Technology can support teaching and learning in many ways, from accessing course materials and taking notes to communicating, collaborating, and participating in learning activities. At the same time, technology use can introduce challenges related to attention, distraction, classroom interactions, and engagement.
Intentional technology use involves considering when, why, and how technology is used—or not used—to support learning. These decisions may vary across courses, activities, and even moments within a class. They should also account for the different ways students and instructors use technology for accessibility, communication, organization, and other purposes.
Rather than approaching technology use as an all-or-nothing decision, instructors can make purposeful choices about the technologies they incorporate into teaching, establish clear and flexible classroom expectations, and remain responsive to students’ learning and accessibility needs.
Understanding Classroom Technology Use
Classroom technology includes more than laptops and smartphones. Students and instructors use a range of tools and materials for different purposes, including:
- Personal digital devices: Laptops, tablets, smartphones, and wearable technologies used for note-taking, accessing information, communication, accessibility, or health-related purposes.
- Learning and accessibility technologies: Screen readers, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, digital annotation, assistive communication tools, and other technologies that support access and participation.
- Educational technologies: Digital tools and platforms, such as Quercus, classroom response applications, collaborative documents, and multimedia resources, that support teaching and learning.
- Generative AI tools: Applications that generate or transform text, images, audio, code, and other content, with potential uses and implications for learning activities and assessments.
Technology also includes familiar tools such as pens, paper, whiteboards, and printed materials. These tools shape how students engage with learning and may support some students while creating barriers for others.
These examples overlap. A laptop may be used to access readings, take notes, communicate through assistive technology, participate in collaborative activities, or engage in unrelated tasks. The device itself does not determine whether its use supports learning.
Technology Use and Non-Use as Design Decisions
Decisions about technology should begin with the learning outcomes and activities students are expected to undertake. Technology may support learning by facilitating collaboration, providing access to information, or offering different ways to participate. In other situations, limiting particular devices or applications may help students focus on an activity, engage directly with materials, or interact with one another.
These decisions need not apply uniformly throughout a class. For example, students might use a digital polling tool to respond to a question, participate in a small-group discussion without needing to consult devices, and then use a shared document to summarize their ideas. Some students may continue using technology throughout these activities for accessibility or other learning-related purposes.
Choosing not to incorporate a particular technology into an activity does not necessarily mean restricting students’ personal technology use. Instructors may also rely on digital tools for accessibility, communication, organization, or managing classroom activities.
Intentional technology use is not about maximizing or minimizing technology. It involves considering which tools and approaches serve a pedagogical purpose while recognizing that technology use is contextual, fluid, and shaped by individual needs.
Planning for Intentional Technology Use
Begin with what students are expected to learn or accomplish, rather than with a particular technology. Decisions about technology use should reflect the learning activity, teaching context, and students’ accessibility and learning needs. Instructors should also account for available resources and the practical implications of using particular tools.
Some useful questions include:
- What are students expected to learn or accomplish through this activity?
- How might technology support or interfere with that learning?
- What might different tools or approaches offer in supporting this learning activity?
- What barriers might arise from the approach I choose?
The following strategies can support intentional decisions about classroom technology use:
- Align technology with the learning purpose. Identify whether a tool contributes meaningfully to the activity. For example, a classroom response application may help gather responses and provide feedback, while a shared document may support collaborative writing.
- Consider potential distractions. Notifications, unrelated browsing, and switching between tasks may interrupt attention or affect classroom interactions. Reflect on whether particular uses of technology support the activity or introduce unnecessary distractions.
- Select tools thoughtfully. When incorporating educational technologies, consider accessibility, privacy, student access, cost, and available support. The University of Toronto’s Academic Toolbox provides a curated collection of educational technologies generally available at no additional cost to students. Instructors may also have access to divisionally selected tools. Consult your divisional teaching and learning or educational technology support team when evaluating unfamiliar tools, particularly those involving student data, accessibility, or external services. When an activity involves collecting student information, recording participation, or using external services, review applicable University requirements concerning privacy and consent, and consult the University Privacy Office for guidance when needed. For considerations when using other technologies, consult Tools Beyond the Academic Toolbox. For guidance on the costs of required and optional learning materials, consult the University’s Costs of Education Materials webpage.
