

Four questions to ask before choosing technology in education

From the radio right through to generative AI, when and how should we use technology in education?  When does it support learning and when does it distract? Do we need to change what and how we are learning with technology to keep education relevant?

The new 2023 GEM Report , UNESCO’s flagship education publication, helps us find answers to these questions.  There are many regulations on the use of technology in society, but these are not necessarily relevant in education. The Report calls for decision makers to rectify this, making sure that we are using  #TechOnOurTerms , and that we prioritize learners’ needs after asking ourselves four key questions: 

No single device will improve learning everywhere for everyone. Some technology can improve some types of learning in some contexts. But the appropriate technology must be chosen for your particular case. 

Benefits gained from technology can fade if it is used in excess or if there are no qualified teachers. In Peru, 1 million laptops were distributed but teachers were not trained to use them and learning did not improve. 

Smartphones might be appropriate pedagogical support for some learners: for instance, they have been used in emergencies for learning continuity. However, they have no place in schools if they do not support learning. Today, fewer than a quarter of countries have banned their use in schools. 

While more and more content is being put online, with many teaching and learning resources now available for both teachers and students, the content is not always context-appropriate. Nearly 90% of higher education online repositories were created either in Europe or in North America; 92% of the material in the OER Commons global library is in English.

Technology doesn’t have to be advanced to be effective for learning for hard-to-reach learners. There are 40 countries still using radio instruction. High-quality broadcasted lessons have been used by trained teachers in Mexico and China to improve learning. Assistive technology is replacing traditional assistive tools for learners with disabilities.

But our focus must remain on the most marginalized as we invest. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students relied upon technology to continue learning. But, while many managed to remain connected, one third of learners were left out, rising to over two-thirds of the poorest. 

The Report describes the right to education as increasingly synonymous with the right to meaningful connectivity to the internet and yet one in four primary schools still do not even have electricity. It calls for all countries to set benchmarks for connecting all schools to the internet between now and 2030.

Looking back on the COVID-19 reliance on technology, and now faced with the arrival of generative AI, sound, rigorous and impartial evidence of the impact technology has on learning is needed more than ever. But this evidence is lacking

Technologies change faster than we can evaluate them. Most evidence comes from the United States, where the What Works Clearinghouse pointed out that less than 2% of education interventions assessed had ‘strong or moderate evidence of effectiveness’. 

Evidence is also often produced by technology companies themselves, with a risk that it may be biased. 

Deciding on whether to scale-up our choices means having a grasp of their long-term costs, but many ignore or are unaware of the full picture. They often see the upfront capital costs but forget the price of maintenance. This has left the EdTech market expanding while basic education needs remain unmet. The Report calculates that the maintenance costs of a full digital transformation of education with internet connectivity in schools and homes would cost over USD 1 billion per day in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Education systems struggle to adapt to the fast pace of change in technology. The turnover of education technology products is three years on average, but curriculum reform takes place every ten years. This means countries cannot expect to react to every new device on the market. They must map out and prioritize the digital skills they want to teach learners and teachers that will stand the test of time. 

A vision of a sustainable future means protecting the rights of technology users too. There are significant risks to children’s privacy and safety online with the increased use of technology and without regulations to protect them. One analysis assessed 163 education technology products and found that nine out of ten of them could survey children, yet currently only 16% of countries protect children’s data privacy in law. 

Our planet’s future is our future, and our energy consumption, and e-waste as a result of technology purchases in education must be responsible.  

Many ask ‘how’ we should change education to absorb technology. This report asks us to question ‘why’ and ‘whether’ it will improve learning before we invest. It emphasizes the risks of getting this wrong, from invasions of children’s privacy, impact on teacher and student well-being, and safety, to distracting us from learning, disinformation, plagiarism and more. The stakes are high. And, if we don’t learn from history about past mistakes in the way that we have used technology in education so far, we will just repeat them, but on a larger scale. The ramifications – negative and positive - will be compounded as technologies expand - unless we take the time to reflect. 

Because of this, the 2023 GEM Report concludes that it is essential to learn to live both with and without digital technology; to take what is needed from an abundance of information but ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support, but never supplant, the human connection on which teaching and learning are based. We learn best together. 

Related items

• Educational technology

More on this subject

Other recent stories

61 ESL Technology Questions for Exciting Conversations

Struggling to find good ESL questions to do a class about technology?

With technology reaching every part of our lives, it is getting increasingly important to prepare your students to get used to the topic.

Tips on Using Technology Questions in the Classroom

By using these questions, your students will learn new vocabulary in the context of technology. This will help them in daily lives and especially in business. 

General Technology Questions

This set of questions will help your students to get a brief overview over the topic “technology”.

Opinion and Discussion Technology Questions

Your students can exchange opinions and ideas using these questions. It’s also perfect to start a conversation.

Personal Technology Questions

Julian is a high school teacher with a secret past. After college, he embarked on a thrilling adventure, traveling through time and teaching English in eras past. From ancient civilizations to modern metropolises, Julian's experiences shaped his unconventional approach to language instruction. Now, back in the present, he brings his unique perspective to the high school classroom, inspiring students with tales of his time-traveling escapades.

