Should Elementary Students Have 1:1?

The article that I found is called "Pros and Cons: Is Elementary Too Early For 1:1 Technology?" This article talked about the pros and cons of technology in elementary classrooms. One of the pros to 1:1 technology in elementary is students get a more individualized education. One of the cons to 1:1 is students won't use paper books as often, so many students don't know how to hold or use paper books. Personally technology is going to become more and more popular in classrooms, so as teachers we should start incorporating it as soon as possible. It is important for teachers to realize that technology is a tool, and should not be used all the time in school.


http://gettingsmart.com/2012/01/pros-cons-is-elementary-too-early-for-11-technology/

Bill Gates explains Why Classroom Technology Is Failing Students And Teachers

http://qz.com/634289/bill-gates-explains-why-classroom-technology-is-failing-students-and-teachers/

Bill Gates explains Why Classroom Technology Is Failing Students And Teachers.

By: Amy X. Wang

In this article Bill Gates is posted a question on Reddit to the effect that although technology has improved it seems as though K-12 education has remained the same; how should schools adapt with technology to meet the needs of future? Bill Gates response was seemingly well thought and developed explaining that technology has been helpful to students who don't struggle with traditional learning. Gates claims that the modern teacher is not often told what they do well. Gates explains that many new cutting edge gadgets (Ipads) can be helpful but are often misunderstood how to be implemented. Gates states that effective use of technology should be personalized towards the student engaging for the struggling learners. Gates goes further stating, “If they don’t feel the material is relevant or they don’t have a sense of their own ability they can check out too easily.” Gates although a rich silicon valley tycoon is seemingly very cognizant of the state and pitfalls of education. I think that all educators need to go out of their way to show students that the material is relevant and useful in real life. Technology should be personalized to engage all learners!

How Slang Affects Students in the Classroom

This article discusses how this new technology era is taking over student's language. It discusses how due to texting, twitting and face booking- students use a lot of slang to communicate. This has become an issue since a lot of these students don't seem to know how to write a proper sentence. The article discusses that a lot of college admission offices have seen a big difference in the writing samples they receive. With all of this technology being used so frequently, it has become very easy for slang to be the only way they know how to communicate online. What is worse, sometimes people are actually speaking with all these abbreviations as part of their daily speech. I think this is very important to teach our students, we need to teach them that just like anything there is a time and a place for everything. There is a time and a place to use slang and abbreviations such as "idk, btw" when they are texting their friends. However, when it is time to be serious and professional they must be able to write well written papers to show their vocabulary.

http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/06/13/how-slang-affects-students-in-the-classroom?page=2

School Technology Support is "Horrible"

According to Hernando County schools superintendent Lori Romano, the support for technology is "horrible."  When initially seeing the headline of the article, I was intrigued that someone would think technology in a classroom is a bad idea.

After reading the article, I was glad I stumbled across it.  It gives a great example of a school that has bought into the idea of technology in the classroom, but they don't have enough money to buy good enough technology that works.

If a school system is going to invest in technology, it must make sure to test equipment, receive advising, and run through a pilot program before making a giant purchase that will influence the future of the community's youth education.

Although it's a little dramatic the reporter focuses on one quote about computers smoking when they are turned on, it paints a picture of technology being a waste of time if the proper funds aren't able to buy workable technology in the classroom.  A classroom would ultimately be better off without the technology.

If I were Romano, I would push the state legislature and/or the school community for more public education funding.  If technology is not current in a classroom, a group of young people will fall way behind in their education.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/floridas-support-for-school-technology-is-horrible-hernando-superintendent/2270309

8 Engaging Ways to use Technology in the Classroom to Create Lessons That Aren’t Boring

This article by Kelly Walsh lists eight different ways you can use technology to create engaging lessons for students in schools.

Her first way was to gather student input on different assignments. Her second way was to make it into more of a game, her third way was for students to create things, her fourth way was being interactive with it like using online whiteboards, her fifth was having students collaborate more, her sixth was project based learning, her seventh was simulations, and her eighth was live guest speakers via Skype.