- Support the development of learning strategies. Students may benefit from guidance on note-taking, managing attention, organizing information, or evaluating digital resources. Rather than assuming students already possess these skills, provide opportunities to develop and apply them. Instructors can draw on resources from the Centre for Learning Strategy Support (CLSS) and share relevant learning strategy supports with students.
What Does the Research Suggest?
Research on classroom technology use offers useful insights, although findings vary depending on the technologies, activities, and learning contexts being studied.
- Attention and multitasking: Studies of digital multitasking and off-task device use have identified potential negative effects on attention, comprehension, and academic performance. Off-task use may also distract nearby students.
- Note-taking: Research comparing handwritten and typed notes has produced mixed findings. Neither method is universally more effective. How students process, organize, review, and use their notes matters.
- Technology restrictions: Limiting devices does not automatically improve engagement or learning outcomes. Effects may depend on the activity, how expectations are communicated, what alternatives are available, and how students experience the learning environment.
- Purposeful technology use: Digital tools can support participation, collaboration, and feedback when their use is structured and connected to the intended learning activity.
The research supports thoughtful, context-sensitive decisions rather than a single approach to classroom technology use. For further exploration, consult Yale University’s Devices in the Classroom and Cornell University’s Tech-Lite Classroom Strategies.
Designing for Accessibility and Inclusion
Technology can support accessibility and inclusion by providing different ways for students to access information, communicate, participate, and manage their learning. Students may rely on digital tools for note-taking, reading, organization, assistive communication, or health-related purposes. These uses may not always be apparent to instructors or classmates.
At the same time, some students may benefit from reduced screen-related distractions, notifications, or other forms of sensory stimulation. An approach that supports one student may create barriers for another. Considering these sometimes competing needs is an important part of intentional technology use. Instructors can connect with CTSI or their local teaching and learning support team for guidance on developing inclusive approaches to classroom technology use.
The following strategies can help instructors anticipate and reduce accessibility barriers:
- Recognize different purposes for technology use. Avoid assuming that students using devices are necessarily disengaged. The same device may support learning, accessibility, communication, or other needs, and its use may change throughout a class.
- Anticipate barriers created by restrictions. Limiting particular technologies may create additional burdens for students who rely on them, including the need to request exceptions or explain personal circumstances. Where possible, establish expectations that accommodate different ways of participating from the outset.
- Consider competing accessibility needs. Some students may benefit from fewer visible screens, while others rely on digital tools to participate. Explore classroom arrangements, activity structures, and flexible expectations that respond to these differences without isolating or identifying particular students.
- Consider who bears the burden of technology expectations. Reflect on whether particular expectations repeatedly disadvantage students who rely on certain technologies or ways of participating. An approach that benefits some students may create recurring barriers for others. Examine how these benefits and burdens are distributed across learning activities.
- Provide accessible ways to participate. Ensure that students can access instructions, materials, and opportunities to contribute. Depending on the activity, supports might include accessible digital materials, advance access to resources, structured notes, or alternative ways to participate. Do not assume that handwriting or paper-based activities are accessible to everyone.
- Respect student agency and privacy. Students may use different technologies and strategies to support their learning. Classroom expectations should allow appropriate flexibility without requiring students to disclose disability-related information or other personal circumstances publicly.
Technology Restrictions and Academic Accommodations
Classroom technology expectations must account for approved academic accommodations. Instructors should communicate expectations early and provide opportunities for students to raise accessibility-related concerns privately.
Proactive accessibility practices can reduce common barriers, but they do not replace individualized academic accommodations. When questions arise about accommodations or their implementation, instructors should consult the relevant campus Accessibility Services office at St. George, UTM, or UTSC.
Establishing Classroom Technology Expectations
Clear classroom technology expectations help students and teaching teams understand when and how different devices and applications support learning. Expectations should reflect the learning activity, classroom context, and students’ accessibility and learning needs rather than applying a single rule to every situation.
