HOMEWORK

Question: Based on the information in chapter 6, would you prefer to teach in a classroom that had more or less digital technologies? Why or why not?

                I would prefer to teach in a classroom that had a good balance. From a student’s point of view, power points can become very repetive, due to students fulfilling the requirements and not worrying about the content. But at the same time PowerPoint’s can be very useful in the classroom, as they’re able to get the students attention instead of reading straight out of the text. I liked the idea of scanning test questions, though I think the instructor should have all the test questions on the hard drive and/or external drive. Wireless devices would be great for review days when you may play a game before the quiz. Headphones would allow students to listen to music or the sound coming from a computer application without interfering with others. LCD projectors are great for presenting the PowerPoint’s, use with smart boards, and videos for the class.  But, there are great aspects of the classroom that can arrive without technology such as class discussions, art work, and reading aloud.

For both audio and visual technologies, identify one traditional and one emerging technology from the book, and explain how you could potentially use all four devices in the classroom. Post your responses on your blog page you created for this class

                Technology in the classroom has changed the atmosphere of the classroom drastically. If I were teaching a history course, I could use audio from that time period on a cassette or record player. This may cause the students to feel more connected with the time period. Furthermore, now students could have these recordings on their iPhones or ipads. The book mentions internet radio, which could help students listen to a certain genre of that time. For visuals, students can post their videos to YouTube (e.g. class project, or how-to videos) for other students to use and learn from. Teachers could also leave a video for their class when they know they will be absent, allowing the students to have directions from their regular teacher on what is expected to be done. Blank VHS’ and DVD’s allow teachers to record and revise their movies or clips before showing them to the class. VHS’ are able to be recorded over better than DVD±RWs.