I really liked this article. I found some of her ideas quite intriguing. For instance, I like the idea of setting up a Skype with someone from the outside world that would have great information on a subject. Another way I liked was her idea about simulations. Those seemed like cool ideas that I would want to potentially look into. Finally, I like the student feedback. I think it is always important for you to stay up to date on practices, and students can tell you if they are engaged or not.

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2014/10/technology-create-lessons-that-arent-boring/

Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom

"This increasing focus on technology use in schools and the shifts in ways that modern-day learners communicate have impacted how computers are used in the classroom." This article talks about students coming into school more knowledgeable and capable with technology; this stat just keeps getting bigger. To deal with this statistic, technology is being added to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. We have to add more technology into our core curriculum to prepare our students for the 21st century and where it is heading with technology. "For example, modern-day education is not focused on simply learning concepts or facts as they are laid out in a curriculum. Instead, it is about the process of building connections." As teachers, it is important to make sure the students are receiving our messages, and we have to pique their interests to do it. This not only puts the student in the driver's seat, but it also shows them the importance of correct information and building relationships. Using technology in the classroom allows us, as teachers, to teach the way the student learns. This article definitely gave a lot of benefits of using technology in the classroom which fits right into what this class has been showing us.




Source: Boundless. “Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom.” Boundless Education. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 28 Mar. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/education/textbooks/boundless-education-textbook/technology-in-the-classroom-6/edtech-25/advantages-of-using-technology-in-the-classroom-77-13007/

Tech Solutions for Special Kids - Article Title

This article talks about what types of technology is incorporated into the special education classroom.  Many special education classrooms use assistive  technology in their classrooms to help special needs students keep up and be able to participate in classroom lessons and activities.  Some examples of assistive technology used in the classroom are: Dragon Naturally Speaking software for students to command and dictate verbally, adapted keyboards which are voice recorders that connect with the computer to allows students to respond verbally to test questions and put answers into the computer, screen magnifiers for students with visual impairments, Kurzweil software which reads printed material to students, reading pens used to scan words or sentences which then is read aloud and it can also provide definitions, recording devices for students to listen to information and also record info which can be replayed again and again, text information put on CDs for students to read or view particular information anytime they need to, Squeak software programs helping students to work in a programming way in small groups or individually, Alpha Smarts for writing, laptops, oversized keyboards, larger monitors, Flipper Port for maximum visibility, scanners with text-to-speech software like E-text Reader, Intellitools, Boardmaker, Earobics for audio word recognition, phonics,and pics, different stations and television productions, internet sites, and iPads. The best way this article states to use assistive technology is when it is appropriate for the student and it does not pose a distraction for them.  Also, when a student refuses to use the technology, then it is not recommended for use with that student.  The educators in this article are more than 50 individuals who are part of the Education World Tech Team.  They are educational professionals who volunteer their time to contribute information about different technology devices that have used based on their experience and expertise.  I would like to continue to look for articles from these authors so I can keep up with the latest and greatest assistive technology for best helping students in special education.  The article is from:  http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech224.shtml.

5 Tech Trends that Could Supercharge Education in 2016

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2015/12/5-tech-trends-could-supercharge-education-2016


The article begins by talking about how virtual reality technology will become more available for classroom learning. The article mentioned that virtual reality would aid in the students learning "experientially" rather than by traditional methods. I know this would help the students understand certain concepts in science that are otherwise complex and difficult to imagine without some type of experience. The article then talks about 3-D printing and how technology for this is becoming more affordable. This type of technology wouldn't just replicate an established model, it would allow students to create an idea and see it come to fruition. That is amazing. Companies are investing in how technologies interact because most people have a variety of devices around them. Wearable technology is projected to be utilized in various ways in and out of the classroom. It may help with effective communication between teacher and student, as well as between teachers for collaboration. The article then goes on to talk about artificial intelligence robots that will become available for classroom use. The AI robots are known to engage special education students that would normally be withdrawn in the classroom. The author suggests putting the technology in the students' hands and see what they can create. Celebrate failures and analyze successes -  using technology to learn by doing and exploring.