Looking to bring fresh energy to your lesson planning process? I have a new resource to share with you that I think you’ll love. It’s designed for educators who want to use EdTech with intention, without spending hours searching for new ideas.
This summer, I partnered with ASCD (the publisher of my books EdTech Essentials and Tasks Before Apps, and quick reference guides) to create something brand new. It’s a colorful deck of strategy cards in their new QuickWins! Strategy Cards series. It’s full of practical, ready-to-use tips, you can carry in your pocket, keep on your task, or share among colleagues.
Today on the blog, I have over a dozen ways to use these new EdTech strategy cards throughout the school year. Before we jump in, here’s a little background on these new Purposeful EdTech Tips strategy cards.
Purposeful EdTech Tips – QuickWins! Strategy Cards
This deck of strategy cards is part of a new product line from ASCD. In July, I shared a post that served as an announcement of this new resource. If you saw that post, you might remember that my deck of Purposeful EdTech Tips is one of a dozen new strategy card decks the team at ASCD released this year.
These cards aren’t your average professional learning tool. They’re compact, flexible, and designed to fit right into your planning routine. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, coach, or school leader, I think you’ll appreciate this new resource. When I first started working with the ASCD team to put these together, I wanted to make sure that each tip felt actionable so educators could try them out right away.
You can find the strategy cards on Amazon, I’ve added them to my collection of publications >>
Or you can check them out on ASCD’s website, they have a special landing page for all of the strategy cards >>
15 Ways to Use EdTech Strategy Cards for Lesson Planning
If you grabbed a deck of strategy cards (or just placed an order), I have over a dozen ways for you to make the most of this new resource.
Start Your Week With a Quick Win
Pick one EdTech strategy card each Monday and try it out during the week. You can even jot down a quick reflection in your planner about how it went and what to adjust next time. This small weekly goal can build momentum and keep things fresh.
Spark a Coaching Conversation
If you’re an instructional coach, use a strategy card to launch your next conversation with a teacher. It’s an easy entry point that encourages purposeful use of technology. This works especially well when teachers are feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to begin.
Jumpstart Your PLC Time
Share a few strategy cards with your PLC during your next meeting. These quick ideas are perfect for exploring new approaches to student engagement or formative assessment. They can also help spark cross-grade or cross-subject collaboration.
Add to Your Lesson Plan Binder
Print or tuck cards into your lesson plan binder for easy access during prep periods. Keeping them visible can help you integrate EdTech purposefully throughout your day. Try clipping one to your weekly planning page as a quick reference.
Create a Monthly Challenge
Set a goal to explore one or two new strategy cards per month as a team. This approach gives you time to test ideas and reflect before moving on to the next tip. You could even celebrate each month’s “card of the month” with a quick share during a faculty meeting.
Personalize PD for Colleagues
Use the four categories in the Purposeful EdTech Tips strategy cards deck—AI prompts, student activities, teacher tips, and formative assessments—to customize professional learning for your team. Tailoring PD sessions this way can empower educators to focus on what matters most to them.
Try Something New in Your Next Unit
As you design a new unit, flip through the student activity or AI prompt cards for inspiration. These tips can help you bring more creativity and differentiation into your lessons. Consider trying one at the start or end of a new unit.
Use as a Station Activity During Professional Learning
Set up a station at your next professional learning event using a selection of cards. Teachers can rotate through and choose a tip to discuss with colleagues. You might even post a chart paper where participants can add sticky notes so teachers can share how they might implement it.
Use as an Icebreaker During a Workshop
Kick off a workshop or faculty meeting by passing around a few EdTech strategy cards from the Purposeful EdTech Tips deck. Ask participants to choose one that resonates with them and share how they might use it. It’s a quick way to spark conversation and get everyone thinking creatively.
Build a Bulletin Board of Wins
Celebrate classroom innovation by creating a bulletin board where staff can pin cards they’ve tried. It’s a great way to share success stories and encourage others to explore new strategies. If not a physical board, you might use a digital space like Padlet where you and your colleagues can post ways they put the ideas from the strategy cards into action.
Pair With a Favorite EdTech Tool
Match a card with a tool you already love using—like Book Creator, Flip, or Canva. The EdTech strategy cards offer suggestions that blend easily with tools already in your rotation. You might discover a new way to use a tool you thought you knew inside and out, or substitute a tool suggestion with one already in your toolbelt.
Set a Semester Goal Using the Cards
Choose a handful of cards and commit to trying them out before a milestone on your calendar (like winter break). You might even create a checklist or reflection journal to track your growth. This works well as a personal goal or something to do with a small teaching team.
Kick Off a New Semester With a Fresh Tip
Use the start of a new semester to refresh your routines with the help of a strategy card. These ideas can bring fresh energy to your classroom. The beginning of a new semester is a great time to revisit the deck and find something you didn’t try in the fall.
Use With Student Teachers or New Colleagues
Are you mentoring a new educator this year? Try introducing them to an EdTech strategy card. It’s a great way to provide support without overwhelming them with too much at once. Having one or two concrete strategies can help new teachers build confidence quickly.
Prep for Next School Year (or Unit) With Intention
As you reflect at different parts of the year, pull out the cards and note which strategies you want to try during the next school year (or your next unit). You can even sort them into categories like “Must Try” and “Explore Later.” This process can help you build a strong foundation before summer break.
QuickWins! Strategy Cards from ASCD
As you can tell from the more than a dozen strategies shared above, there are so many ways to use these new strategy cards. Regular readers of the blog know that I love traditional publications (here’s a list of books from past podcast guests), but I can’t wait to hear what you think about this new resource.
Each deck includes 50 bite-sized tips, organized into four flexible categories:
- AI Prompts to use with tools like ChatGPT
- Student Activities that foster creativity
- Teacher Tips for instructional planning
- Formative Assessment strategies you can use right away
Whether you’re designing a new lesson or looking for an easy way to refresh your teaching, these EdTech strategy cards make it simple to bring fresh ideas into your classroom. And the best part? You don’t have to tackle it all at once. You can flip through the cards as needed, use them to guide goal setting, or keep one on your desk as a weekly challenge.
Ready to Grab Your Own Deck of EdTech Strategy Cards? The Purposeful EdTech Tips QuickWins! Strategy Cards are available now from ASCD and Amazon. They make excellent gifts for teacher teams and are perfect for sparking ideas all year long.
You can find the strategy cards on Amazon, I’ve added them to my collection of publications >>
Or you can check them out on ASCD’s website, they have a special landing page for all of the strategy cards >>
