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M2 – Unit 3: Developing Sustainable Habits for Digital Teaching

UNIT PROGRESS

3.1 Why digital teaching habits matter

Building digital competence is not just about learning new tools — it’s about creating sustainable habits that help you use technology confidently and effectively in your teaching. Sustainable habits are small, consistent actions you repeat regularly, which gradually build your skills and reduce stress.

When you develop such habits, technology becomes a natural part of your workflow, rather than an occasional challenge or a source of frustration. This intentional use of digital tools helps you:

  • Prevent overload and burnout.
  • Support your own digital wellbeing.
  • Keep your teaching manageable and balanced over time.

Beyond practical benefits, sustainable habits also shape your mindset. They encourage you to experiment, learn from mistakes, and approach new tools with curiosity. Over time, this creates a strong foundation for ongoing professional growth and innovation.

3.2 Building habits step by step

Consistency comes from integrating simple digital steps into your daily or weekly teaching practice. These steps don’t need to be big; when repeated over time, they become second nature.

  • Focus on one tool or task at a time
    Trying to master too many new digital tools at once can be overwhelming and demotivating. Instead, focus on one simple digital task each week. By breaking your goals into small, manageable steps that you repeat regularly, you steadily build skills without feeling overloaded.

Examples:

  • Embed a 1-minute video clip.
  • Post a quick discussion question in the LMS.
  • Share a quick infographic instead of a text-heavy slide.

Example: Self-nudge 12 – Getting Started with Digital Tools – UB
Read more. 

  • Shift from traditional to digital gradually
    You don’t need to change everything at once. Replacing one traditional activity with a digital alternative each week helps you slowly create a more digitally integrated classroom.

Examples:

  • Swap a paper handout for a simple Google Doc.
  • Use a timer app instead of a manual stopwatch.
  • Share a digital checklist instead of a printed one.

Example: Self-nudge 13 – Digital Content Creator Challenge – Momentum
Challenge yourself to create digital teaching resources. Read more.

  • Integrate new digital tools into existing routines.
    Build comfort with digital teaching by embedding small activities into regular moments, such as starting a lesson. This lowers pressure and keeps experimentation consistent.

Examples:

  • Kick off class with a Mentimeter emoji poll.
  • Launch a Kahoot! quiz to review last week’s lesson.
  • Start with a Jamboard brainstorming session to open discussion.
  • Use micro-learning moments
    Digital growth doesn’t require hours; short, focused learning moments fit easily into a busy schedule. Curate quick tutorials or videos and keep them accessible with reminders like pinned tabs, LMS widgets, or calendar alerts.

Example: Self-nudge 7 – Micro-Learning Moments – Trendhuis
Read more.

3.3 Fine-Tuning Your Habits

For habits to stay useful, they must be flexible and adaptable. Reflection, adjustment, and reinforcement ensure your digital practices grow.

  • Maintain flexibility
    Not every tool or method will work the first time. Instead of giving up, adapt your approach — change the reminder style, adjust the frequency, or choose a different tool that better fits your context. Flexibility keeps momentum going and prevents frustration.
  • Make progress visible
    Take note of small successes — whether it’s smoothly running a poll, getting positive student feedback, or feeling more confident with a tool. Acknowledging these wins helps motivation build over time
  • Collaborate and strengthen digital competence
    Sustainable habits often thrive in communities. Share your digital routines with colleagues, try out tools together, or reflect as a team on what worked. Collaboration sparks new ideas and makes the process more enjoyable.
  • Align your skills with institutional goals
    Working closely with institutional administrators ensures your digital teaching practices align with broader objectives. Collaboration enhances resource use, creates shared understanding, and reduces barriers to innovation.

Example: Self-nudge 6 – Collaboration Sparks – Trendhuis
Read more.

Watch

Watch the following video, and an example of how to improve Student Engagement in live online classes.

3.4 Next steps - from habits to visible progress

Building sustainable habits is essential, but the next step is making your progress visible and tangible. When you can track and reflect on your efforts, habits become more rewarding, and your progress motivates continued improvement.

Link habits to measurable outcomes
Identify small, observable actions within your routines, like posting a discussion prompt, running a quick poll, or sharing feedback digitally. These actions become markers of your development, showing how your skills are growing.

Set up simple tracking systems
Use tools like checklists, dashboards, or digital journals to record your achievements. Seeing your progress over time reinforces motivation and helps you identify patterns in what works best.

Connect habits with reflection and recognition
Regularly review your routines to see which habits are effective and which need adjustment. Share successes with peers or mentors to create accountability, receive feedback, and celebrate milestones.

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