In the field of Primary Education, technology is also playing an increasingly important role in facilitating learning and classroom management. Óskar Rodríguez, a teacher and tutor in Asturias, is committed to integrating digital tools such as Additio App to improve teaching organization, student monitoring, and assessment.

As an Additio Certified Teacher and Innovator, Óskar shares with us his vision on the use of technology in the classroom, the challenges its implementation brings, and the opportunities it offers to transform education from the early stages.

Discover it below!

And if you want to learn about the experience of other teachers like him, you can read this interview with Nerea Benítez (English teacher) or this interview with José David Vidal Soler (Vocational Training teacher).

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your teaching career

When I was young, I always had anthropology in mind, especially anthropology in the social field, and I ended up in the world of education. I have been in education for almost 20 years, and I consider myself a vocational teacher.

I am currently teaching at the first level of Primary Education.

2. What made you decide to go into teaching? What do you like most about your job?

I like opening minds, being able to go a little beyond the mere transmission of curriculum knowledge. I like to design slightly more disruptive activities that allow my students to learn in a more dynamic way. For me, my vocation stems from this: doing new things, getting involved in the learning and progress of my students…

3. How would you define your teaching style in the classroom?

I like to cover a bit of everything and use innovative methodologies, in the sense of using existing things in a different way, giving them a new twist. That’s why I like to use all kinds of resources, whether digital, manual, or experiential…

4. What role do you think technology plays in teaching today?

Technology plays a very important role in education, but it is not being widely promoted, it’s either underused or not used properly. It’s not so much the technology itself that we should promote, but rather its usefulness and how we use it. There is indeed a lot of technology, but we don’t know how to use it.

5. What are the main challenges you see in the digitalization of education?

Clearly, the first challenge is teacher training. Generally, teachers are not properly trained, or the training they receive does not actually teach them anything new.

Another challenge is opening families’ minds a little. Families often associate technology with the screens their children use at home, which makes them somewhat reluctant.

Finally, it’s important that schools have technology in good condition, the appropriate materials, or means to acquire better devices and technological tools.

6. Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly present in education. Have you integrated any AI tools into your teaching practice?

Last year I did some activities to implement AI. For example, we worked on a Leonardo Da Vinci project, generating photographs of the Mona Lisa based on different origins. We also used it to study the evolution of everyday objects, like a bottle or any other item.

I think AI has a lot of potential, but we need clear training and optimal tools we can use.

7. How did you discover Additio App? When and why did you start using it in your daily life?

I was one of the first to use Additio App — I’ve been around since the beginning! I used to buy the paper notebook, and on the cover, it said something like: “Coming soon to the web.” That’s where I found out about it, and I’ve been using it ever since.

8. How has your classroom management changed since you started using the tool?

My teaching journey started alongside Additio App; it has been there since my beginnings, just as I have been using the platform from the start. It has helped me a lot to manage the classroom efficiently, as it offers endless possibilities and many opportunities to improve teaching tasks.

9. What features of Additio App do you use the most and why?

I like all of them, but if I had to highlight one, it would be lesson planning. I find it very useful to have the entire planning of what you are going to do, and especially to have it linked to resources. I must have around 150 units uploaded there. I think having everything digitized is a great help.

I would also highlight student reports — I find them very useful.

10. Evaluating according to the LOMLOE has been a challenge for many teachers. How do you use the app to promote skills-based assessment?

Additio App helped me boost skills-based assessment by linking competencies and criteria to lesson planning, keeping a record of the activities I do, and visualizing graphs (evaluation dials) that allow you to quickly see information. Additio App fits very well with competency-based assessment, providing feedback on students’ performance on competencies and criteria.

11. If you could only keep one functionality of Additio App to take to a desert island, which one would it be and why?

The feature to create lesson plans and teaching units. I really like the format and find it very interesting. You have everything in one place, and you can work from there.

12. What motivated you to become an Additio Certified Teacher?

I found this community of teachers who try to stay up-to-date and who are constantly motivated to improve very interesting. Getting certified also seemed valuable for sharing knowledge about the platform and exchanging experiences with other teachers.

13. As a recognition of your involvement in the Additio App community, you have been offered the opportunity to become an Additio Certified Innovator. What does being an Additio Certified Innovator mean to you?

For me, it means staying current with the changes and innovations we are seeing in education. Additio App cares about innovation, about how AI is impacting education, and it is constantly sharing resources — being part of that is very meaningful to me.

14. You have participated in trainings and webinars; what motivates you to share your experience with other teachers?

I’m motivated by the chance to share my point of view on how education should be approached. Sometimes, in some schools, there is little innovation, so participating in webinars or trainings allows me to share resources that teachers need. It also gives me the opportunity to share my experience with tools like Additio App, helping other teachers understand how it can make their work easier and inspire them.

15. If you could give advice to a teacher just starting out in the classroom, what would you tell them?

I would recommend having a digital notebook to help with daily tasks and managing the class in a way that breaks away from the traditional: using varied methodologies, taking advantage of different initiatives, and having a clear plan for what you want to do, when, and how. And obviously, constantly innovating and thinking about how you can improve.

I would also tell them they need to be flexible and adapt to the times we live in — and above all, have a lot of patience.

16. How do you imagine the future of assessment and classroom management with digital tools?

I believe that tools like Additio App are a step ahead of the future. There are still many teachers who use paper notebooks or a mix of different tools, and they are always surprised when I show them that I have everything in one single tool (Additio App).

I think the evolution will be very positive, especially as more improvements are released on the platform.

Would you also like to improve your teaching practice like Óskar?

You can follow his advice by signing up for Additio App with the individual plan for teachers, or if you think your school could benefit from the school plan, you can request a free demo:

And don’t forget to follow us on social media so you don’t miss a thing: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube 😉