Similar Posts

Everyday expressions & idioms list, 120 would you rather questions to start an esl conversation, free esl listening worksheets for your lessons, is teaching english online worth it the pros & cons, establishing a hybrid classroom: 7 easy-to-implement tips, how to teach english with vipkid: the comprehensive guide [updated], leave a reply cancel reply.

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Sustainability
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

What 126 studies say about education technology

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

In recent years, there has been widespread excitement around the transformative potential of technology in education. In the United States alone, spending on education technology has now exceeded $13 billion . Programs and policies to promote the use of education technology may expand access to quality education, support students’ learning in innovative ways, and help families navigate complex school systems.

However, the rapid development of education technology in the United States is occurring in a context of deep and persistent inequality . Depending on how programs are designed, how they are used, and who can access them, education technologies could alleviate or aggravate existing disparities. To harness education technology’s full potential, education decision-makers, product developers, and funders need to understand the ways in which technology can help — or in some cases hurt — student learning.

To address this need, J-PAL North America recently released a new publication summarizing 126 rigorous evaluations of different uses of education technology. Drawing primarily from research in developed countries, the publication looks at randomized evaluations and regression discontinuity designs across four broad categories: (1) access to technology, (2) computer-assisted learning or educational software, (3) technology-enabled nudges in education, and (4) online learning.

This growing body of evidence suggests some areas of promise and points to four key lessons on education technology.

First, supplying computers and internet alone generally do not improve students’ academic outcomes from kindergarten to 12th grade, but do increase computer usage and improve computer proficiency. Disparities in access to information and communication technologies can exacerbate existing educational inequalities. Students without access at school or at home may struggle to complete web-based assignments and may have a hard time developing digital literacy skills.

Broadly, programs to expand access to technology have been effective at increasing use of computers and improving computer skills. However, computer distribution and internet subsidy programs generally did not improve grades and test scores and in some cases led to adverse impacts on academic achievement. The limited rigorous evidence suggests that distributing computers may have a more direct impact on learning outcomes at the postsecondary level.

Second, educational software (often called “computer-assisted learning”) programs designed to help students develop particular skills have shown enormous promise in improving learning outcomes, particularly in math. Targeting instruction to meet students’ learning levels has been found to be effective in improving student learning, but large class sizes with a wide range of learning levels can make it hard for teachers to personalize instruction. Software has the potential to overcome traditional classroom constraints by customizing activities for each student. Educational software programs range from light-touch homework support tools to more intensive interventions that re-orient the classroom around the use of software.

Most educational software that have been rigorously evaluated help students practice particular skills through personalized tutoring approaches. Computer-assisted learning programs have shown enormous promise in improving academic achievement, especially in math. Of all 30 studies of computer-assisted learning programs, 20 reported statistically significant positive effects, 15 of which were focused on improving math outcomes.

Third, technology-based nudges — such as text message reminders — can have meaningful, if modest, impacts on a variety of education-related outcomes, often at extremely low costs. Low-cost interventions like text message reminders can successfully support students and families at each stage of schooling. Text messages with reminders, tips, goal-setting tools, and encouragement can increase parental engagement in learning activities, such as reading with their elementary-aged children.

Middle and high schools, meanwhile, can help parents support their children by providing families with information about how well their children are doing in school. Colleges can increase application and enrollment rates by leveraging technology to suggest specific action items, streamline financial aid procedures, and/or provide personalized support to high school students.

Online courses are developing a growing presence in education, but the limited experimental evidence suggests that online-only courses lower student academic achievement compared to in-person courses. In four of six studies that directly compared the impact of taking a course online versus in-person only, student performance was lower in the online courses. However, students performed similarly in courses with both in-person and online components compared to traditional face-to-face classes.

The new publication is meant to be a resource for decision-makers interested in learning which uses of education technology go beyond the hype to truly help students learn. At the same time, the publication outlines key open questions about the impacts of education technology, including questions relating to the long-term impacts of education technology and the impacts of education technology on different types of learners.

To help answer these questions, J-PAL North America’s Education, Technology, and Opportunity Initiative is working to build the evidence base on promising uses of education technology by partnering directly with education leaders.

Education leaders are invited to submit letters of interest to partner with J-PAL North America through its  Innovation Competition . Anyone interested in learning more about how to apply is encouraged to contact initiative manager Vincent Quan .

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• J-PAL Education, Technology, and Opportunity Initiative
• Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition
• Article: "Will Technology Transform Education for the Better?"
• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
• Department of Economics

Related Topics

• School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences
• Education, teaching, academics
• Technology and society
• Computer science and technology

Related Articles

J-PAL North America calls for proposals from education leaders

J-PAL North America’s Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition announces inaugural partners

New learning opportunities for displaced persons

J-PAL North America announces new partnerships with three state and local governments

A new way to measure women’s and girls’ empowerment in impact evaluations

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

No detail too small

Read full story →

Study assesses seizure risk from stimulating the thalamus

Atoms on the edge

New filtration material could remove long-lasting chemicals from water

Keeping the cosmos clean

Sam Madden named faculty head of computer science in EECS

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

Improve your English. Speak with confidence!

