Technology Uses in Education

1. Technology Uses in Education Developments in Portable Devices Brandy Green

2. How are the developments in portable technology affecting educators and students in the classroom? The days of individual slates and broken pieces of chalk in a small wooden schoolhouse filled with 10 children ages 6 to 16 have come to pass. Technology is now a very integral part of classroom education for both students and educators. Today, the U.S. Department of Education has worked towards formulating standards for each grade level and teachers must pass their own standards, have college degrees and be fairly tech savvy. …not sure if 17 year old Laura Ingalls Wilder would be able to make it in today’s new, technology driven classroom with difficult students while being assessed by the Board of Education… Little House on the Prairie S7:E16 “Goodbye, Mrs. Wilder” NBC Please click this slide to advance to the next screen if you choose not to watch the embedded video.

3. Developments in Portable DevicesMain Topics • The past: Technology before the 21st century • Development of computers in the classroom • Mass Multimedia Madness • Lack of conventional computer lab time • New Portable technology for students • Portable technology for teachers • To Use or Not to Use • The future: Technology in the next 20 years

4. Developments in Portable DevicesThe Past: Technology Before the 20th Century Education has been an important aspect of “civilized” societies for thousands of years. Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece, ancient tribal Shamans in the Americas, religious scholars during the middle ages in Europe, and children of wealthy aristocratic families were all learners or educators of lessons in one form or another. Traveling tutors with their travel bags full of books, maps and instruments would often be paid directly to instruct while others would take on apprentices or the like and yet others would be given local herbs to induce insightful hallucinations and dreams. Education was once incredibly inconsistent, much more than it is today and based on simple and limited observation and assumption. Quills and reed paper, handwritten books and copies of ancient teachings were once the newest technology. Eventually, the printing press made mass printing of literature and artwork much easier and faster, allowing for quicker learning. Reading and writing was once left only to religious scholars or the wealthy; however, the development of the printing press increased the number of literate men and women throughout the world and steady technological advances lead to the first computers in schools. The Heritage of World Civilizations by Craig

5. Developments in Portable DevicesThe Development of Computers in the Classroom During the 1970’s, the U.S. Department of Defense created the early version of the internet in an attempt to maintain safety in case of catastrophe. The system was originally called ARPAnet named for the “Advanced Research Projects Agency” and it allowed for the DOD to communicate back and forth over 30 different locations. The emergence of desktop computers became a commonality a decade later and the format of the first internet took a new form when it was introduced to Universities and library systems. Eventually, the first public internet was being utilized in schools. With the expansion of computer use and the internet, new options began being offered to users. Mosaic was introduced in 1993 as the first search engine, which connected people to countless results with a simple click of the mouse. These search engines navigated the entire internet, looking for key words in searches or finding the exact URL (site addresses). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching by Roblyer Pages 210-211 Due to the increased use of this new technology, computers began becoming an integral part in education. Schools set up computer labs and scheduled time for students to learn typing on desktop computers and how to run basic searches for information. Rather than focusing solely on books and handwritten notations, students were now able to do basic research using search engines and they were also able to type and print with their new communal computers.

6. Developments in Portable DevicesMass Multimedia Madness& The Lack of Conventional Computer Lab Time Myspace, Youtube, Photobucket, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, MP3 Players, IPODS, IPADS, ITunes, Smart Phones, XBOX, Playstation, Skype, Netflix, Wii, Kinect, Kindles, Virtual Emersion Systems, Digital Billboards, and online Stores and Restaurants are all only a small representation of the massive and constant media bombardment that we face everyday. This frenzy of constant visual and audio stimulation from the plethora of multimedia resources has caused everyone affected to think and perform differently. Today’s youth would snicker at the thought of playing a record or an 8-Track, watching black and white television that has an antenna or having to write letters to family and friends out of town or out of state and waiting for slow delivery through the US Post Office. For most of the rest of us, it’s hard remembering even the days of VHS and audio cassettes. Technology has certainly exploded onto the scene since the 70’s and developments are being made faster than ever during the 21st century. Toddlers may not yet know how to talk, but they are already proficient in the use of cell phones and XBOX games. Times have changed very quickly which has caused the increasing problem of school districts as well as individual educators not being able to keep up with the new developments. The digital divide is certainly interfering with the progression of widespread technology use, specifically for the younger generations that are often found in lower income areas. Technology funding in schools is a big problem and fitting in conventional computer lab time during the school day is difficult. According to research done by UK’s Point Topic and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development during 2008, the United States ranked 22nd out of 113 countries for Broadband dispersion and only 25% of the US population has internet access, which is a rank of 15th, despite the United States being the birth place of the internet. PCWorld.com

