How could technology be used in education? What types of new technologies are schools planning to use?

Any thoughts on how technology has helped or changed your life both positively and negatively would be helpful. Thank you.

Technology is wonderful thing for education. I’m going to tell you about some of the technologies I have personally used and seen used in the school I have worked for.

Digital projectors – this is a projector hooked up to a computer, so anything that is displayed on the computer screen will be displayed through the projector as well. I LOVE THIS TECHNOLOGY! I can do a variety of things with this. I can display a PowerPoint presentations. There are many PowerPoint templates out there to set up various games, such as Jeopardy-style, Family Feud-style, etc. games. The kids love these! I can display websites I have found, I can play DVD’s through my computer (really fun to show the movie version of a novel we have read after we have read it, good for comparison and contrast or discussions of print to media). And my absolute favorite is streaming video. I am registered with a website that has thousands of educational videos on their site, and I can easily search for what I want and display it through my projector.

Document camera – this is similar to an overhead projector but does away with transparencies and the markers necessary for that. I can put ANY piece of paper, book, pictures, etc. underneath the camera and have it displayed on the overhead screen for all the kids to see. The kids see exactly what I am writing/highlighting/circling on my paper. There are many other things I can do with this, but this is the main purpose.

Various computer programs – I’m sure you understand that computers are quite prevalent in school, so I won’t address how wonderful this is to education. Let me focus on how some programs can be used. Learning software can respond to how a student is performing. If they are answering many questions or problems incorrectly, the program can respond by “going down a level” and vice versa. Programs installed on a server can track student progress (which can be very valuable when you have lots of students or students at different levels). I can simply get a printout of the progress all my students made during a period of time (like a grading period) and use that as a grade (NO GRADING PAPERS!). I’ve used math programs, reading programs, spelling programs, etc. all in this manner. Independent reading programs are done almost exclusively through computers now. Students check out books from the library, read them, take a computer-based quiz, and earn points. All of this can be done outside of regular classroom time or during the students’ freetime. It’s amazing and utilizes time wisely.

Responders – this is perhaps one of my favorite technologies. This is basically a remote control looking device that “talks” to a computer in the classroom. It is SO versatile. I can ask a question (verbally, displayed on my screen, out of a textbook or workbook) and ALL the students can individually answer the question (we are talking objective-style answers here, multiple choice, true-false, etc.). We can use this during class discussions or lecture time for me to do quick checks for understanding; it can be completely anonymous; the computer can immediately calculate the number of correct and incorrect responses, tell me how many students answered which answer (this is really good to help me figure out why students are making mistakes or if they all understand and we can move on). We can program it for groups instead of individual results (for games). We can even set it up for tests and quizzes. I can literally display the quiz or test on my overhead or projector (so no more making hundreds of copies). Each student will be issued a responder, sign in, take the quiz or test on it, submit their answers when they are ready, and the computer can instantaneously grade all the quizzes as well as give me all kinds of statistics (most missed question, what percentage of students missed each question, etc.). I like the fact that this saves a tremendous amount of paper and is really cool to use (sort of of like giving all of my students a cell phone and having them text me or email me, but faster and better because it grades too).

I have not had the pleasure of using a smart board yet, but I would LOVE to very soon. This is just a small percentage of the technology I have used. I have not even touched on how I use technology for my job when students are not in the room – email, instant messaging, lesson planning, gradebook, discipline documentation, parent contact documentation, supply requests, work order requests, etc.).

Technology Fear Factor in Education

Sportime Sense-of-Timer – 3 Minute Green $29.87 Sense-of-Timer was not designed to provide exact countdown times, but rather as a visual sense of passing time. The Sense-of-Timer is ideal for self-governing activity periods, games, exercises, discussion groups, test, rests, and more. Hour glass shape guarantees a smooth and complete flow of sand contents. High-impact plastic construction makes this timer able to endure drops on the floor. 3-Min…

Sportime Sense-of-Timer – 1 Minute Yellow $29.87 Sense-of-Timer was not designed to provide exact countdown times, but rather as a visual sense of passing time. The Sense-of-Timer is ideal for self-governing activity periods, games, exercises, discussion groups, test, rests, and more. Hour glass shape guarantees a smooth and complete flow of sand contents. High-impact plastic construction makes this timer able to endure drops on the floor. 1-Min…

Electronic Wine Tester $11.95 tests ideal temperature for wine testing…

DJ DB Presents The Higher Education Drum & Bass Session $17.98 As one of the early supporters of drum & bass in America, Brit ex-pat DJ-producer DB has long promoted stateside D&B. His newest mix CD, The Higher Education Drum ‘N’ Bass Session, continues this tradition with tracks from up and coming U.S. producers standing shoulder to shoulder with established U.K. artists. Opening with Kazimir’s “Memories,” a dreamy sci-fi tale featuring Carol C, DB carves a …