• Free Mini Course

• Posted in in ESL Conversation Questions

47 Technology Conversation Questions

• Posted by by Cameron Smith
• Updated 2 months ago

Technology conversation questions are a great way to spark interesting discussions and practice your English. Why? Because technology has transformed the way we live, work, and communicate.

Grab a speaking partner and take turns asking each other questions from the list to practice speaking English.

Technology Conversation Questions

• What’s the most innovative piece of technology you’ve encountered recently?
• What are the advantages of technology in today’s society?
• What are the disadvantages of technology in our world?
• What negative impacts has modern technology had on your life?
• What kinds of technology do you use in your daily life?
• What are your hopes for the future of technology?
• Do you believe that mobile phones are necessary for each individual? Why/why not?
• What are some technological achievements that have occurred in your lifetime?
• How has technology changed the way you communicate with friends and family?
• What’s the most useful mobile app you have on your device, and why?
• How has technology influenced your learning and education?
• What’s the most significant technological advancement you’ve witnessed in your lifetime?
• How do you balance the benefits and drawbacks of technology in your daily life?
• What’s a technology-related challenge you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
• How has technology changed the way you consume entertainment, like music and movies?
• What’s the most exciting future technology you’re looking forward to?
• How has technology impacted your work or career?
• What’s a piece of technology you couldn’t imagine living without, and why?
• How do you protect your privacy and security while using technology?
• What’s a technological trend that you think will shape the future?
• How do you think technology has changed the way people learn and access information?
• What’s the most impressive piece of technology you’ve seen used for medical purposes?
• How do you manage screen time and digital distractions in your life?
• What’s a technology-related hobby or interest you have, like gaming or coding?
• How do you think technology can contribute to solving global challenges?
• What’s a technology-related skill you would like to learn or improve?
• How do you see the relationship between technology and culture in our society?
• How has technology transformed the way people find and apply for jobs?
• What’s the most impressive example of artificial intelligence you’ve come across?
• How do you think technology has changed the way people shop and make purchasing decisions?
• What’s a piece of technology that has made transportation and travel more convenient?
• How has technology influenced the way you access news and stay informed about current events?
• What’s the most creative way you’ve seen technology used in the field of education?
• How do you think technology has impacted the entertainment industry, such as music and movies?
• What’s a technology-related ethical dilemma that you’ve thought about?
• How do you see technology shaping the future of healthcare and medicine?
• What’s the most interesting piece of technology-related trivia you know?
• How has technology changed the way people connect and build relationships?
• What’s a technology trend that you believe has the potential to revolutionize an industry?
• How has technology impacted the way people express themselves creatively, such as through art and writing?
• What’s the most exciting piece of emerging technology that you’ve read about?
• How do you think technology can play a role in addressing environmental issues?
• What’s a technology-related topic that you enjoy discussing with friends or family?
• How has technology influenced the way people exercise and maintain their physical health?
• What’s the most unusual or unexpected way you’ve seen technology being used?
• How do you think technology has changed the way people approach learning languages?
• What’s a technology-related challenge that you think humanity will face in the next decade?

We’ve explored a range of technology conversation questions, carefully designed to spark insightful discussions among ESL learners. 

Want some more discussion topics to keep going with your ESL speaking practice? Browse the other resources in our ESL Conversation Questions and ESL Discussion Topics series!

Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith is an English Communication Coach based in Vancouver, Canada. He's the founder of Learn English Every Day, and he's on a mission to help millions of people speak English with confidence. If you want longer video content, please follow me on YouTube for fun English lessons and helpful learning resources!

Post navigation

35 Health Conversation Questions to Improve Your English

• September 1, 2023

40 Hypothetical Conversation Questions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Watch your email inbox for daily tips!

• Become a Member
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computational Thinking
• Digital Citizenship
• Edtech Selection
• Global Collaborations
• STEAM in Education
• Teacher Preparation
• ISTE Certification
• School Partners
• Career Development
• ISTELive 24
• Solutions Summit
• Leadership Exchange
• 2024 ASCD Leadership Summit
• 2025 ASCD Annual Conference
• Edtech Product Database
• Solutions Network
• Sponsorship & Advertising
• Sponsorship & Advertising
• Learning Library

The 9 hottest topics in edtech

• Education Leadership

The most compelling topics among educators who embrace technology to transform teaching and learning are not about the tech at all, but about the students . Here’s a list of the hottest trends in edtech right now.

1. Computational thinking

Computational thinking  (CT) is no longer a concept discussed only in computer science or coding classes. Educators are finding that computation thinking is a cross-disciplinary skill and is just as relevant in language arts and math classes. Educators are becoming skilled at incorporating CT components like decomposition, generalizing, algorithmic thinking, evaluation and abstraction – no matter the subject area. Together, these steps teach students the foundations of how to approach a problem and solve it using reasoning, creativity and expression, as well as providing a new way to demonstrate content knowledge.

