As was stated in the question we are to answer, technology is constantly changing the ways in which teachers and students interact. In the Classroom of the Future®, teachers will, I feel, always play a vital role. No matter how much technology advances, there will always be a need for those who do the actual education. The role of the educator, as I see it, it primarily to guide and direct the educational process through all means at their disposal. Direct instruction, group activities, self-guided instruction, etc.
As technology advances, I believe that we will see changes, but I feel that they will by cyclical in nature. Right now, we are seeing the rise of distance education, and due to technological limitations, we are also seeing a shift towards students pacing themselves and working through their classes asynchronously from both their educator and their fellow students.
As technology continues to advance and we are able to visually interact in real-time over networked connections, I think that the role of the educator will move back to something closer to the way it is now: synchronous. The biggest difference is that the classroom will likely be a virtual one, with the teacher and students all occupying vastly different physical spaces.
Ultimately, though the role of the educator in relation to growing technology will change, I do not think it will ever disappear.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Dreamtime
My thoughts on what I would get if I had an unlimited budget for a new classroom might surprise you. Most would imagine that I would have a list as long as my arm. It would be filled to the brim with all of the most recent, cutting-edge technology and I would want to use it to blow the mind of every student that walks in the door.
Not so much.
I feel that too much technology can be a really, really bad thing. It can easily be used as a crutch, and at its worst, it severely hampers the learning process, making the assignment about the technology, rather than the content.
So, with that in mind, here is my list.
Computers
With luck, the average class size is hovering right around 30 students. Ideally, I would have the space to have approximately 10 computers, all Windows-based PCs. I have nothing against Macintosh computers, but the reality is that Windows still occupies the majority of the computer market.
The computers would be of recent manufacture, would have at least 4GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics card. They do not need to be speed demons, but they would need to get the job done. Each of these, including monitor, keyboard and mouse could easily be purchased for around $800-900.
These would be used for student projects and research. They would be loaded with all of the software appropriate to the types of projects that a student would be doing in a Language Arts classroom. That is, Microsoft Office, and scaled down or free versions of software similar to the Adobe Master Collection. Language Arts covers a wide variety of subjects and forms of expression; these machines would allow students to use as many resources as possible.
Additionally, if possible, each student would have a tablet PC, similar to the ones that we have as part of the PEL program. They would be able to take these home to continue their work. As well, they would alleviate the need for students to carry either books or paper. (Ideally, they would be able to take Standardized Tests on these computers as well.)
Accessories
There would only need to be a few accessories for the classroom.
1. A Smartboard - This would allow me to use my computer to give lessons, as well as acting as a projector for student presentations.
2. A teacher's PC. A computer for me to work on that would be linked to the Smartboard. Either a desktop PC, or a tablet; either would work.
3. Digital Video Camera - For the recording of student presentations and my own teaching.
4. Digital Photo Camera, 3 in quantity - For students to have access to so they can add photographic content to their projects and presentations.
5. Digital Audio Recorder - For the same purpose as the Digital Video Recorder, but audio only so that the audio of a presentation or my own teaching could be reviewed without having to rip the audio from the video file.
All in all, I feel that would be adequate. I would not want any more than this, because I would not want these items to disrupt the learning process.
Not so much.
I feel that too much technology can be a really, really bad thing. It can easily be used as a crutch, and at its worst, it severely hampers the learning process, making the assignment about the technology, rather than the content.
So, with that in mind, here is my list.
Computers
With luck, the average class size is hovering right around 30 students. Ideally, I would have the space to have approximately 10 computers, all Windows-based PCs. I have nothing against Macintosh computers, but the reality is that Windows still occupies the majority of the computer market.
The computers would be of recent manufacture, would have at least 4GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics card. They do not need to be speed demons, but they would need to get the job done. Each of these, including monitor, keyboard and mouse could easily be purchased for around $800-900.
These would be used for student projects and research. They would be loaded with all of the software appropriate to the types of projects that a student would be doing in a Language Arts classroom. That is, Microsoft Office, and scaled down or free versions of software similar to the Adobe Master Collection. Language Arts covers a wide variety of subjects and forms of expression; these machines would allow students to use as many resources as possible.
Additionally, if possible, each student would have a tablet PC, similar to the ones that we have as part of the PEL program. They would be able to take these home to continue their work. As well, they would alleviate the need for students to carry either books or paper. (Ideally, they would be able to take Standardized Tests on these computers as well.)
Accessories
There would only need to be a few accessories for the classroom.
1. A Smartboard - This would allow me to use my computer to give lessons, as well as acting as a projector for student presentations.
2. A teacher's PC. A computer for me to work on that would be linked to the Smartboard. Either a desktop PC, or a tablet; either would work.
3. Digital Video Camera - For the recording of student presentations and my own teaching.
4. Digital Photo Camera, 3 in quantity - For students to have access to so they can add photographic content to their projects and presentations.
5. Digital Audio Recorder - For the same purpose as the Digital Video Recorder, but audio only so that the audio of a presentation or my own teaching could be reviewed without having to rip the audio from the video file.
