Technology and Classroom Instruction

Bill Gates and Classroom Technology

In an article by Amy X. Wang on Quartz's website, Bill Gates gave his views on technology and its function in the classroom. Gates stated that technology should be used to keep our students engaged and involved in the lesson, and I understand the point he is making. But it's hard. There are only so many sites that a teacher can find and when she does find these awesome, amazing websites she needs to find time in her lesson plans to use them. Which is all fine and dandy, until she realizes it's already March and she has four more chapters to get through. I would love to use technology more in my classroom, but my problem is I run out of time for everything I'm expected to get through.

Gates also mentions in this article that the kids who love technology have easy access to it and use this technology to their advantage. But it's the kids that need technology that have no access to it. I would love to put lessons online that my students can re-watch at home or give my students lots of sites to help them study for that big test. And most of my students will use those sites. It's Bill who needs the extra practice, but his family doesn't have internet so I can't reach him. 

The article with Gates also mentions that technology hasn't proven itself enough yet. Teachers don't have enough information to show that using technology in their classroom boosts what the student learns. And, if there isn't enough research to back up the benefits of using this technology every day, am I really going to break my back trying to implement it into my lessons every day?? Especially when my school is not one-to-one with gadgets. 

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

WATCH THE FIRST-EVER DRONE DELIVERY FROM SHIP TO LAND

http://www.popsci.com/first-drone-delivery-from-ship-to-shore-in-us

This site drew my attention because I am currently working on getting some type of drone or robot for my students to work with. I think it will keep them interested in coding if what they are about to code can fly across the sky or maneuver across the room. 

There are so many ways drone are changing our lives. We started out with them flying around and taking pictures that we could not take from the ground and now they are working on delivering items. If someone was working in an area that they needed to give a village a vaccination, they could fly the vaccine in with a drone and not expose those people to new diseases.  

Robot "runs" away...again

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/06/24/artificially-intelligent-russian-robot-makes-run-for-it-again.html

I was intrigued by the title of this article, and after reading it I still find it humorous. The robot was designed so that it can recognize where objects are and move around them, and it apparently did this when a gate was left open and the robot moved out onto the street. The robot is being designed for potential use as a tour guide or concierge with a screen that can display text and the ability to recognize spoken words. Some people think that the "escape" was actually a PR stunt, and the way the company has reacted does not seem to put this idea to rest.

Either way, it is amusing to think of a robot that "wanders" out into traffic and blocks a lane on a street for almost an hour (it was about 40 minutes) before being found by the company that made it. After two escapes in less than a month one of the co-founders was quoted as saying that they may have to "dismantle" the robot so that this doesn't continue.

As funny as this may be, I think it also shows how the idea of self-driving cars and similar inventions actually have the potential to move through an area without coming into contact with something else. However, I am not sure what sort of speeds this robot is capable of, and I think we still have a long way until the public feels safe with cars driving but no one in the driver's seat. However, I do find it interesting at how quickly technology is moving and I sometimes wonder what it will be like in 10 years, or 20 years. To think that my first flip-phone was in high school, and now children in elementary schools have smartphones...I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. Hopefully all of the stories and movies about robots taking over the world do not come true!