2. Professional learning

Professional development (PD) is out. Professional learning (PL) is in. What’s the difference? Instead of developing people via PD (collective eye roll for the sit-and-get of the past), PL focuses on providing ongoing, embedded opportunities for growth using active methods. Professional learning is differentiated, personalized and workday friendly for busy educators. Look for an added focus on professional learning for instructional technology coaches, helping them up their game as they guide staff integrating technology in their classrooms. 

3. AR, VR and mixed reality

In the past, discussions about artificial reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality in schools focused on using what others had developed. Now, both educators and students are moving into creation mode with these technologies. Students are harnessing their creativity to develop artifacts of their learning in all curricular areas using these tools. 

4. Artificial intelligence

How can we take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) in learning environments? Digital voice assistants like Alexa and Echo have made their way into classrooms , but educators are just uncovering ways to use them. Look for AI to explode in schools in the near future, predicts ISTE board member Hall Davidson, senior director, global learning initiatives for Discovery Education. He sees the potential of AI to support students in reaching higher levels of learning and thinking as they use the devices to practice asking questions and thinking out loud. 

5. Global learning

The concept of global learning isn’t new. What’s fresh about the topic now is the level of maturity it will reach as more and more educators understand the value of learning in a global context. The excitement around students participating in global collaboration is only going to increase. Why? Because, as educator Mali Bickley puts it, global learning enables students and teachers to harness the power of technology to develop relationships with their global peers while addressing complex and important global issues. Students who have participated in global learning provide the proof – their discussions and collaborative projects have addressed worldwide problems like food scarcity, climate change, refugee crises and child labor.

6. Learner profiles

Both the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators include specific profiles of learners. The Student Standards provide a framework for helping students become Empowered Learners, Digital Citizens , Knowledge Constructors, Innovative Designers, Computational Thinkers, Creative Communicators and Global Collaborators, while the Educator Standards are a road map for becoming Learners, Leaders, Citizens, Collaborators, Designers, Facilitators and Analysts. Both students and educators are embracing their new roles, moving from adoption of learner profiles to successful implementation.

7. Learning sciences

Advances in technology and rigorous scientific experimentation mean scientists know more than ever before about how the brain functions. Increasingly, they’re disseminating that information to educators and education leaders in the hope of optimizing teaching and learning. Informed by neuroscience, cognitive psychology, development psychology, sociology and computer science, the learning sciences speak to the heart of education – how to best help humans learn. Look for a focus on updating educators’ knowledge of the learning sciences and bringing students to the table to help them understand how they learn.

8. Digital citizenship

Digital citizenship  is being redefined. The focus is moving away from warning students about online risks or trying to curtail their activities and toward helping them leverage the power of digital media to work toward creation, social justice and equity. The new digital citizenship, also reflected in the ISTE Standards for Students, is about being in community with others and creating digital citizenship curricula that shows students possibilities over problems, opportunities over risks and community successes over personal gain.

9. Student-centered learning

Student-centered learning environments have been called “the schools of the future.” Truth be told, at many schools, the future is here. That’s because the benefits of student-centered learning and the student agency that comes with it are being proven out.

Chris Lehmann, founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, says student-driven learning isn’t a lofty ideal. It’s a moral imperative. And by almost any measure, from test scores to graduation rates, next-generation schools that have put students at the center of their learning are outperforming their neighbors. “There are enough examples out there now that you have to work hard to say that this stuff doesn’t work,” Lehmann says.

This list of hot edtech topics emerged from a review of thousands of educator-created sessions submitted for the 2018 ISTE Conference & Expo . Curious how the topics change from year to year? Here were the hottest topics for 2017 .

• artificial intelligence

• Future Students
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff

News and Media

• News & Media Home
• Research Stories
• School’s In
• In the Media

You are here

How technology is reinventing education.

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of  Stanford Graduate School of Education  (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the  Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately  worried  that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or  coach  students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the  AI + Education initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of  CRAFT  (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the  Digital Learning initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of  virtual field trips  to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

More Stories

⟵ Go to all Research Stories

Get the Educator

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

• Contact Admissions
• GSE Leadership
• Site Feedback
• Web Accessibility
• Career Resources
• Faculty Open Positions
• Explore Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Office of the Registrar
• Cubberley Library
• StanfordWho
• StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

Tech in the Classroom: What Is It Good For?

Our expert presents a new way to think about the question.

Tech has been part of education for a long time, particularly during the pandemic, when lots of instruction went remote. Questions, though, still arise about whether tech-enhanced learning promotes or stymies the ability to think and relate to others in the workforce. 

4 Benefits of Tech in Education

• It supports students with diverse needs.
• Tools like virtual reality help students learn faster.
• Tech can build efficient individualized learning programs.
• Tech tools can encourage students to collaborate.

There are definitely those who support technology and those who do not, which leaves educators in particular conflicted on whether to use technology in the classroom. 

