By looking into the different emerging technologies, there were several different topics to look into to paint a good general knowledge on this subject.
The first topic is "Who Owns The Learning?" This is a topic that is associated with Alan November, being that he wrote the book. Several important ideas and aspects can be taken from seeing him speak or reading his book. Blogger The Incidental Techie does a really nice job portraying the importance of this topic and the highlights. Here are a few highlights she took from the book:
Again, these are only a few of what can be taken from Alan November. Below is also a very brief video of a basic overview of what Alan November gets into when he discusses "Who Owns The Learning?"
The first topic is "Who Owns The Learning?" This is a topic that is associated with Alan November, being that he wrote the book. Several important ideas and aspects can be taken from seeing him speak or reading his book. Blogger The Incidental Techie does a really nice job portraying the importance of this topic and the highlights. Here are a few highlights she took from the book:
- Essential questions for educators: Who owns the learning? How much autonomy can educators successfully give the students? How can we design an environment for our students that can lead to ultimate achievement?
- Teachers are overall the ones who make sure to implement the curriculum and what knowledge is required, but it is the students and their experiences that "deepen their understanding of curriculum content"
- What benefits are included in keeping the students from experiencing and learning different social media tools during the learning process?
Again, these are only a few of what can be taken from Alan November. Below is also a very brief video of a basic overview of what Alan November gets into when he discusses "Who Owns The Learning?"
The second topic involves accommodating children who are not as privileged with technological resources to heighten the educational experience. One tool that is available for these students is the One Laptop Per Child association. The product that it distributes to children is the XO laptop. They want to make technology and such resources "a priority, not a privilege." By doing this, as the association states on their website, the children become highly engaged in their own education. There are several ways to which one could contribute, including donating old lap tops, as well as money. More information is provided on the website.
Another point that falls under this topic is information that came from the article, "In Maine, a lap top for every middle-schooler." Taken from this article is the fact that Maine has worked to become a state that provides a laptop to 7th and 8th graders, and is doing so to approximately 1/3 of these students in the state. So far, since 2002, it has shown to increase the students' enthusiasm in the classroom, but not necessarily their test scores. Needless to say, teachers have pointed out that it has been beneficial in a sense of making students better at collaborating information from multiple sources as well as expressing their thoughts. Since the time, it appears as if attendance has risen, while detentions have dropped.
Another point that falls under this topic is information that came from the article, "In Maine, a lap top for every middle-schooler." Taken from this article is the fact that Maine has worked to become a state that provides a laptop to 7th and 8th graders, and is doing so to approximately 1/3 of these students in the state. So far, since 2002, it has shown to increase the students' enthusiasm in the classroom, but not necessarily their test scores. Needless to say, teachers have pointed out that it has been beneficial in a sense of making students better at collaborating information from multiple sources as well as expressing their thoughts. Since the time, it appears as if attendance has risen, while detentions have dropped.
There are many apps found from many sources, including Android and Apple, that can be extremely beneficial in the classroom setting. Being that I will be in Special Education, those are the kind of apps I was searching for.
Some of the several Android apps I found to be of use were TED, StudyBlue, and Class Behavior Charts. TED is very useful for displaying some great talks and speeches given around the world. StudyBlue is just one source that could be used to make flashcards and to help an individual study. Lastly, Class Behavior Charts help to organize and manage behavior in the classroom. It also is good for tracking and communication with other teachers as well as the parents of the children in the classroom.
On the other hand, there is Apple and all that it has to offer. These include PCS (Picture Communication Symbols) Bingo, ArtikPix (flashcards, matching), and Symbol Support Viewer. PCS Bingo is a great app that could be used for development of vocabulary and articulation. ArtikPix is ideal for children who have speech delays and consists of flashcards and matching activities. SymbolSupport Viewer can be used as an aid for students who have a difficulty with reading, by providing symbols above or below words contained in assignments or outlines of instructions.