7. Developments in Portable DevicesNew Portable Learning Technologies & The Children Who Use It Despite the Digital Divide existing, mostly in low income areas, there has been an increase in the overall usage of the internet throughout the United States among school aged children. Many schools are attempting to integrate new portable devices into their classrooms, rather than being limited to scheduling short computer lab times throughout the school week that usually averages out to only be about 12 minutes per student according to 21st Century Literacies briefing by the NCTE. Portable devices like Ipads, laptops and SMART Boards make it easier for students and teachers to learn and teach subject matter and to better utilize classroom time, rather than be constrained to scheduling computer lab time. The devices have shown to increase motivation among students, and according to the NCTE, some studies have shown an increase in writing and interaction among students. The video below shows just one set of examples of how this new technology can create a more fun and interactive classroom environment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOhb4n4ADbM Please click this slide to advance to the next screen if you choose not to watch the embedded video.

8. Developments in Portable DevicesInstructor Utilization of Portable Devices in the Classroom Not only are students enjoying the new portable device technology in the classroom, but instructors are finding a great deal of positive benefits from its use as well. Automatic assessing for things like multiple choice quizzes through student response systems like Promethean World or Socrative, being able to pre-organize an entire year’s worth of lesson plans on the computer, utilizing web pages to keep students and parents up to date with uploaded syllabus’ and lesson plans, allowing for more audio visual displays to help in guiding their lesson plans, maintaining student records with ease, automatic filing and indexing, and much more. The video on the previous page also helps to illustrate how this new technology has changed the format of the classroom and teaching as a whole. A key part of a successful technology driven class is making sure that teachers are given the right training so that they are better able to utilize technology to maximum capabilities. Though technology has become vital in the education system, the need for skilled teachers will never go away. Creating a fun, safe, interactive, and of course educational classroom environment is something that every teacher should be focusing on. Also worth noting, the implementation of portable technology and the use of the internet has allowed for the expansion of education, no longer limiting the classroom to a single building or room. Learning can now be collaborative and done not only from the homes of students in the same town that the school rests, but internationally as well. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching by Roblyer Page 22

9. Developments in Portable DevicesTO USE OR NOT TO USE The choice seems clear. Interviews with students and teachers as well as the countless surveys and research that have been done not only in the United States, but abroad indicate that technology in the classroom is the new preferred teaching and learning method. Being able to create interest and maintain it among students at all grade levels by using portable technology in the classroom is what it comes down to. According to a recent study done by the Department of Education, mobile applications show promising results in students. Mobile Learning Technologies for 21st Century Classrooms There are problems with technology in the classroom, and most of them are related to the digital divide and under (or misallocated) funding that many school districts face. More needs to be done to ensure that all schools and students are able to utilize the developing technology of the 21st century individually and collaboratively and the proper instruction for the teachers needs to be available in order to keep them up to date with emerging technological trends and advancements.