Related Reading What Are Children Learning When They Learn to Code?

Tech in the Classroom: Positives and Negatives

On one hand, analog-heavy environments bestow some benefits on students. Students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand, according to one series of studies . Another paper showed that using AI in the classroom hampered students’ ability to think critically . 

Still, these benefits come with a few asterisks. Gains are most pronounced for gifted students, suggesting that the majority of people perform worse in areas of memory and thinking when they use technology. Studies confirm what we’ve suspected all along — that reduced social skills are linked to increased screen time. 

On the other hand, a tech-augmented environment also helps students. For instance, virtual reality-based learning outperforms traditional methods, according to one inquiry . Technology in the classroom has the capacity to better support individualized learning, students with special needs and elicit more active participation from all students.

Technology also boosts student engagement because it shifts the classroom dynamics, allowing students to take more agency and responsibility in their learning. When used properly, technology and internet use helps students explore solutions to real-world problems.

Because there are clear drawbacks and benefits to tech use in classrooms, my view is that the discussion should be about how and when to use technological tools in learning environments, not whether it should be in the classroom at all.  

Careers: A Great Use for Tech in the Classroom

Because technology is a helpful tool in our modern society and the demand for tech careers continues to rise, one solution is to align the use of tech with a broader workforce development approach. 

In classrooms, educators should lead students in applying tech tools to projects that align with their interests and skills, while being sure to integrate social skills, decision making, emotional intelligence and collaboration.

For example, highly detailed jobs involving numbers are greatly enhanced by technology, but require both reasoning and interpersonal communication for success. Accountants, research analysts, financial analysts, auditors, civil engineers, economists and data scientists use technology to perform their job duties. 

However, all these professionals also engage in inferential activities and cannot rely solely on technology to succeed. Each of these jobs require interaction with diverse people as well as collaborative and complex decision-making skills. Children/students with such interests should be given opportunities to engage in diverse approaches to logical/mathematical problem solving , with opportunities to explain their conclusions.

Related Reading The Future of Education Technology

Balancing Digital and Analog Learning Tools

The final question is: what strategies are most effective in balancing the use of tech and analog methods? When using technological methods, educators should frame learning activities in ways that require teamwork and facilitate participation . Under these circumstances, student autonomy, competence, connection to others and engagement i ncreased .

Moreover, educators should help students/children understand the conditions under which technology is most helpful. One example is offering lesson plans where students identify a problem that can be solved with technology. 

Another opportunity for blending technology and analog activities is through linking activities to student daily experiences, as well as offering opportunities for students to develop and create their own apps .

In conclusion, the use of technology may be too ingrained in our society to view it through an either-or lens. The greater question may be, “How do we adapt?” Rather than forcing skills from the past onto all students, we may have greater success if we spend more time assessing the specific conditions under which analogy and technology skills are best used. 

The next step may likely be investing in more training for integrating technology into classrooms while continuing to innovate curriculum that incorporates technology, hands-on skills, group-based collaboration and project-based learning.

Recent Consumer Tech Articles

Conversation Questions Science and Technology

Technology discussion questions

Examples from our community, 10,000+ results for 'technology discussion questions'.

• Our Mission

3 Questions to Ask About Using Tech in the Classroom

There are a hundred different articles out there that will explain why it is so important for students to learn to code, or to use computational thinking, or to be makers of media, rather than just consumers of it. These articles all address the 'why' of using technology -and for the most part, the points they make are valid and important for 21st century educators and schools to be aware of, but there aren't as many articles that address the 'how' - that is, how educators might be able to use technology to best effect in the classroom.

Programming, laptops, tables and other uses of educational technology have a long history - Seymour Papert was discussing why it was important in the 1970s, but we have only recently started talking about the best methodologies for using the technology, and the kinds of knowledge and skill that teachers need to be able to access if they are going to deploy it effectively. Many teachers are familiar with the TPACK model, and Ruben Puentedura's SAMR framework has gained a lot of interest, but I think Jane Hunter's High Possibility Classroom's Model is the most complete example that I've seen.

Drawing (very briefly) from Hunter's work, I've devised three questions that I think are helpful for teachers considering how they might use technology in the classroom. I use these questions to help the teachers formulate in their own minds what the purpose of technology is in their classroom, and how they can make the 'how' fit the 'why'.

Is there a tangible benefit to using the technology?

I'm not a believer in the idea that we should use technology for its own sake. Any use of technology in the classroom should have a clear purpose - and that purpose should have a benefit beyond more traditional ways of doing something. If, for example, you intend for students to write an essay, what possible benefit is there in doing it via a word-processing application? If, like in Australia, students still need to hand write their final exams, then perhaps by preventing them from hand writing, we are actually doing student a disservice. Of course, there are lots of ways to step up the traditional essay to make it a more effective learning experience through the use of technology - for example, by using collaborative editing and revising.

Does the technology allow more students to participate at a level that is suitable for them?