All in all, I feel that would be adequate. I would not want any more than this, because I would not want these items to disrupt the learning process.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Overcoming Technological Challenges
By and large, when I think about challenges with educational technology, I think about the problems that I have helped other people with. Without trying, I have always been pretty good with technology, and it usually only takes some poking around for me to figure out how to solve most simple problems.
Over the years, I have been the go-to person when it comes to technology. I have helped a lot of teachers and students with the problems that they run into when it comes to educational technology. I think the problems that I have seen the most often have to do with the use of a projector in the classroom. For teachers and students who have long been used to using an overhead projector and transparencies, moving to a laptop and a digital projector can be a large headache.
Most projectors have a bewildering array of options to try and get things set up. Imagine opening the setting menu on your TV; do you know what all of those options do? I can guess, most times, but that is only because I have taken time to try and figure out what they do. Projectors have even more settings than your average TV, and the terminology they use isn't always easy to figure out. Add to that, projectors from different manufacturers differ in how those menus are set up.
Then there are the computers. Most people don't know that a computer can support more than one monitor, or if they do, they don't realize that a projector is considered to be a monitor by the computer. The settings to get any kind of extra monitor working properly are even more bewildering than the options on the projector, and because many people don't have the computer hooked up to anything but the projector, if it doesn't work properly from the start, it can be very difficult to get it to work properly, especially with older technology.
However, it's not all gloom and doom. Modern operating systems like Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6 have made it much easier to get a projector hooked up and working. As well, projectors are becoming easier to work with. Additionally, these technologies are becoming more and more ubiquitous, so educators are learning more about how to use them, thus eliminating some of the problems. These things combined make it a lot easier to work with projectors and allow educators to use them to enhance the learning process; I call that good.
Over the years, I have been the go-to person when it comes to technology. I have helped a lot of teachers and students with the problems that they run into when it comes to educational technology. I think the problems that I have seen the most often have to do with the use of a projector in the classroom. For teachers and students who have long been used to using an overhead projector and transparencies, moving to a laptop and a digital projector can be a large headache.
Most projectors have a bewildering array of options to try and get things set up. Imagine opening the setting menu on your TV; do you know what all of those options do? I can guess, most times, but that is only because I have taken time to try and figure out what they do. Projectors have even more settings than your average TV, and the terminology they use isn't always easy to figure out. Add to that, projectors from different manufacturers differ in how those menus are set up.
Then there are the computers. Most people don't know that a computer can support more than one monitor, or if they do, they don't realize that a projector is considered to be a monitor by the computer. The settings to get any kind of extra monitor working properly are even more bewildering than the options on the projector, and because many people don't have the computer hooked up to anything but the projector, if it doesn't work properly from the start, it can be very difficult to get it to work properly, especially with older technology.
However, it's not all gloom and doom. Modern operating systems like Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6 have made it much easier to get a projector hooked up and working. As well, projectors are becoming easier to work with. Additionally, these technologies are becoming more and more ubiquitous, so educators are learning more about how to use them, thus eliminating some of the problems. These things combined make it a lot easier to work with projectors and allow educators to use them to enhance the learning process; I call that good.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Incorporating Blogging Into Teaching
One of the best ways that I can think of to incorporate a blog into my classroom would be to use it as a resource for my students to check on a regular basis for new information relating to the class.
It's a nice idea to have the students have their own blog, but there is no way to control the content that they post unless you want to review every single post that they make before it is allowed to be seen by the public.
If, however, you use your own teaching blog to provide information to your students, then you have a way, independent of having to work with the school, to be able to provide your students with extra, relevant information that can add to their learning experience. (As an aside, I would recommend that you do obtain permission from the school to use your blog in the classroom; it's not good to step on toes, or violate a school privacy policy).
My content area is Integrated Language Arts, and being able to provide extra information in the form of pictures, videos, or audio would be very useful. A lot of the time that I have to look for resources is outside of the classroom, and as I browse for new items to show my students, would be able to post them immediately. The students would then be able to subscribe to the feed of my blog so they would always have the newest content available.
Since a blogging service like Blogger offers easy-to-use templates, it takes care of a lot of the heavy lifting for you. The blog then becomes an additional space for your to help out your students when you cannot be around them.
It's a nice idea to have the students have their own blog, but there is no way to control the content that they post unless you want to review every single post that they make before it is allowed to be seen by the public.
If, however, you use your own teaching blog to provide information to your students, then you have a way, independent of having to work with the school, to be able to provide your students with extra, relevant information that can add to their learning experience. (As an aside, I would recommend that you do obtain permission from the school to use your blog in the classroom; it's not good to step on toes, or violate a school privacy policy).
My content area is Integrated Language Arts, and being able to provide extra information in the form of pictures, videos, or audio would be very useful. A lot of the time that I have to look for resources is outside of the classroom, and as I browse for new items to show my students, would be able to post them immediately. The students would then be able to subscribe to the feed of my blog so they would always have the newest content available.
Since a blogging service like Blogger offers easy-to-use templates, it takes care of a lot of the heavy lifting for you. The blog then becomes an additional space for your to help out your students when you cannot be around them.
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