10. Developments in Portable DevicesThe Future: The Next 20 Years Learning from the past when it comes to technological advances, we are now seeing technology developing at the fastest rate ever and there are no signs of it slowing down. Possibilities are limitless and new developments in optics are emerging every day, one of the newest soon to be trend is the WiFi enabled contact lens (read more on it here: http://www.eyes-and-vision.com/contact-lens-of-the-future.html). Computerized paper, computerized tables that utilize fiber optic motion detection and networking capabilities that allow you to swing your finger over an item on one device and watch that item fly onto another device across the room, humanistic robotic technology and engineering, and countless other possibilities that have yet to even be released to the general public are all very much in our near future. The next 20 years will certainly hold advancements in technology that some only thought could be done in the movies. SMART Boards and Smart phones are just the beginning. The 2032 classroom will most certainly look very alien in comparison to what they look like now.

11. Developments in Portable DevicesRecommended Resources The following are links that I found helpful when looking into Developments in Portable Devices and how it related to education. Write Ups Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html 21st Century Literacies (this is a .pdf file) http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/PolicyResearch/21stCenturyResearchBrief.pdf Mobile Learning Technologies http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754742 For Student Response Systems Promethean World http://www.prometheanworld.com/en-us/education/products/learner-response-systems Socrative http://www.socrative.com/ Video Minnetonka Public Schools on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/MinnetonkaSchools

12. Developments in Portable DevicesSummary/Conclusion Clearly, portable device use within the classroom is vital and very complimentary to the world in which we live today. Mass multimedia madness has taken a hold of the world and there are very few places that one can go and not have contact with some form of computerized technology. With the start of the first publicly used internet during the 1980’s, a steady progression of technology integration in the classroom has been seen. Problems with internet access throughout the United States in areas that experience economic hardships and the lack of funding for technology in schools are both primary problems that affect educational technology. Despite these issues, many schools are doing all they can to utilize portable devices in their classrooms in an attempt to harness more excitement and success from their students. Students seem to prefer the technology uses and it has been found that these devices create a better dynamic between learners and educators. Portable devices allow for more interaction and creates and maintains excitement among students. It allows for students to use their creativity and also is a way for teachers to stay better aware of their students’ success. Technology today is only the beginning and over the next 20 years, we will be seeing a massive explosion with technology yet to be seen.

13. Developments in Portable DevicesReflection There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be utilizing the newest technology once I start teaching. My long term goal is to teach college level anthropology and history and I already have some great ideas on how that will work within my lesson plans. Mapping and GPS programs, graphic reconstruction programs based on ground penetrating radar, interactive timelines, AV, virtual reality, and so much more can and will be used in my classroom. Considering how much technology has grown over the last 40 years and how fast it has accelerated since the millennium, the next 20 years should yield amazing advances that I honestly cannot wait for. Despite focusing on technology, I still think it is vital for young minds to have hands on experience that only travel and real world experience can give to them. Teaching anthropology at college level would mean utilizing technology in the field, outside of the classroom.

14. Developments in Portable DevicesReferences • 21st Century Literacies. NCTE. Retrieved March 25, 2012, from www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/PolicyResearch/21stCenturyResearchBrief.pdf • Contact Lenses Of The Future. Vision Health. Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://www.eyes-and-vision.com/contact-lens-of-the-future.html • Craig, A. M. (2009). The heritage of world civilizations: combined volume (Teaching and learning classroom ed., Brief 4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. • Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved March 26, 2012, from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html • Little House on the Prairie S7 E16 Youtube – Youtube. Retrieved March 24, 2012, fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl7WpYCdarc • MinnetonkaSchools. MinnetonkaSchools YouTube . YouTube. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/user/MinnetonkaSchools • Promethean World - Learner Response Systems. Promethean. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from http://www.prometheanworld.com/en-us/education/products/learner-response-systems • Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. • Socrative | Student Response. Socrative | Student Response System. Retrieved March 27, 2012, from http://www.socrative.com/ • The Embarrassment of American Broadband | PCWorld Business Center. Reviews and News on Tech Products, Software and Downloads | PCWorld. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/163446/the_embarrassment_of_american_broadband.html • Wylie, J. Mobile Learning Technologies for 21st Century Classrooms | Scholastic.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754742