Teachers generally work hard to differentiate or personalise the learning in their classroom, but it's a tricky proposition at the best of times. Recent studies have shown that there might be as much as seven years difference in levels of achievement in a single classroom - providing engaging learning materials for such a wide spread is a challenge for even the most competent teacher. However, I think that technology has real potential to assist in this way - as long as the teacher in question deploys it appropriately. For example, there are plenty of examples of software that will provide reading level appropriate materials for students, or software that will deliver adaptive questioning for students at their level. Teachers can - and should - make use of all of this.

Does the technology encourage broader community participation?

My final question that I ask teachers is really related to question one. One of the great strengths - and also risks - of our connected world is that it allows students, teachers, classrooms and even schools to communicate beyond the walls of the classroom. There are now many examples of programs that link classrooms from around the world so that students can learn from each other. How much more powerful it must be for student to actually talk to someone from Brazil, for example, rather than simply learning about Brazil from an encyclopaedia or Wikipedia. Of course, teachers need to ensure that such interactions are meaningful and appropriate - but it would be foolish to miss out on such an opportunity.

These three questions are the starting point for conversations - they are not meant to be a complete list, but rather a way of directing the use of technology in the modern classroom. What questions would you add to the list?

This piece was originally submitted to our community forums by a reader. Due to audience interest, we’ve preserved it. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own.

Discussion topics for high school students

High school is a pivotal time for students. With newfound independence, students must learn to think critically, articulate informed opinions, and make well-reasoned decisions — all skills they can learn through actively participating in class discussions !

Our list of discussion topics for high school students is organized by curriculum subject, making it easy to find the right discussion to build your students’ critical thinking skills . Best of all, you can have these engaging online discussions for free on Kialo Edu — find a discussion topic in our Topic Library, or take inspiration from this list and create your own !

Science & technology discussion topics for high school students

• Are human microchip implants a good idea?
• Are the seven properties of life a good way to separate living and nonliving things?
• Are viruses alive?
• Are we currently experiencing a mass extinction?
• Do plants have a form of consciousness?
• Is AI just pretending to be smart?
• Is nature stronger than nurture?
• Is TikTok bad for society?
• Should cloning humans be legal?
• Should genetic engineering be used to eliminate hereditary diseases?
• Should governments regulate the use of artificial intelligence?
• Should scientists be forced to share information?
• Should scientists create synthetic lifeforms?
• Should the genetic engineering of human embryos be banned?
• Should vaccines be mandatory?
• Should we develop technology that can read minds?
• Should we send a human mission to Mars?
• Should we try to prolong our lives at any cost?
• Was Marie Curie’s contribution to science greater than Ernest Rutherford’s?
• Which scientist should be brought back to help solve the world’s problems?
• Would robots increase our quality of life?

History discussion topics for high school students

• Can we ever truly know history?
• Could the Confederacy have won the American Civil War?
• Did the geographical features of the Yellow River Valley heavily influence the development of early Chinese civilization?
• Did the French Revolution need to be so bloody?
• Did the Iranian Revolution of 1979 fulfill its promises?
• Did the Russian Revolution betray its own ideals?
• Has Martin Luther King Jr. been whitewashed?
• Should British people be proud of the British Empire?
• Should we admire Alexander the Great?
• Should we remove statues of problematic historical figures?
• Should we see the suffragettes as heroes?
• Was Mao Zedong right to involve the Chinese youth in his Cultural Revolution? 
• Was Rosa Parks’s bus protest the most important factor in advancing the civil rights movement?
• Was the American Revolution justified?
• Was the English Civil War caused by the actions of the King?
• Was the Industrial Revolution good for society?
• Was the Treaty of Versailles the main cause of World War II?
• Were Martin Luther’s methods reckless in starting the Protestant Reformation?
• Were the “Dark Ages” really so dark?
• Were the Mongol conquests a good thing in the end?
• What was the main cause of the French Revolution?
• What was the main cause of World War I?
• What was the main effect of the slave trade on African societies in the 1700s?
• What was the main impact of the Norman Conquest?
• What was the main reason for the decline of the Harappan civilization in 1300 BCE?
• What was the most effective policy for ending the Great Depression?
• Which ancient empire was most impressive: the Persian Empire, Macedonian Empire, Han Dynasty, or Roman Empire?
• Which Mesoamerican civilization was more impressive before 1540: the Aztecs, Maya, or Inca?
• Would the Windrush Generation still have chosen to come to Britain had they known what awaited them?

School and education discussion topics for high school students

• Are private schools better than public schools?
• Are standardized tests effective?
• Do schools have an obligation to teach about racial inequality?
• Is a degree in education essential for teachers?
• Is it effective to use a one-size-fits-all approach in education?
• Is it fair to evaluate teachers based on student performance?
• Is online learning as effective as traditional classroom learning?
• Is technology essential in the classroom?
• Should AI tools be allowed in school assessments?
• Should all classes be grouped by ability rather than age?
• Should art be publicly funded?
• Should educators carry firearms for protection?
• Should financial literacy classes be required for all students?
• Should schools have gender-neutral bathrooms?
• Should schools have surveillance cameras in classrooms and hallways?
• Should schools implement a four-day school week?
• Should schools make drug testing mandatory for students?
• Should schools take students on trips abroad?
• Should schools use detention as a punishment?
• Should students be allowed to use smartphones in school?
• Should students have a say in the curriculum they study?
• Should teenagers have to choose a career path at 16?
• Should there be single-gender schools?

