EDCI 505

What is this strange post title, you ask? 

Is it the combination to unlock my cell phone? The answer to the new Dan Brown mystery novel? Nuclear launch code? Key to life as we know it? Ok, it's nothing quite so dramatic. 

As I failed to state in my previous post, I am starting this blog as a project for my class, EDCI

 505, which is all about using technology in the classroom. A subject that may be less dramatic then those previously stated, yet no less important if you ask me. 

I have always loved the use of technology, especially in schools, and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what kinds of technology was out there. I have recently found that my knowledge was incredibly infantile. So far I have bee exposed to several new technologies that can enhance classroom learning more than I had realized. 

First, I have learned about Glogster, which I envision as a new way to do book reports. Glogster is a social network based on creating and sharing interactive posters. People can use text, music, videos, and other graphics to create posters on any topic, interest, writing, or idea.

Then I learned about Wordle. This wasn't entirely new to me, as I know one of my own kids have used this software. Wordle is an online cloud generating software. Users enter words or text they wish to display, select from various layouts and color schemes, and then share their creations or print hard copies for use. The software makes words which are entered more frequently greater prominence in the displayed product. I can see how this may help students learn about vocabulary and themes within literature. 

But I think my favorite so far is Prezi. Prezi is a presentation software that classifies itself with the likes of Microsoft Power Point, but instead of slides, the software works similar to a video. 

I look forward to learning about new technologies and the different ways they can be used to teach language arts. 

Technology in the Classroom: My Initial Thoughts

I remember having a computer class in high school were we had to create a computer game. We did it in DOS... yeah, not MSDOS, but it's predecessor (yes, there was something that existed before). Some of the computers ran on Microsoft Windows 3.0 and that was good technology for the day (yes, I am painfully aware that I am dating myself here...).

In only 20 years, our kids not only have computers in every classroom, but in almost every palm of hand as well. Of course, there are those who would lament this fast-paced and ever-changing world of technology. After all, it is hard to keep up with changing technology and the expense that comes with purchasing and maintaining classroom equipment. However, I believe that the investment will give us a big return in the end.

Think of the education received by those who otherwise would have been left out.

Without the Internet and advancements in computer technology, I would not have been able to return to college after starting a family. Now I'm on to graduate learning and am glad to see that instructors are not ignoring the changes that have occurred in the years since I last stepped foot in a classroom.

It seems that colleges and universities were the first to pick up on the idea of technology in the classroom. Perhaps it's because of many of those advancements were invented in institutes of higher learning, or perhaps money is a factor in all things. Finally, as cellphones, iPad's, laptops, and more are reaching the hands of our children, more and more technology is trickling into the K-12 classrooms.

I believe that embracing the new ways in which children communicate will only help education in the long run. We have the ability to foster creativity like never before and to engage children that would have otherwise been lost.

Any thoughts?