Emerging Technologies

There are many emerging technologies that will have a significant impact on education. One of these emerging technologies that I discovered that will impact education is the typical iPod. I know teachers usually confiscate iPods rather than encourage students to use them in the classroom. In a school in Iowa, students with special needs are encouraged to use iPods in the classroom. An example of this was one student who usually needed a paraprofessional to read the test questions to her can now take the test by herself with the use of an iPod. The student simply scrolls through the menu to find the test, and then the student can listen to the test questions as she sees them on the iPod screen and on her paper.

This technology will help me as a teacher because I will have fewer students leaving the room to receive resource help. This will also help me have a more inclusive classroom. Even though programming the iPod will take some time prior to the lesson or test, it will make such a difference when it comes time to teach the lesson or have students take the test. This technology will benefit my future students because it allows students with special needs to work more independently and it helps increase their self-esteem.

Another emerging technology I found that will have a significant impact on education is podcasting. Another school that is located in Maine has embraced podcasting as a norm in their classroom. In this classroom, the teacher allows the students to select the topic for the podcast. By doing this, the teacher ensures that the students will be interested in their topic and therefore be more motivated. The students then do the research about the topic to include in their script. Then the students write the script for their podcast. And finally the students record and produce their podcast, making it accessible to the world.

This technology is a fun and exciting way students can take charge of their education. I think podcasting will help me as a teacher because it is a great way for me to help my future students develop their language and writing skills. Podcasting can also benefit my future students because students will be given the opportunity, through podcasting, to teach each other such skills as research, writing, and making presentations. Often times, students learn best when they are learning from their peers and podcasting is a great way for them to experience this. The students will demonstrate what they learned in their podcasts, which will make it easy to see how well the students are learning through the use of podcasts in the classroom.

A third emerging technology that will have an impact on education is the iBook Notebook. A middle school in Michigan decided to overhaul its technology department and provide notebooks for every teacher and one notebook for every three students. This was to promote a 1 to 1 learning program for teachers and students. Peter Ways, head of Technology Bond Initiative, Ann Arbor Public Schools brought up a very good point when he said that text books, pencils, and paper have become outdated for the students who are children of the digital age. Their school district wanted to use methods of teaching that were more compelling, appropriate, and accessible for their students.

The iBook Notebooks seemed to fit the student's modern-day world and accomplished all of this. Through the use of the iBooks in the school, the students are showing significant gains in reading and writing literacy. The iBooks benefit the ESL students who are now being given the opportunity and access to revise their work before they submit it, which is helping students score higher on assignments. This technology will help me as a teacher because I will know my students will have access to a computer in the classroom, when often times many students do not have access to computers at home. This will help when I am deciding what lessons to plan because I know the whole class will have equal opportunity when it comes to having computer access. This technology will also benefit my students in the same way by providing them with computer access in the classroom. Also through the use of some of the software applications that came with the iBook Notebooks, my future students will be given the opportunity to improve their reading and writing literacy.

Even though in this discussion I talked about apple products, really any similar technology would do the same job just as well. Using the apple products just gave a more detailed example of how these products are being put to good use in schools to benefit student's education. You can find more information about iPods, podcasting, and iBook Notebooks as emerging technologies being used in schools at http://www.apple.com/education/profiles/.

Distance Education

Distance Education: Washington Virtual School http://www.go2ischool.net
Five Pros-
1. The ability to join between 9th-12th grade and to choose a specific track you want to follow. You can declare your track when you first enter, or you can change it later once you know exactly what you want.
2. The program is flexible, has a variety of content, and a professor that will work with them to build their personal strengths.
3. The website offers all types of tracks, including AP, Honors, College Prep, Career Prep, Foundation, and ESL.
4. They provide you with a school-issued laptop that comes with help in all the technological areas. The website gives you insight tech. approaches, requirements, support, and security.
5. Since it is online, the student is able to "absorb" more of the information given because it is "controlled by the student."

Five Cons-
It was hard to find cons for virtual schools but I found a couple.
1. There are a lot of requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to graduate.
2. There will not be any type of student-teacher interaction that some kids require.
3. There is not a chance to have students interact socially with their peers.
4. Virtual schooling does not benefit all learning styles.
5. Some students may not feel motivated to finish their school work on time.

I would determine the readiness of my students to participate in distance delivery if they are able to work at their own pace independently, and if they do not need group work or teacher interaction. They will need to be motivated to do their work on time and to follow each guideline to complete their course work to graduate.

In order to teach in a virtual school, I would have to be certified in Washington, have at least 15 years of experience in the classroom, and need to have office hours that allow the students and parents to come in and talk to me.