Religious education discussion topics for high school students

• Can interfaith dialogues genuinely promote understanding and tolerance?
• Can studying world religions cultivate empathy and understanding among diverse groups?
• Do all religions worship the same higher power?
• Does religion provide a necessary foundation for moral values and ethics?
• Do rituals and ceremonies strengthen community bonds in religious groups?
• If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, is God responsible for evil?
• Is anything ever eternal?
• Is Buddhism a religion?
• Is Christianity compatible with democracy?
• Is Islam compatible with democracy?
• Is it right for God to punish all of humanity for Adam and Eve’s sin?
• Is Judaism compatible with democracy?
• Is Mary, mother of Jesus, a feminist figure?
• Is religion a force for good?
• Is religious faith compatible with science?
• Is the declining interest in religion a problem?
• Should atheism be considered a religion?
• Should religions treat all genders equally?
• Should religious leaders speak out on social and political issues?
• Should the role of women in religious traditions be reevaluated?
• What is the strongest argument in favor of the separation of church and state?

Literature discussion topics for high school students

• At the end of A Doll’s House , is Nora’s decision to walk away justified?
• Does Fahrenheit 451 condone violent revolution against oppression?
• Does Ishiguro present us with an optimistic vision of human nature in Never Let Me Go ?
• Does Katherina’s transformation into an obedient wife provide an uplifting end to The Taming of the Shrew ?
• Does Lord of the Flies present an accurate picture of human nature?
• Does Miss Havisham’s past justify her actions in Great Expectations ?
• Does Never Let Me Go create a more effective sense of threat than The Handmaid’s Tale ?
• Does the plot of Their Eyes Were Watching God advance a feminist worldview?
• Does The Scarlet Letter portray religion as a primarily negative force in society?
• Do you agree with the view that all men are at war with themselves in Regeneration ?
• In All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, is Marie-Laure’s father right to hide the jewel?
• In Animal Farm , should the pigs’ leadership give them special privileges?
• In Birdsong , are all soldiers degraded by their experience of war?
• In Crime and Punishment , is Raskolnikov right that individuals who possess exceptional talents or intellect are justified to break societal norms and laws for the greater good?
• In Journey’s End, is Captain Stanhope an ideal leader of men?
• In Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki, should the protagonist continue to stand by Sensei and support him despite his flaws and past actions?
• In Life of Pi , is Pi right to sacrifice his beliefs to survive?
• In The Catcher in the Rye , is Holden’s rebellion necessary for his personal growth?
• In The Kite Runner , is Rahim Khan presented as simply a kind-hearted and honorable rescuer of others?
• In The Merchant of Venice , is it morally acceptable for Portia to disguise herself to achieve justice?
• In the Ramayana , was Rama right to go into exile?
• In The Things They Carried , should Tim have gone to war?
• In Things Fall Apart , does Achebe suggest that resistance to social change is futile?
• Is Jane Eyre a feminist novel?
• Is King Lear really “a man more sinned against than sinning?”
• Is Oh! What a Lovely War unpatriotic?
• Is the society in Brave New World really a dystopia?
• Should Ebenezer Scrooge be forgiven at the end of A Christmas Carol ?
• Was Hamlet justified in seeking revenge for his father’s murder?
• Was Macbeth a victim of fate?
• Which poem takes a more convincing view on the deaths of World War I: “Dulce Et Decorum Est” or “In Flanders Fields”?
• Who is the true hero of Heart of Darkness ?

Social studies discussion topics for high school students

• Are political parties harmful to democracy?
• Is a federal system of government superior to a unitary system?
• Is it ethical to engage in civil disobedience for social change?
• Is it the government’s responsibility to provide healthcare to all citizens?
• Is justice more important than peace?
• Is war ever justifiable?
• Should citizens have to pass a political knowledge test in order to vote?
• Should countries have strict limits on immigration?
• Should governments provide a job guarantee?
• Should hate speech be protected under freedom of speech laws?
• Should people break unjust laws?
• Should public funding be allocated to support the arts and humanities?
• Should societies prize freedom over security?
• Should teenagers be able to access birth control without parental consent?
• Should the minimum wage be raised?
• Should there be a death penalty?
• Should there be stricter regulations on misinformation in political advertising?
• Should the US abolish the Electoral College?
• Should “victimless” crimes remain illegal?
• Should voting be compulsory?
• Should we always respect people in authority?
• Should we ever use force to create peace?
• Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote in general elections?
• What’s the best way for young people to advocate for change on issues they care about?

