Emerging Technologies

SMART Boards are a technology that seem to have great potential and are not highly used at this point. I have been in classrooms and had the opportunity to use these boards and they provide almost endless prospects of what can be done by using them in the classroom. SMART boards have many uses in the classroom and combinations of useful tools. Using one of these boards in my classroom would be very useful; I could use it for presentations, as a white board, and to meet different learning needs among others. I learned more about SMART technologies at smarttech.com. Although they are a little expensive there are ways to get around it and they would pay themselves off with the use I could get out of them.

Classroom podcasts would be a great technology to use in my future classroom. I could use them not only as a learning tool for students to discover new ideas and thoughts, but I could also use it directly. By this I mean that podcasts could be used if I were to record my class lecture and then make it available to my students in case they miss a class. On top of this, if video were added, this would provide a convenient and easy way for students that miss class to learn what they may have missed. I learned more about this technology simply by doing a Google search about podcasts in education or some variation of that.

One of the most promising and interesting technologies that I looked at was the use of a virtual classroom. By incorporating the use of the previous two technologies among others I could provide students with a unique learning experience. Using a virtual classroom could mean that students are able to learn indifferent ways for different learning styles, learn from a distance, I could teach from distance, and students could interact with students who are many miles away. I learned more at virtualclassroom.org and other sites. Virtual classroom learning has only hit the tip of the “iceberg” there are many more opportunities out there that are untouched and undiscovered.

All of these technologies either combined or separately will add great dimension to my future classroom. These will have a big impact on the classroom that I teach in at the same providing opportunities to for the students. Although these technologies are expensive at times it is my hope that they are still a possibility. They may also become more affordable as they are used more and new technologies arise.

To prepare for a class using one or more of these technologies may be challenging. I would first have to become knowledgeable and proficient about the technology. Once I learned about them the actual preparation for each class would be fairly easy; having to prepare and set up each lesson would require the most time. The impact that using these technologies would have on students would far outweigh any preparation or cost that go into the set up. These technologies would be very helpful and efficient in covering each student learning style and interest.
In general, these technologies and many others will be the future of education. Embracing them and learning as much as possible is important and will be a great influence for student learning, the way they learn, and how we as teachers teach. New technologies are surfacing every day and will continue it is just a question of how we can use these emerging technologies to positively impact our field and future generations.

In general, these technologies and many others will be the future of education. Embracing them and learning as much as possible is important and will be a great influence for student learning, the way they learn, and how we as teachers teach. New technologies are surfacing every day and will continue it is just a question of how we can use these emerging technologies to positively impact our field and future generations.

Distance Education

Distance Education
Distance education, I would think, is teaching a class from some distance or being a learner from a distance. Distance education means you are teaching to or learning from somewhere other than a physical/traditional classroom.

Pros
Distance Education and virtual schools are a very unique idea and can provide opportunities to students.
- Unique opportunities for students
- Learn from comfort of own home
- Teachers can use resources from home while still teaching students
- Students can tailor learning to specific path
- Numerous paths of study to fit every need

Cons
Although there are opportunities there are some drawbacks to distance education and virtual schools
- No face-to-face interaction between student and teacher
- Too much freedom for students
- Lack of interaction with peers
- Students may not learn to full potential
- Teachers may not be able to provide feedback in a timely manner

How would you determine the readiness of students to participate in distance delivery?
I think that the readiness of students would depend on their level of maturity and their home situations. If they do not have access to computers and internet it would be hard for them to learn properly in a virtual classroom. At the same time virtual classroom’s may not be the route, but a distance education or some kind of meeting room may be more helpful to some students and may not be for others.

What would you need to do to be able to teach in a virtual school?
To teach in a virtual school I would need to be equipped with a fast and high quality computer as well as high speed and reliable internet. I would also need to become more familiar with technology and especially the system that was used for my virtual school. It seems however, especially for my area of teaching, that it might be difficult to teach in a virtual style and this would be something that would need to be practiced and looked into in greater detail.