The following strategies can help establish clear and flexible classroom technology expectations:
- Explain and communicate expectations early. Describe why particular technologies are encouraged, permitted, or limited, and how expectations may change across activities. Communicate your approach through a classroom technology statement in the syllabus, Quercus course site, or introductory class discussions. For examples of classroom technology statements, consult Yale University’s Examples of Device Policies and Stanford University’s In-Class Technology Policies. Provide a private way for students to raise accessibility-related concerns and discuss how technology expectations may affect their participation.
- Use activity-specific expectations. For example, students might use laptops to examine digital sources but be encouraged to focus on conversation during a discussion, while maintaining access to technologies they need.
- Build in transitions and breaks. Where appropriate, provide brief transitions or scheduled breaks that allow students to check devices, attend to personal needs, or prepare for the next activity. These opportunities can support classroom engagement without preventing students from accessing technologies they need throughout class.
- Clarify expectations for generative AI. Explain whether, when, and how students may use generative AI tools during learning activities and assessments. Expectations for applications may differ from expectations for devices more generally. Consult the Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning’s Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom: FAQ’s for University guidance.
- Consider shared attention and classroom interactions. Discuss how notifications, visible screens, or unrelated activities may affect classmates. Encourage practices that support attention and participation without unnecessarily restricting access to technology.
- Coordinate with your teaching team. Ensure that co-instructors and teaching assistants understand expectations, communicate them consistently, and respond respectfully to questions or unexpected device use.
- Invite student input. Ask students how technology expectations affect their learning. Their perspectives may reveal benefits, challenges, or barriers that were not anticipated. Instructors remain responsible for establishing expectations consistent with course requirements and learning outcomes.
Classroom technology expectations should be consistent with University policies and approved academic accommodations. Where restrictions are introduced, consider whether they are necessary for the intended learning activity and whether accessible alternatives or adjustments are needed.
Reviewing and Adjusting Your Approach
Intentional technology use is an ongoing process. An approach that works well for one activity or group of students may be less effective in another context.
The following strategies can support ongoing review and refinement:
- Observe classroom interactions and learning. Reflect on whether technology use and expectations support participation, collaboration, attention, and learning outcomes. Avoid assuming that fewer visible devices necessarily indicate greater engagement.
- Gather feedback. Informal check-ins, anonymous surveys, mid-course feedback, and conversations with teaching teams can help identify benefits, challenges, and barriers that may not be apparent through observation alone.
- Consider unintended consequences. Examine whether technology expectations create barriers, place additional demands on particular students, or affect classroom interactions in unexpected ways.
- Make and communicate adjustments. Modify expectations, provide additional supports, or change how technology is incorporated into activities where appropriate. Consult CTSI or your local teaching and learning support team for guidance when needed and explain changes and their rationale to students.
Intentional technology use involves an ongoing process of planning, evaluating, communicating, and adjusting teaching decisions. In practice, instructors can:
- Plan: Identify the learning purpose and possible approaches.
- Evaluate: Examine the potential benefits and barriers, including accessibility and student access.
- Communicate: Explain expectations and invite student feedback.
- Adjust: Refine the approach based on students’ experiences and how the activity works in practice.
These actions are interconnected and may need to be revisited throughout a course. The goal is not to establish a perfect technology policy, but to develop classroom practices that support learning while remaining responsive to accessibility, inclusion, and the different ways students engage with technology.
Further Reading and Resources
The following resources offer research, practical strategies, and perspectives on making intentional decisions about classroom technology use.
- Bruff, D. (2019). Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching. West Virginia University Press. Explores research-informed principles for aligning educational technology with teaching and learning goals.
- Lang, J. M. (2020). Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It. Basic Books. Examines attention and distraction in learning environments and offers strategies for supporting student focus and engagement.
- Silverman, S. (2026). Low Tech, No Tech Accessibility Considerations. Think UDL Podcast, Episode 163. Explores learner variability, competing accessibility needs, and the implications of reducing technology use.
- Yale University, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. Devices in the Classroom: Balancing Student Engagement and Accessibility. Examines research and strategies concerning device use, attention, accessibility, and engagement.
- Cornell University, Center for Teaching Innovation. Tech-Lite Classroom Strategies. Offers practical approaches to classroom technology use, student engagement, and note-taking.
- Stanford University, TeachingWriting. In-Class Technology Policies. Provides questions and considerations for developing classroom technology expectations.