Social-emotional learning discussion topics for high school students

• Are celebrities positive role models?
• Are friendships more important than romantic relationships during adolescence?
• Are social skills more important than academic skills for future success?
• Does having more friends improve mental health?
• Does peer pressure have a positive effect?
• Does turning 18 really mean that you’re an adult?
• Do people need friends to be happy?
• Do standardized tests negatively impact students’ social-emotional well-being?
• Is cyberbullying worse than face-to-face bullying?
• Is introversion better than extroversion?
• Is listening more important than talking?
• Is mindfulness an effective tool for stress reduction?
• Is self-esteem more important than self-confidence?
• Should parents have a say in their teenagers’ friendships?
• Should parents encourage mixed-gender friendships?
• Should schools focus more on developing empathy among students?
• Should schools teach about the signs of unhealthy relationships?
• Should social-emotional learning be a mandatory part of the school curriculum?
• Should teenagers end friendships over social media conflicts?
• Should teenagers express their emotions openly?
• Should we always avoid stress?

Geography discussion topics for high school students

• Are fair trade schemes actually fair?
• Are green belts a good idea?
• Are national parks the best way to conserve biodiversity?
• Are open borders a good idea?
• Are water resources a basic human right?
• Are wildlife corridors effective in conserving biodiversity?
• Does tourism help to reduce development gaps?
• Do rich countries have an obligation to help poorer countries weather climate change?
• Is globalization a good thing?
• Is it possible to build cities that don’t harm the environment?
• Is population decline a good thing?
• Is urban agriculture a viable solution to food insecurity?
• Is urban density a good thing?
• Should countries prioritize disaster preparedness over economic growth?
• Should fracking be banned?
• Should household recycling be mandatory?
• Is it ethical to take short-haul flights?
• Should we only eat food produced in our own countries?
• Should we use geoengineering to offset the impacts of climate change?
• What is the best way to fight climate change?
• What is the greatest challenge to megacities?

Philosophy discussion topics for high school students

• Can hurting others ever be justified?
• Can our senses be trusted?
• Can we define happiness?
• Can we ever really know the truth?
• Can we ever truly understand another person’s experience?
• Does the universe have a purpose?
• Is everyone created equal?
• Is happiness more important than success?
• Is it better to be kind than to be truthful?
• Is it ever okay to break the rules?
• Is it ever okay to lie?
• Is it good to make your beliefs a part of your identity?
• Is it immoral for people to own pets?
• Is morality subjective?
• Is one human life worth more than another?
• Is the pursuit of knowledge worth the potential consequences?
• Should we always forgive others?
• Should we prioritize the needs of future generations over our own?

These discussion topics for high school students are just the beginning! Our Topic Library contains hundreds of ready-to-go, thought-provoking discussion templates for a range of age groups and curriculum subjects. You can use these for free in class today to build your high school students’ critical thinking skills and unleash the power of discussion in your classroom!

We’d love to hear how your high school students have benefited from having classroom discussions. Contact us at [email protected] or on social media.

Want to try Kialo Edu with your class?

Sign up for free and use Kialo Edu to have thoughtful classroom discussions and train students’ argumentation and critical thinking skills.

A Study of The Potential Applications of Digital Resources For Physical Education Teaching, With a Focus On Blockchain Technology

New citation alert added.

This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:

You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.

To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.

New Citation Alert!

Please log in to your account

Information & Contributors

Bibliometrics & citations, index terms.

Applied computing

Interactive learning environments

Recommendations

Hybrid learning of physical education using national elaborate course resources.

Hybrid learning is becoming one of the important applications by integrating e-learning and traditional face-to-face instruction together. Instructors are interested in how to design a hybrid course in a more effective way. In this paper one hybrid ...

Supporting the Selection of Digital Resources for Classroom-Based Teaching Activities

Digital systems are offering opportunities to find, select, adapt, and use digital educational resources for teaching and learning which are openly available in the Web. As a result, innovative technology-supported classroom-based activities are widely ...

A Study on Enhancing Teaching Presence in Teacher Education MOOC

MOOC has become an important channel to promote the professional development of teachers. However, despite the global presence and scale, some critical challenges still persist in MOOC. Some of these reported challenges include lack of learner ...

Information

Published in.

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Permissions, check for updates.

• Research-article
• Refereed limited

Contributors

Other metrics, bibliometrics, article metrics.

• 0 Total Citations
• 0 Total Downloads
• Downloads (Last 12 months) 0
• Downloads (Last 6 weeks) 0

View Options

Login options.

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Full Access

View options.

View or Download as a PDF file.

View online with eReader .

HTML Format

View this article in HTML Format.

Share this Publication link

Copying failed.

Share on social media

Affiliations, export citations.

• Please download or close your previous search result export first before starting a new bulk export. Preview is not available. By clicking download, a status dialog will open to start the export process. The process may take a few minutes but once it finishes a file will be downloadable from your browser. You may continue to browse the DL while the export process is in progress. Download
• Download citation
• Copy citation

We are preparing your search results for download ...

We will inform you here when the file is ready.

Your file of search results citations is now ready.

Your search export query has expired. Please try again.