After blogging about eBooks last week, we thought we’d stay with the thread and discuss other technologies being used by teachers and parents to enhance learning.
The modern classroom can be a very advanced place. There are an incredible number of new technologies being used in schools and homes. Unfortunately, many schools aren’t able to afford these products, but they are slowly spreading. It’s probably safe to assume that in the next several years, many of these innovations will be in widespread use.
These days, it’s hard to find a school or home that doesn’t feature computers. These aren’t new educational tools – they’ve been in use for years. Their possible uses, however, are constantly changing. The Internet hosts an enormous amount of resources for teachers and parents. Worksheets, interactive games, lesson plan ideas – the list goes on. Ideas are shared on public forums (blogs, discussion boards, websites), giving educators access to a growing collection of content. And there’s no end to available software. From encyclopedias to precalculus programs, you can find just about anything you need to boost your classroom resources.
An extremely popular technology is the interactive whiteboard. Taking the place of chalkboards and dry-erase boards, they work with a computer and projector to provide all kinds of fun, educational opportunities. Teachers can develop lessons with programs like Power Point and display them on the whiteboard. There are a number of lesson plans and ideas available online, as well. The boards are completely interactive. Special markers write on the board, allowing a teacher to highlight or expand on a particular note; or a student could work a math problem right on the whiteboard. The boards also respond to touch. It’s amazing how much students love working on these products. Their attention is grabbed easily, and they really enjoy heading up to the board to interact with the lesson. The possibilities of this technology are great, and the library of content continues to grow.
Remote technology is another innovation gathering steam in schools. The idea is that each student has a small remote or device that transmits to another device (like an interactive whiteboard or computer). This has a number of uses and advantages. Students can take multiple choice quizzes and tests, entering their answers via remote. Each remote is mapped to a specific student. Results are instantly tabulated, and can be easily placed in a computerized grade book. Imagine the time a teacher could save without tedious hand-grading! It’s also great for survey questions and class votes, and can be used to introduce charts and graphing activities.
These are only a few of the available technologies. And who knows what’s next? One future educational tool may be the cell phone. Can you imagine using text messaging in the classroom? How do you feel about the growing presence of technology in education? Is it a good or bad thing? What do you think is “the next big thing” for teachers and parents?
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