Tag: instructional technology

Virtual Reality in the Classroom

Virtual Reality is an up-and-coming technology these days. You can by VR technologies and use that at home, in your workplace, but can you use them in school? There are multiple ways VR came be integrated into school, and more importantly each grade. I think virtual reality could easily be used in courses such as history, and science. You can go back in time with the usage of Virtual Reality, which is such a cool and interesting concept.

I found this really good article, https://elearningindustry.com/pros-cons-using-virtual-reality-in-the-classroom, which discusses the Pros and Cons to using Virtual Reality in schools. When I originally thought about this topic I personally could not produce any cons. I think VR would be extremely engaging for the students and make it a lot more fun for them to learn. They might actually be excited to come to class. The article points out how expensive VR really is. Bringing Virtual Reality into schools could cost thousands of dollars. Another strong negative is that it lessens human interaction. I think this is actually becoming a very prevalent problem in 2017. Kids and teenagers alike are very disconnected from the world because of the internet and all the new technologies and applications coming out each and every day. However, I do think VR would be very helpful in the classroom if it was used properly and for limited amount of time.

Through some research I found this video on YouTube about a school in Canada using VR in their classrooms. The teacher explains that VR makes instructing students easier and more interact. They want to participate and they want to be involved in the lesson. I never thought about how it could be used in math to depict measurements easier. Virtual Reality apparently helps to shorten the length of time is takes for students to learn things. One of the teachers claimed that he was able to teach his students a lesson in 2 class period rather than weeks, etc. Virtual Reality might be the next step to better 21st century learning.

Digital Tools: Edmodo

The tool I’d like to talk about is called Edmodo (eedmodo.com). In the Global Educators toolbox, located on page 26 of the Global Educator, Edmodo is displayed under the Community & Social Media category. The tools in this classification revolve around the common use of sharing blog posts, discussions and multimedia. On the Edmodo website, founders describe their site as “a global education network that helps connect all learners with the people and resources needed to reach their full potential” (edmodo.com/about). According to the textbook, Julie (a present educator) uses Edmodo for global community building. She also explains that Edmodo is “excellent …for different purposes and age groups” (The Global Educator). Edmodo the perfect website for technological learning/teaching because it can be used for assessments, as well as peer-review and writing exercising, etc.

 

In the linked video, a teacher from Pee Dee Elementary school discussing how she implemented Edmodo into her classroom. At one point in the video, the teacher spoke about how more shy students and student who did not like to respond began enjoying to participate when using Edmodo. She also went on to say how Edmodo really aided in creating a sense of community in her classroom. Discussions were stronger and better because children actually liked to contribute. A lot of times we see a handful of students who are quite and typically make no real offerings during class discussions, but Edmodo is able to help eliminate that. One of the interviewed students in the video said that he liked Edmodo because he is able to help other students who are struggling with whatever topic they’re discussing in class that day. Technology is extremely popular in this day and age and using it in the classroom is the smartest idea!

 

Edmodo’s website actually links multiple “mini-lesson plans” for teachers to use to help them integrate Edmodo into their classrooms. By visiting https://support.edmodo.com/hc/en-us/sections/200909844-Mini-Lessons, you can find over 10 short lesson plans for quick and fun activities using Edmodo! For example, the New Year/Holiday Activity (file:///C:/Users/caitd/AppData/Local/Temp/10EndofYear_HOliday-1.pdf) lesson plan uses Edmodo to engage students in online discussion. In this activity, students log on to Edmodo, joining an assigned group, and post about their academic resolutions for the New Year! The teacher can also throw in extra credit for students who actually succeed their goals! The second activity involves assigning a new group for the class and taking polls on the “best and worst moments” of the year. Again, this really helps to engage the students with one another. They can share common interest or dislikes, make friends, and all in an educational online setting!

Future Plans to Aid Educational Technology

Personalized Student Learning Emblem
Refine. Vision. Plan. Implement. Assess

As I was scrolling through my twitter, I came across a fantastic article about future educational practices involving technology (https://twitter.com/jeffchicki/status/807932503747084289). With the astonishing and ever-growing advances in technology, there is no telling just how amazing the future online educational experience might be. Towards the very beginning of the article, writer and deputy director at the Office of Educational Technology, Katrina Stevens emphasized that a lot of U.S administrations are completely redesigning their high schools and making them more tech-friendly. During my personal high school experience, instructional technology was already very present and playing an important role in my education. If I am remembering correctly, Smart Boards were introduced to my schooling systems around the 8th grade and were also brought into our high schools. Smart Boards are a very popular piece of technology that we( the U.S) have even carried into university’s. I only graduated high school 2 years ago and since then my high school has advanced even more when it comes to using technology for learning. Students are encouraged to use their phones and laptop during the school day. They now use their phones in order to access data the fastest. Also, the teachers use social media to communicate with their students outside of the classroom and post about homework and any questions the kids might have. Through the use of the internet-capable tools, learning has become much easier for children of this generation.

Next, Stevens spoke about a program called Future Ready Schools. Considering I have never heard of , I did my research. Future Ready was designed by the Alliance for Excellent Education, which is a “is a Washington, DC-based national policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those who are traditionally under served, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship”(futureready.org). The Alliance for Excellent Education then decided they wanted to conceive a program “to help school districts develop comprehensive plans to achieve successful student learning outcomes by (1) transforming instructional pedagogy and practice while (2) simultaneously leveraging technology to personalize learning in the classroom” (futureready.org). Thousands of FRS participants have implemented new plans and ideas for other educators to use across the world. I think FRS is an extremely innovative and creative way of expanded instructional education. Their plan allows students of the future to take advantage of digital learning to ensure that they are ready for the future. What more could you really ask for?

With this being said Katrina went on to explain that the Office of Educational Technology is taking notes from FRS when releases their own set of blogs called Personalizing the Learning Experience. They already have a five step plan of how they want to implement their personal learning series. Again, I think that organizations like the Office of Educational Technology are taking the right steps towards furthering instructional technology and its importance to future learners. Programs such as these are most important for the future and I am sure they will have a large impact on how people of the future will gain knowledge. I thank the Office of Educational Technology as well as Future Ready Schools for their active betterment of the educational system.