Two Tips for Teachers to Support Students’ Creative Use of Technology on a Budget

The Ciena Solutions Challenge is a global design challenge that invites middle and high school students to design solutions to their problems while creatively integrating technology. The Challenge encourages youth to use digital tools and technologies that are accessible to them.

In our most recent edWebinar, panelists Omashani Naidoo, mathematics and computer studies teacher and executive director of SchoolNet South Africa, and Maren Vernon, learning resource designer for Scratch Foundation in the United States, shared practical strategies for integrating free and low-cost technologies into the classroom to support skill building and creativity.

Creativity and innovation should not be limited by resources. Rather than purchasing expensive tools to support student work, educators should consider how they can help students reimagine the digital tools that they already know how to use and consider how they can be repurposed to support their ideas.

“For us, creativity isn’t about expensive tools—it’s a survival skill. About 86% of schools in South Africa are state-funded, so creativity becomes a mindset of innovation…It’s about repurposing and reimagining what’s already available. Teachers use smartphones, WhatsApp, pre-loaded USB drives—simple tools—to deliver meaningful learning,” Omashani Naidoo said.

While teachers are carrying the load of teaching, facilitating, and engaging students in everyday learning, one tip that teachers can follow is to identify tools that are universal and used for multiple purposes. Maren Vernon encourages teachers to build on existing tools and concepts that they are already familiar with. “Learning is most powerful when it sparks joy, especially through collaboration … creativity doesn’t have to start from a blank slate,” Maren said “Remixing—building on something that already exists—is still creativity. Some people love jumping in, others like structure, and both are valid.”

• Watch the full recording of Sparking Creativity on a Shoestring Budget: Tech Tools for Big Ideas.
• Register for the Ciena Solutions Challenge: Through March 5, 2026, educators can submit student projects and apply for a $3,000 Sustainability Award.