I also found an interesting article that portrays how iPads can be beneficial altogether in the classroom. Teachers found improvements in things such as student motivation and quality of peer work. Not only are the already mentioned apps available on these devices, but they can be used in so many more ways that can be contributed to all subjects of learning. It is definitely an article that is worth reading to get an idea of what these resources can do for our future generations.
Aside from Apple and Android are some other interesting apps that could be used. To demonstrate some of these, I found this great chart provided on the Edudemic website.
Some of the several Android apps I found to be of use were TED, StudyBlue, and Class Behavior Charts. TED is very useful for displaying some great talks and speeches given around the world. StudyBlue is just one source that could be used to make flashcards and to help an individual study. Lastly, Class Behavior Charts help to organize and manage behavior in the classroom. It also is good for tracking and communication with other teachers as well as the parents of the children in the classroom.
On the other hand, there is Apple and all that it has to offer. These include PCS (Picture Communication Symbols) Bingo, ArtikPix (flashcards, matching), and Symbol Support Viewer. PCS Bingo is a great app that could be used for development of vocabulary and articulation. ArtikPix is ideal for children who have speech delays and consists of flashcards and matching activities. SymbolSupport Viewer can be used as an aid for students who have a difficulty with reading, by providing symbols above or below words contained in assignments or outlines of instructions.
I also found an interesting article that portrays how iPads can be beneficial altogether in the classroom. Teachers found improvements in things such as student motivation and quality of peer work. Not only are the already mentioned apps available on these devices, but they can be used in so many more ways that can be contributed to all subjects of learning. It is definitely an article that is worth reading to get an idea of what these resources can do for our future generations.
Aside from Apple and Android are some other interesting apps that could be used. To demonstrate some of these, I found this great chart provided on the Edudemic website.
Free apps list from Gary Toews
Some other ones looking into, especially for Special Education, are Autismate, Proloquo2Go, and TouchChat. Descriptions of these can be found on http://edudemic.com/2013/04/apps-for-children-with-autism-world-autism-day/
Social media can get some major flack for what it can ultimately bring to the table, but in the same breath, it can also serve of a great purpose for educators and students. Along with the more well-known ones such as Facebook and YouTube comes Edmodo, Ning, and teacher PLN (twitter, professional blogs, LinkedIN). Some other ones that were found that could be of use include Twiducate (which is one I found myself most likely using out of all of the ones I looked at), Orkut, Hi5 (where an individual can even log in with their facebook account), Bebo, and Netlog. Other types are Wikis, Delicious, Diigo, and Skype for Educator.
Lastly, when discussing emerging technologies, is the idea of Flipped Teaching. It's a technology-driven teaching method known as "flipped learning" because it flips the time-honored model of classroom lecture and exercises for homework – the lecture becomes homework and class time is for practice and application.
Under the model, teachers make eight- to 10-minute videos of their lessons using laptops, often simply filming the whiteboard as the teacher makes notations and recording their voice as they explain the concept. The videos are uploaded onto a teacher or school website, or even YouTube, where they can be accessed by students on computers or smartphones as homework.
Class time is then devoted to practical applications of the lesson – often more creative exercises designed to engage students and deepen their understanding. On a recent afternoon, Kirch's students stood in pairs with one student forming a cone shape with her hands and the other angling an arm so the "cone" was cut into different sections.
Under the model, teachers make eight- to 10-minute videos of their lessons using laptops, often simply filming the whiteboard as the teacher makes notations and recording their voice as they explain the concept. The videos are uploaded onto a teacher or school website, or even YouTube, where they can be accessed by students on computers or smartphones as homework.
Class time is then devoted to practical applications of the lesson – often more creative exercises designed to engage students and deepen their understanding. On a recent afternoon, Kirch's students stood in pairs with one student forming a cone shape with her hands and the other angling an arm so the "cone" was cut into different sections.
Extra: Fun Digital Content
To close off this blog are a couple of YouTube videos of futuristic technology and developments we could possibly see sooner than later.